superstrutter

Guys, I will be mailing off stickers to RJPOUTDOORS, Hunt4Life23, tedrow, and RIStrutStopper tomorrow (Wednesday). If anyone else wants a sticker, PM me your address. We are in the thick of the contest, maybe not for total birds, but for best overall per hunter. Everyone keep in touch and let us know how your hunting is going. My season is over, so I'll be fishing from now on. I will still check in here every day to submit the scores of the birds I know you guys will be taking. I had a pretty good season taking 4 birds, but am already missing it. Good luck to the rest of you still hunting or about to start hunting. Lets here some stories.

Hunt4Life23

Thanks again for being captain superstrutter, you do a great job.

Opening day is finally upon me here in PA as it starts up saturday. The toms behind my house had moved back in and were around everyday for another two weeks but now have disappeared again unfortunately. That means I will probably be hunting either game lands tomorrow or a piece of pvt land with my dad. And as it ends up tomorrow might be my only day to hunt. I wait all this time watching birds out my back door strutting, gobbling, and breeding hens and then I accept a new job in NY that starts on Monday. Thats life though, and gotta take work when you can get it now a days. I should be able to get a good one on the ground saturday but I will check in saturday afternoon with the results.

superstrutter

Andrew, I got your address. I'll put your sticker in the mail tomorrow. Jason, I guess that's good and bad news. Congrats on your new job. Hope you can get one this weekend. Maybe you will be able to sneak out a few times before season closes.

tedrow

well guys sorry i havent been on in a while. have had job interviews and helping my dad work. i havent been out since tues and there were 4 people set up all around me i could physically see 2 of them. so when no birds gobbled and i thought they should have flown down by. i got up and walked within 50yds of both of them right to my jeep. birds are not there anymore they are on a farm about 3/4 mile away and it just happens to be my gpas land(lol). so im going after them sat morning.

superstrutter

Go get'em tedrow. Good luck brother. Haven't heard from a few of you fellow team members in a long time. What's going on with your seasons. Fill us in, success or failure. I may not be hunting anymore, but I sure like to talk turkey.

tedrow

my uncle hunted my gpas 2 days ago and had 6 longbeards come into 75 yds strutting and fighting!!! not one hen with them. we are going in the morning with my pretty boy with a jake fan in it. somethings going to get it i can feel it. lol

Hunt4Life23

well i got the job done this morning nice and early. Nice 2 year old tom, ill get some measurements and pics up in a little bit. Shot him just before 6:00 he flew down into the field right in front of us at about 50 yards and walked in to 25. I guess my shot was a little off with such a tight pattern at that range. I knocked him down but he got up and flew into the woods before I got another shot off. I watched him on the bench below me go into a laid down tree and he didnt come out the other side. So I ended up waiting a little and sneaking down to the tree and there he was hunkered down in it still alive so I finished him off. Wasnt pretty with the finishin off shot from 8 yards away right in the neck. Hopefully I will get to hunt some more to get after the big boys I have seen since i could definitely improve on my score with another bird.

RIStrutStopper

CT season started Wednesday, RI on Thursday. Weather kept me from getting out until Friday. I messed up though. I got up at 4, but that wasn't early enough to get where I was going. I rolled up on the property around 6. I know birds roost there, but its a small property so if you don't get them hooked right at flydown they don't stick around. Well, I got there after fly down. I didn't hear a peep all morning. Consolation, I did get my permission slip signed for another 200 acre property on the way home.
Today, I got up at 3. I 'thought' I knew where a bird was roosted, so I eased into the woods and set my dekes. As soon as I sat down, a gobbler lit up. He wasn't where I thought, he was much closer. In fact, I probably set my dekes within 40 yards of his roost tree. I let him know where I was but kept pretty quiet. So many times there I thought a hunt was in the bag but right at flydown either real hens would show up and lure the longbeards off or they would just fly down on the other side and take walk off to another property. Today, he flew down away from me, but I gave him some soft clucks as soon as he hit the ground and he started strutting. He slowly circled around, kinda looking like he was paying attention to my dekes, but kept circling. I really hoped he wouldnt end up behind me, he was about 60 yards off to my left. He was inching his way in ever so slowly, when I made my mistake. He turned around and I brought my gun up. He caught movement and I heard a "putt". He didn't have to putt twice, I knew he was going to high tail it out of there so BANG! I misjudged the distance, but he went down hard! I figured he was around 40 yards but it was more like 50. Stats, 19 pounds, 7/8 and ¾ inch spurs, and 10” beard. I’ll post pics when I download them.

Hunt4Life23

congrats on your bird RIStrutStopper!

Here are the pics and measurements from my bird this morning.
10.25" beard, 1" spurs, 20 lbs 4 oz.

Pic from kill site with cell phone


Better shot of him

RJPOUTDOORS

congrats Hunt4, very nice bird.