Team 4 Spurr'n Longbeards
05-12-2011, 07:41 AM
#385
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 365
Better late than never. LONG POST! Just spent 3 days hunting and tagged a bird each day in my honey honey hole. These are all easterns.
May 9th - First gobble was at 5:20 am. Had birds to my west and north. This bird was taken at 7:07 am after hearing 300-500 gobbles between him, 8 jakes, and 3 other toms. They would gobble at me, each other, the hens that were calling. With the way my season had been going, I said the first longbeard that walks down my gun barrel gets it. This one came 23 yards off the end of the gun and got it. The 8 jakes came right in and walked all around him.
15.5 lbs + 12.125" beard + .875" spurs = 57.25
May 10 - Saw 2 birds go to roost across the street from my previous day's hunt. Wound up on the same group from the morning before. The woodline was to the north and I was facing it. Had 2 gobblers to my left, one in front, and one to the right. First gobble was at 5:19. Had maybe 50 gobbles between the 4 toms, with the 2 to the left providing the most talk. Carried on some great talk with the hens but could not coax them to me. Watched a hen pitch towards the gobbler to my far right but never saw them again. Then 2 hens pitched out about 90 yds to my right in a sand road. Eventually I could see the top of a fan and realized the birds in the woods had pitched down in the woods, gotten around me, and all came out in the road where the hens flew down. There were 3 strutters, the 8 jakes, and a mess of hens. They got past me and I realized I had to make a move. Made a huge hook move around them and got in front of them. Sat for a while and had a lone hen pass at 5 yds but no other birds. Realized these birds must have faded into the tall grass. Crawled to the sand road and no birds so I started another move when I saw the top of a fan sticking out of the tall grass. Now comes the wild part. I crawled on my hands and knees for 45 min to get past them where I could see a huge brush pile that I could use to close the distance. I would move when they were strutting rear end towards me and used the sun at my side too. Got around past them and was able to stand up and walk to the brush pile. Peeked through and they were 75 yds. Finally could see hens. They strutted there for 20 min and then all of the sudden they started strutting my way. Waited for the lead tom to put his head down in the thick grass and tucked the gun up in the brush. He walked into the gun, I pulled the trigger, and click! Dud shell!! He didn't hear it since the wind was from me to him and I was far enough behind the wood pile that he couldn't see me. He put his head down, I got the shell out (I shoot an Encore) and replaced, hammer ****ed and gun part way up when he jerks his head up. I thought game over but he broke into strut!!! YES! Broke out of strut, put his head in the thick grass and I positioned for the shot. When his head came up, game over at 23 yds!
20 lbs + 10.0625" beard + 1" & 1.125" spurs = 61.0625
May 11th - Went back after the same group. Birds were leery but at 46 yds I closed the deal close to where I took the bird the day before!
18 lbs + 10.25" beard + .8125 & .750" spurs = 54.125
May 9th - First gobble was at 5:20 am. Had birds to my west and north. This bird was taken at 7:07 am after hearing 300-500 gobbles between him, 8 jakes, and 3 other toms. They would gobble at me, each other, the hens that were calling. With the way my season had been going, I said the first longbeard that walks down my gun barrel gets it. This one came 23 yards off the end of the gun and got it. The 8 jakes came right in and walked all around him.
15.5 lbs + 12.125" beard + .875" spurs = 57.25
May 10 - Saw 2 birds go to roost across the street from my previous day's hunt. Wound up on the same group from the morning before. The woodline was to the north and I was facing it. Had 2 gobblers to my left, one in front, and one to the right. First gobble was at 5:19. Had maybe 50 gobbles between the 4 toms, with the 2 to the left providing the most talk. Carried on some great talk with the hens but could not coax them to me. Watched a hen pitch towards the gobbler to my far right but never saw them again. Then 2 hens pitched out about 90 yds to my right in a sand road. Eventually I could see the top of a fan and realized the birds in the woods had pitched down in the woods, gotten around me, and all came out in the road where the hens flew down. There were 3 strutters, the 8 jakes, and a mess of hens. They got past me and I realized I had to make a move. Made a huge hook move around them and got in front of them. Sat for a while and had a lone hen pass at 5 yds but no other birds. Realized these birds must have faded into the tall grass. Crawled to the sand road and no birds so I started another move when I saw the top of a fan sticking out of the tall grass. Now comes the wild part. I crawled on my hands and knees for 45 min to get past them where I could see a huge brush pile that I could use to close the distance. I would move when they were strutting rear end towards me and used the sun at my side too. Got around past them and was able to stand up and walk to the brush pile. Peeked through and they were 75 yds. Finally could see hens. They strutted there for 20 min and then all of the sudden they started strutting my way. Waited for the lead tom to put his head down in the thick grass and tucked the gun up in the brush. He walked into the gun, I pulled the trigger, and click! Dud shell!! He didn't hear it since the wind was from me to him and I was far enough behind the wood pile that he couldn't see me. He put his head down, I got the shell out (I shoot an Encore) and replaced, hammer ****ed and gun part way up when he jerks his head up. I thought game over but he broke into strut!!! YES! Broke out of strut, put his head in the thick grass and I positioned for the shot. When his head came up, game over at 23 yds!
20 lbs + 10.0625" beard + 1" & 1.125" spurs = 61.0625
May 11th - Went back after the same group. Birds were leery but at 46 yds I closed the deal close to where I took the bird the day before!
18 lbs + 10.25" beard + .8125 & .750" spurs = 54.125
Last edited by blackheel; 05-12-2011 at 08:51 AM.
Congrats blackheel, good stories and nice birds!! Good job those birds will help the team out.
05-12-2011, 11:26 AM
#390
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Western Massachusetts
Posts: 7,168
Worked 2 on the roost this AM w/ a buddy... gobbled good on roost.. made a few calls and they hammered us... then nothing... not another sound out of them.. must have had hens with them.
Taking my 6 year old daughter tomorrow... hopefully she will bring luck.. anything legal goes with her with me!
Did have some excitement at home today... lunch time I looked out and saw my German Shephard going nuts... face to face with a bear. Dog on one side of fence... bear on the other...
The bear wound up staying around for about an hour and a half and just wouldn't leave... i even hit it in the head w/ a rock.. it bluff charged me 3 times, but I just gave it right back to it... wasn't gonna let it win!
I got to w/in 5 feet of it on the other side of the fence... I did have my .45 in case!
Not the best pics from my cell... but here it is...
Taking my 6 year old daughter tomorrow... hopefully she will bring luck.. anything legal goes with her with me!
Did have some excitement at home today... lunch time I looked out and saw my German Shephard going nuts... face to face with a bear. Dog on one side of fence... bear on the other...
The bear wound up staying around for about an hour and a half and just wouldn't leave... i even hit it in the head w/ a rock.. it bluff charged me 3 times, but I just gave it right back to it... wasn't gonna let it win!
I got to w/in 5 feet of it on the other side of the fence... I did have my .45 in case!
Not the best pics from my cell... but here it is...