Thanks guys, he was a good bird for sure and put on one heck of a show. Killed it in the exact spot DTC Jr killed his bird during youth season. Talked with my dad this morning and he heard 4 gobble behind his house and I heard 3 gobble behind my house. Can't hunt til next Monday but glad to know they are still gobbling. Taking DTC Jr to NE next week, just bought his tags online. Should be a good time, my buddy killed one with his bow up there last night and his son killed one with a shotgun. He has some quality spots to hunt so mabye Jr can get his merriams down. Then I will be forking out some cash to head south for an osceola. I am way to good to that kid.lol

Dang DTC!!! You wouldn't be interested in adopting a bald, fat, middle aged second son would ya!!! :biggrin: :biggrin:

Hey guys. Shot this bird this morning at 6:25. He popped out in the field about 80 yards away in full strut. Then a hen followed him out. I thought for sure he would follow the hen away from me, but a few sweet purrs on the slate and he was on his way up to visit my hens. Didn't gobble much, but put on a nice show with his strut.

Weight: 20 lbs. 1 oz.
Beard: 9.5"
Left Spur: 1.25"
Right Spur: 1.125"

Total Score: 62.8125

:groupwave:

Team 10 is jammin baby!!!!! Awsome work Zubba Congrats!!!! Thats a beautiful bird!!!

Any luck contacting Gobbling Buck?? Course i can see ya been kinda busy!!!

Thanks a lot. It was a fun hunt.

I called and left a message on the answering machine...but no call back. I will try to call again today.

With Zubba's bird that brings our team total to 223.0625. It's gonna be close but i think that gives us the lead in this thing!! Great work guys!!! Lets keep it goin!!!

Thanks for getting the scores entered so quickly j76. By far the best captain I've ever had in these contests.

Good Luck to everyone still chasing.

Great Tom Zubba. We are on a roll. If I can't upgrade with 4 tags on Iowa/Kansas I might as well take up gardening in the Spring. We got a realistic shot with this contest, if we keep putten them down. A lot of guys are just getting out on other teams, so we will need more birds to compete. Good job everyone. Agree on the great job j76 has done as team captain. Because of last years fiasco, I almost didn't join back up in the contest this year. Glad I did, because it's been a lot of fun.

Great Job zubba!! Beautiful Bird! I WILL redeem myself guys. Even though you're all killing me with your successes. Had a couple guys skip work this morning and they both got nice birds. Get this, and I've been wondering how it would work, but they went after birds out in the middle of fields. They walked behind a turkey fan straight at them. Moving the fan side to side they slowly cut the distance from 200 yards to 30 yards. They even said after getting close the toms actually turned towards them and started coming in. I've seen it on video before but never had the guts to try it. Now it will be an option. Plus I need to skip work to do it:happy0001:

I forgot to say, j you are doing a great job and everyone else, the chat is just awesome on here. Thats team unity. We are definately catching the chat leaders!

I don't think he scored his bird because he didn't know he was on a team, but maybe he's still going out. We sure could have used his bird in the team scoring. Hopefully we can get ahold of him.

Thanks for the kind words guys, this yr has been by far the most fun i've had in this contest!

Went out with dad tonite to scout for tomorrow. Wasn't expecting much but ended up finding tons of fresh sign, and hearing a couple gobbles just befor roostin time!! Could be an interesting morning i think.

Also i have like 8 stickers left so if any one hasn't gotten one or would like another let me know. My 4 yr old has been on me wantin some of my stickers...not sure how much longer i can fight him off!

Whats up with Kdsberman???? Hope he's not froze to the ground in a feild somewhere trying to hunt in this fine weather of the Michigan turkey season!!!

It's crazy to see birds shot in the snow this year from places like Michigan and Wisconsin. It's almost May! Weather is really weird. I have to pack my SUV with twice as many clothes as usual for my 9 day trip to cover Winter to Summer.

Well no birds for dad this morn....did get a deer on the way there tho :nonono2: :nonono2: :mad1: :rant:

thanks for post

Man, that sucks. I am so overdue from the same thing from those suicidal kamikazees.

:D We are taking applications for our fan club.

Little early to be hittin those j. You're suppose to wait til they have their racks:s2:. I'm waiting for the day I hit one. Well, I've been seeing a couple toms so I'm gonna try again in the morning. Sun has to shine on my arse someday!!

Gettum. No way I'm working a whole day tomorrow. I'm stoked for 9 days of hunting.

