2012 HNI Spring Turkey Contest Champions Team 4 Beard Bandits
04-14-2012, 03:32 PM
#171
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tuscaloosa AL
Posts: 609
Bald eagle!!! Man....I know that's tuff, but it's fun ain't it! Lol! Hey, at least your hearing birds, I can't buy a gobble here. Sounds like its about to pay off for ya! Good luck!!
Hunted till noon today, well really about 11:15 then a 45min nap. It was hot and wind was 14 to 15mph, it was time to gather my things and call it a day. Only made it about 50 yards or so and there was a nice timber rattler in the road. He's soakin in the fridge now! Hey when the turkey woods give you lemons......
Hunted till noon today, well really about 11:15 then a 45min nap. It was hot and wind was 14 to 15mph, it was time to gather my things and call it a day. Only made it about 50 yards or so and there was a nice timber rattler in the road. He's soakin in the fridge now! Hey when the turkey woods give you lemons......
04-14-2012, 07:18 PM
#172
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 365
Scored this afternoon (doubled with my 10 y.o. nephew-his first longbeard). I'll get a pic up tomorrow afternoon.
18 lbs 10 3/8" beard 7/8" spurs
I gotta be on the road for work in 7 hours....
ok here are pics real quick...I'll get the story up this evening
18 lbs 10 3/8" beard 7/8" spurs
I gotta be on the road for work in 7 hours....
ok here are pics real quick...I'll get the story up this evening
Last edited by blackheel; 04-15-2012 at 02:00 AM. Reason: added pics
04-15-2012, 02:17 PM
#175
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tuscaloosa AL
Posts: 609
Blackheel, that's a great bird!!! Doubling up with little man.....awesome! You know he's hooked good now, gonna have a shadow following you in the woods now! Hope you get another, can't wait to hear the story. Team 4 starting to look pretty dang good!
04-15-2012, 03:15 PM
#178
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 365
My nephew and I headed up for our opening day hunt on Friday afternoon. As many of you know, we were unsuccessful in getting him a turkey last year and last weekend. We basically had a slow youth day. Opening day would be a bit more eventful.
When we got close to where we'd be hunting and camping, I had some issues with the brakes on my truck which alarmed me but there was nothing I could do, all service stations were closed. On the way into our hunt area, we saw a few toms and hens which got both of us ready to hunt. We went to our camping area and set up camp, ate dinner, and had time to go try to roost some birds. While listening for roost gobbles, another hunter who would be hunting the adjacent private land stopped and gave us some info on where he'd been hearing and seeing birds on our side of the property. We only heard 2 single gobbles on the roost, one on the private and one on the public, so based on the intel from the other hunter we made a plan to be up early and set up on a greenfield.
We got up early and headed to our intended hunt spot hoping we could get the spot. We didn't see anyone else so we slipped in the field in the dark and set up. First gobble was 6:08 and not too awfully close. Over the next 20 minutes I heard at least 8 different toms sound off, but none too close. There were two hens roosted separately near the field that called a bit but they never elicited any gobbles. My nephew dozed off and I allowed him to nap since there was not much going on close. Almost all the birds got quiet once on the ground. I heard a pair of shots on the private land and 2 follow ups the I assumed was a double. A lone hen slipped past about 7:20. I continued to let my nephew nap but about 10 minutes later I had to wake him up, red heads on the other side of the field! It was four jakes. He got his gun up but they would get no closer than about 40 yards, a bit too far for he and his 20 gauge. They kept toying with us, a few steps closer, a few steps back. Then, what I assumed were the shooters of the double went driving down the nearby gravel road. Those jakes heard the crunching and ducked into the woods. They didn't go far but after it had gone silent, something spooked them because I heard them putting in the woods. That was basically the end of the morning hunt. We sat until 10 am and then headed into town to get my brakes checked.
