hunt12ga

Made for an unforgettable week I bet 2Lunger!

Well my 4th season started today. I should have gone to work!
First, the spot I decided to try (1/2 mile walk across a field) had just been worked over by a dozer and the farmer was burning a brush pile. Well crap. I was already there, so I figured I'd at least set down and listen for some birds. When I went to load my gun, I noticed that I'd snagged my sight on something. It's a spring blade that lays down on the rib with a set screw to adjust elevation. It was bent straight up in the air instead of laying on the rib. Crap! No sights. No problem, I would just go home after while and fix it and resight my gun (with $4 apiece shells grrr). So I took the rear sight off and sat around. Nothing. So I decided to drive around before heading home. Wouldn't you know it, there goes a bird into the woods on a property I can hunt. I went to the top of the hill and trekked through the woods to the other side on a field edge. I set up and called for about 5 minutes and finally got a gobble. Out he came into the field several hundred yards away. Long story short, he played the game and I missed him. I MISSED HIM! What could make the day worse???

I can answer that!

When I got home to fix my sight I was showing my new Indian Creek choke to my bro-in-law. I noticed that it had cracked open! It split at the end of one of the ports all the way to the end! I had to chase down my factory choke that I lent to a guy and scavenge some lead shells and quickly sight it in tonight. I'm guessing I'm good to go in the morning. Maybe?

I just thought that no birds gobbling anywhere was the worst thing that could happen. Nope!

Hopefully my luck goes back in the right direction in the morning. It's supposed to be raining, but bring it. Maybe the skeeters will stay in bed!

rw

Todd1700

Man that does suck. I hear that the guys at IC are good when it comes to customer service though so hopefully they will make good on it.

Todd1700

I'm also a member at an Alabama hunting forum called Aldeer.com They started a thread there to see how many turkeys the members have killed this year. With 26 people responding so far the number is at 97 killed. Not bad.

hunt12ga

I called IC yesterday as soon as I noticed it. There were no questions asked, and he rushed to get off the phone so that he could get it in the mail before it went out so I could get a new one as soon as possible. He told me to send the faulty one back when I got a chance. So (assuming the new choke gets here) I'm giving their customer service an A+.

rw

SouthernStrut56

Yeah it sure as hell doesn't matter if you have your own land in rural Alabama either 2lunger. That, and school, is why y'all haven't heard much from me lately. Talked to the turkey slaying machine who owns the land next to us the other day, he said he's having the best year of his life. Talked to another guy who knows this guy, he said he's killed a great number of birds....not saying he's killed more than five, but I'm almost sure he has......which I'm not opposed to if you're on your own land. I think the game warden oughta stay the hell outta people's business when they're minding their own and not hurting anybody. I think you should be able to kill what you want when you want on your own land. That's how it's always been around here now they wanna go trying to enforce all these stupid laws but whatever. Anyways, he lives not even 5 minutes from our land and doesn't work because he inherited a bunch of money, so he turkey hunts every single day and coon hunts at night, on my land too I found out. I'm in school an hour or so away and I'm the only one who really goes down to our land anymore, so there's no way of keeping him out. I'm to the point where I don't care anymore because I know I'll never be able to have a place ALL to myself, ever. One of the reasons I don't do anything about it is that he's older and grew up hunting our land when my grandparents leased it out.....long before I was around, and he's a super nice guy, so it's just hard to get stern with him. I guess next year I need to get with him and double up more often bc he's a seasoned turkey killing machine. I guess when I read that about the trespasser I had to vent a little of my recent frustrations to y'all boys. I'm gonna try again maybe once or twice just because I know how unpredictable turkeys can be, but I'm not expecting anything. Keep on slayin em guys, it's been fun so far!

2 Lunger

Southernt, I hear ya. I've never had any problem with someone doing what they wanted on their own property that they had managed and took care of themselves. That's what owning your own ground is all about.

Just pisses me off that we put that bird to bed two nights in a row (just didn't hunt him the first morning) and have him killed right in front of you. First time that has happened to me in 11 years.

Congrats on your engagement! Don't give up on the birds yet. As soon as this rain breaks I feel like I'm gonna tag out here in Indiana.

Todd1700

So weird to hear you guys talking about the Embarrass River. I have bowhunted right along it.

2 Lunger

Stay off our turf, Todd!!! Just kidding! It's a small world out there.

Seems like these rains won't let up. I'm starting to get a little down about my chances of putting a tag on a bird this year.

hunt12ga

Let me start off by saying that until this morning, I haven't been completely sold on my B-Mobile. That changed! Also, Indian Creek got my replacement choke to me yesterday (Saturday) and I called them about it Thursday night. Way to go IC!

I decided that instead of trying to listen for the gobbles that haven't been happening that I'd just set up in a field and play the waiting game. I popped up a blind and put out B-Mobile and his girlfriend. I saw a hen a few fields over early. I was texting my father-in-law checking on his morning when I saw a bird walk into my field a few hundred yards away. I first thought it was a hen, but when I looked through the binocs I saw a big ol' thick beard. I hit the box call really loud a couple times (windy as all get out here). He looked my way, and started a slow walk in my direction. He stopped and looked at the dekes and came a little closer. He did this for a few minutes, never gobbling and only half-strutting a bit. Once he got within about 150 yards, I clucked a couple times and he did a sprint all the way to B-Mobile. He puffed up and got up in the deke's face and circled all the way around him.

I'd had a trigger job done on my gun when I got it a few months ago. While patterning it I'd had a couple misfires where the firing pin didn't hit the primer hard enough to go off. Well, it happened when I pulled the trigger on this tom. Luckily I was in a blind and was able to shuck the shell and stick another in. He heard my bolt lock in and stuck his head up. I purred and he went back to intimidating my decoy. He saw me stick my gun back out the window and he stuck his head up just in time to meet his maker.

I've never seen anything like that except on the Outdoor channel. I'll never set up in a field again without the strutter!

rw
22lbs, 10" beard, right spur 1 1/4" left spur 1 1/8"

Hunt4Life23

thats a great bird hunt12ga!! also a great story, never set up on a field like that and played the waitin game on turkeys but it certainly worked for you. great job