Well 1 road kill deer and a busted truck!! Thats it for dads turkey hunt!!! Looked really good goin into this morn but they stayed a ways away from us and never came around. 1 hen came in tonite but that don't quite get it done!! Did see a couple hens on the way home one with about a 7 in beard. Thats the first bearded hen i've ever seen!! So this yr has the fewest # of birds i've seen but did see my first double bearded bird and my first bearded hen....kinda cool i think!! Tryin to get signman up here for one last trip next weekend at the spot where i took mine, which if weather gets like it should be this time of yr has to be a good trip!! Think if we do it we will both be in the doghouse BIG TIME with the wives.......But nothin like goin out in a blaze of glory!!!

p.s......anybody interested in a slightly used chevy tahoe with a minor dent in the door???????????

Go get em boys!!!!

Will be back May 2nd. Will give you a call on dead Turkeys. Good luck everyone. Later.

Good luck Jay!! Can't wait to hear from ya!!! Got a call from signman this mornin, He went out callin for a buddy of his and did his magic again!! got the guy a nice 2 yr old bird. His tag doesn't allow him to hunt down there so I gotta get him back up here. I thought it would be nice to tag out early this yr but every morn i don't get to go sucks!!! Man I love this stuff!

Ok, just got off the phone with Iowa Jaybird and he has did it again!!! Didn't get any measurements yet, think he was still twitchen when he called. He did think it could very well be an upgrade from his biggest thus far by a little tho. 4 tags in nine days??? I think he's gonna do it with a couple to spare!!! Congrats to Jay!!!

:happy0001:My prediction will be this:

THOSE FLOCKIN' GOBBLERS will be...:hail::hail:.. to SPURR'N LONGBEARDS.


TEAM 4---> :action-smiley-099:<---TEAM 10

Hey............... You guys hear something?????????? Sounded like it came waaayyyy down from the bottom of the pile.............

Finally got one after a 3 year dryspell. Set up 50 yards from the roost with a single hen decoy. At sunrise I had a hen fly directly at my decoy and all the rest followed. Had 4 strutters that weren't offering me any shots. Then 4 hens were pecking my decoy and then started puttin. They were all getting nervous so I took a shot at the closest guy. I'm happy that I finally have the stripe removed from my back and that the hunt finally seemed to go the way I hoped. Still have permit to fill so I'll try to get my score up a little higher.

15pds
1/8 spurs
4 inch beard
15+10+10+8=43

Good job Mottz!

My season has been going on since Monday, but today was my first day out. My first 5 minutes of hunting a had a tom respond to my calls. About 5 minutes later I had 4 jakes come walk in about 10 yards from me, looking for my calling. Thought they were gonna bust me and start putting, therefore blowing my hunt. But they just walked off. About 15 minutes later I had another tom respond to my calls, except this one was coming in. I spotted him out about 60 yards strutting and looking, but unfortunately he just kinda walked off as if he just all of a sudden lost interest. Never heard or seen anything after than except the sound of gusting winds.

Tomorrow is forecasted to be great weather, so I might do an all-dayer. Hope to contribute soon!

I got out yesterday and had the biggest tom that I have seen come in. Its the first time that I have heard the "Drumming" but as my luck has been going he slipped in between me and the tree that I was by and I could not get turned for the shot. I tried to slip around the tree but one of his buddies spotted me and started puttin. They went about 30 yards on the other side of a hill so I swung around and started calling. They started back when a farmer across the street pulled in and had the cows runnin for the food. That was that I heard them. If I would have sat on the other side of the dang tree it would have been all over..lol They were on the other side of a fence and I figured that they would hit one spot of the fence that bottom line was raised but thats hunting. I stayed out from daylight to dark and this is the only action I had. This public land hunting has been going for getting the Turkey.

Mottz that is awesome that you broke your dry spell. Keep your fingers crossed that I can break mine. Its been since '05 for me. I hopefully can get out next friday or my season will be over.

:woot::woot: :party0005: :rock: :rock:

Way to go Mottz!!!!!!!! Awsome job!! I knew you'd get it done!! Now that the dry spell is over the next will come easy for ya. Congrats man!!!!

Kds and Kelly, dang sounds like you guys are gettin real close!! Keep after em, it will happen!!!

Mottz, don't want to take anything away from ya but the score you have figuredis wrong, if it had 1/8 in spurs
Your score is 15 + 1.25 + 1.25 + 8 = 25.5
This is how I will post it but if we have somethin mixed up let me know and i'll get it changed. Again, Congratulations!!

