Ok here's the story on my bird:

The last day of the season is also my son's birthday. This year he turned 9. For his birthday he wanted to go camping (like we do most years.) We have a camper that I still keep at my house in Alabama. It's a two and a half hour drive, but since I had to go anyway, I figured I may as well hunt.

Usually the last week of the season is tough and silent, so I figured I would go out anyway and hope that the long winter might have pushed back the season a little bit. I figured I would try to get something off the roost and then get the camper if I didn't hear anything.

I left the house at 2:30 a.m. , convinced that this disease called turkey hunting was a terrible ailment.

I arrived in Hartford at 5:00 and let my dog run around a little bit and then headed to the creek bottom that normally held a good flock of birds. The loggers had thinned out the pine trees and left the smell of fresh turpentine in the air. I inhaled deeply and smiled. It was already a great morning.

I sat down at the tree about 5:20. I waited and soaked in the last hunt of the season. I said a little prayer where I thanked God for the gift of hunting and for generous landowners. I prayed for success, safety, and to bless my family while I was away.

At 5:30 I heard the first gobble. I tree yelped. He gobbled again. I was afraid that I was too close. He was only about 75 yards away; just across the creek. Then I heard a gobble on the other side of the road on the same side of the creek. I tree yelped again.

I quit counting gobbles at 50. Then they went crazy. At 5:45 I did a fly down cackle and shut up. They really went wild. By 5:55, they had gobbled at least 150 times. Wow! What a hunt.

Then, a bird flew down from the big trees toward me. It was like a runway. The bird just about hit me as he hit the ground and ran up the road behind me. I could feel the breeze off his wings. Then another. I almost shot him like a duck, but I decided to wait. Then the third one started down. He put the brakes on and dropped down about 40 yards away. The grass had grown up, so I couldn't see his beard or spurs. I saw his red, white, and blue head and pulled the trigger. He went down.

I smiled and thanked God for the great hunt.

Then I went to pick up my bird. While I was picking him up, another bird flew down and about hit me. He swooped up into a tree about 20 feet above me. I dropped my bird and looked at him through the scope. He began putting with the two other birds on that had flown past me that were still on the ground only 40 yards away. I laughed out loud and remembered the joy of turkey hunting. It was a great hunt. Thanks guys.

I ate fried turkey nuggets on Saturday night. Tonight I plucked his tail fan and fixed them into my primos decoy for next year. Enjoy guys.

Awesome story Jack. I was there with you the whole way. Now that's a hunt that will keep you coming back. Good stuff!!!!

Congrats again!!

Dan

great story and it sounded like a pretty awesome hunt. congrats on the bird and nice job

Congratz on the bird! I think now im the only one that hasn't gotten one on our team.

Pope- You're not the Lone Ranger. Keep after em, it'll happen. Look at what happened to Arjuna on the last day of season. Are you going this coming wk. end?


Dan

Arjuna, sounds like an super awesome hunt you had there, nothing like a bunch of gobbling to get your heart pounding. As for the rest of you guys who havn't scored yet, keep after them and your time will come....

Umm sadly no I can't... My sister is getting married saturday.. Tomorrow and friday I get to miss school so ill try getting out on those days. Tomorrow I get my braces off so I might go that evening and then friday I have to help decorate for the wedding all day so I might try go early in the morning.

Well, good luck if you get out!! Big things happening this wk. end. You with your braces and your sister getting married. They must be trying to make you a little prettier for the wedding photo's. lol Have fun!!!

Dan

Awesome story man!! Pope, keep after them, you'll get one. May have to consider taking the shotgun towards the end of season? Either way good luck man. I'm pulling for a fellow Iowa hunter.

Well, I tagged out this morning. Been chasing this bird now for 2 weeks. He's a stubborn one, all henned up with at least 6 hens every morning. Wouldn't come to calls, actually would turn and go the opposite direction from the calling. He's evaded my 2 neighbors at least twice, and one other hunter last Sat. when Brandon and I where going to hunt him, but saw another hunter allready there, so we went someplace else. Yesterday again, I was on him for over 3 hours, and not calling cause I knew he would leave, was just waiting and hope to pattern him. He was with 2 other birds, a nice tom and a jake. But when they got too close, this bird chased them off, and went back to his hens. All the while out of gun range. After that, the cows got curious and came in and this tom and his hens moved off into the timber on property I don't have permission on, so I packed up and left. Today I got in there at 5:30 and set up with my secret weapon, Since he showed some dominace yesterday, I packed in my Feather flex Jake, and a jake tail fan I did 2 years ago. I set up what turned out to be, about 30 yards from his roost. Dekes facing away, with this jake tail fan staring him right in the face. He gobbled several times on the roost, but I only did 3 soft kelks in a row after his first gobble, and then put my call away. When I heard him fly down, I got my gun up and ready. When he came thru the fence, strutting, drumming and spitting, he proceded to gobble at my set up. He moved to about 15 yards of the set up, and about the same distance to me, and stopped and just gobbled his head off, then he would stand straight up, all puffed out. Thats when he got his fill of #5's.
He ended up being 20lbs, 10 1/4 inch beard, and both spurs were 1 1/4.



My set up this morning.


What he saw after flydown


View back at him from the set up.


And the important stuff.