If thats what it is j, then thats what it is. I just plugged the numbers in that calculator and thats what it gave me. I might of entered them wrong somehow though.

kds, good to see ya back. We missed you there for awhile. Take advantage of that weather. Still waiting for great weather here!

kelly, you gotta get out there and get one. Talk about weight lifted off the shoulders. You sounded really close. Next time will be money!

I did it wrong j. I didn't use the decimal figure. I put it in as a fraction. Just alot of excitement I guess:happy0157:

Thats cool Mottz, it's one down all the same

Iowa Jaybird just called me back with his Iowa birds stats

21lbs 2 oz
3/4 spurs
9 1/2 beard
Your score is 21.125 + 7.5 + 7.5 + 19 = 55.125
Not quite enough for an upgrade on the score, but another just the same!!!
Congrats Jaybird and Mottz!

Congrats to Iowa!! Sounds like another great bird. You're a turkey killin machine!!

Been chuckling about my season so far.
First hunt-Didn't see or hear any birds.
2nd hunt-Didn't see but did hear some birds.
3rd hunt-Heard alot of birds and seen 1 tom.
4th hunt- Heard and seen alot of birds on the other side of the creek.
5th hunt-Got me a Jake.

So, now if this keeps going in a "getting better each hunt" kind of way, then I should be getting prepped for better. Or is it going to go back downhill? Just something for me to ponder on:hit:

I am looking at updating my decoys. Do yall have any recommendations. I have the fold up foam ones right now and they are starting to be more glue than foam..lol

I really like the killer-b by primos but it looks a little bulky and not real sold on using a full tom to call them in I would think that a jake would be better. I wouldn't want to scare the smaller ones away. I'm not too picky right now..lol I have to walk in 1/2 to 1 mile in some of the places I go so the bulkiness and weight might be an issue.

Maybe I can get it all updated and put one in the freezer and on the board if I get to go this friday

All I have is a couple cheapo's, Delta's i think. Last winter got bore and cut the back of the jake deke off and rigged it up with a fan from a bird i had shot, since these pics i've changed it to a jake fan, which seems to fit better and makes more sense having it on there. Not sold on having dekes out, think they can screw ya just as much if not more so than help ya. But since using it ive had mixed reactions. Last yr we had a group come in and when they noticed em didn't seem to get much reaction out of them, but when the shot finally came they were going right to it. This yr befor i shot my jake we had a hen and a jake come out of the woods up to the feild, the jake was following a bit behind the hen and as soon as she stepped into the feild, seen the dekes and spun right around back into the woods and took the jake with her. If it had been a descent tom following her think the dekes would have been shot and burried on site!!! But shortly after they left a bigger group came in and the one i shot plus 2 others went right to the dekes. I think dekes are like calls or dekes for whatever you are hunting, cheap or expensive they don't work all the time, sometimes will ruin a hunt, but on the right day at the right time will seal the deal for ya. Personally i think it comes down to you and what you can afford and what YOU want, If i had money to blow and could drop 500 bucks on a couple Dave smith decoys would i have them......sure i would, but i cant and i know you can get the job done with a cheap one too. Any ways heres the pics of my modified, semi-productive dekes

Congrats Iowa & Mottz!! We'll take them. Good luck to everyone else still out there chasing.

I have another tag that opens next Wednesday, but I will work to get my buddy a bird first. After he has his tag filled, I will work on my second.

Kelly-I just use the cheap featherflex decoys. Usually 2 hens. Might throw in an occasional Jake. There is no doubt the expensive strutting Tom decoys works...sometimes anyways, but I've killed a lot birds and seen a lot of birds die in front on my featherflex decoys. You can't beat how they pack up. Good luck

I think I have the same decoys as j. Except I've added color to them. They work really good but after having them in my bag alot its hard to keep them from looking anorexic. So I filled them with expandafoam. That keeps the solid. I also have a pretty boy but I haven't had the luck that everyone else has with them. I painted it also. If I just stare at something too much I end up messing with it.

Man what a day again. Half hour after sunrise I heard gobbling but couldnt get em' in. About noon I managed to call in a nice tom from quite a distance, but no surprise he hung up about 70 yards away and strutted and gobbled for about an hour and a half. Knowing that most likely he wasnt gonna come in, I decided to walk around the edge of the property to try him from the other side. He STILL stayed in the same spot. So, again knowing he probably wont get any closer to THAT spot, I moved in closer. Well, he must have busted me cuz I never heard him gobble again.

Heard one gobble a few hours later, but that was it. Hunted from sunrise to 4:30 and came home empty handed.

I question myself why I am so obsessed with such a frustrating hobby.