Upon return from town, I needed a short nap and then we broke camp. As we were pulling away from camp, I spotted a male turkey about 600 yards at the back of a weedy field. I glassed him for 10 minutes before he finally got in the open and I could see a beard. I turned to my nephew and said let's go after him. As I turned back, the gobbler was gone! I guess that one was not meant to be. We were undecided on where to hunt. I had two ideas. One was to go near where I had spotted at least one feeding tom the afternoon before or to head near where I had heard a lot of the gobbling in the morning. On our way down the road, a fellow stopped us to chat turkey hunting. My choices came up and he offered up that where I saw the feeding tom was an afternoon hotspot. The decision was made. We loaded everything up and headed into that area. We were set up about 3 pm. About 3:40 I heard a gobbler cluck in the woods out of view behind us but close! I purred and clucked on my slate a he hammered back. Game on (or so I thought). I got him fired up, gobbled about 5-6 times within gun range but still out of site. He then faded back along the ridge and gobbled about 75 yards behind us and clucking ever so often. My nephew suggested I try the gobble tube which I thought was a good idea too. Hit it and he fired back but wouldn't come in for a fight either, at least not yet. I got him to gobble a few more times as he moved away to about 150-200 yards. My nephew was excited but a bit dejected. I told him not to be discouraged, this bird is going to move up and down the ridge trying to collect hens before going to roost and that we were not out of the game. About 4:15 a hen popped out in to the field about 300-400 yards down from us. She was feeding and dusting which I got my nephew to watch through the binocs. About 7 minutes later, I see a red head come out about half way between us and the hen and I can immediately see it's a longbeard! I tell my nephew there he is and I notice a second one come out behind him. They get to the field edge and turn and slowly start feeding towards us. I tell him to get his gun up and hold it like he was going to shoot one. We had covered if a double situation was to arise, I was going to have him shoot first and when I saw he had connected, I would try to kill the second bird. Over the next 5-7 minutes they slowly fed our way. At 125 yards I saw the lead tom's head fire up and he broke into strut. He walked a bit closer and strutted again. At this point I told my nephew that when I call the shot, he's to shoot the bird on the left. Glad I did because when they got to 50 yards, they sprinted in to fight my jake decoy at 15 yards! They swarmed it and bowed up. The strutter was on the left of the jake and second bird on the right, just how I wanted them. I quietly told him to shoot. He replied “Now?” I said “Yes now” BOOM. In the split second I saw his bird get crushed I leveled the boom on mine! Double down! Mine was flopping so I ran out. Dylan followed and I gave him a huge hug! I was so proud and he was SO happy. We got some photos, made some calls, and headed to the truck two very happy hunters. I had him carry him bird with my turkey tote for about 100 yards but even with the bird up over his shoulder, the head was beating him just above the ankle! I offered to haul them both which he gladly accepted. In review, I'm pretty sure I heard them slip past us in the leaves a few minutes before they popped out. Also my nephew is pretty sure that when the bird was clucking, it was a second one gobbling over the one clucking, so these were probably what was close to us earlier. I am still on cloud nine and so very thankful for such a great and blessed experience!
Final stats
Dylan's Tom – 22lbs! 8 3/4” beard 3/4” & 7/8” spur
Mine – 18 lbs 10 3/8” beard & 7/8” spurs
I told Dylan he did something I've never done – kill a 22 lb gobbler in NC!
When we got close to where we'd be hunting and camping, I had some issues with the brakes on my truck which alarmed me but there was nothing I could do, all service stations were closed. On the way into our hunt area, we saw a few toms and hens which got both of us ready to hunt. We went to our camping area and set up camp, ate dinner, and had time to go try to roost some birds. While listening for roost gobbles, another hunter who would be hunting the adjacent private land stopped and gave us some info on where he'd been hearing and seeing birds on our side of the property. We only heard 2 single gobbles on the roost, one on the private and one on the public, so based on the intel from the other hunter we made a plan to be up early and set up on a greenfield.
We got up early and headed to our intended hunt spot hoping we could get the spot. We didn't see anyone else so we slipped in the field in the dark and set up. First gobble was 6:08 and not too awfully close. Over the next 20 minutes I heard at least 8 different toms sound off, but none too close. There were two hens roosted separately near the field that called a bit but they never elicited any gobbles. My nephew dozed off and I allowed him to nap since there was not much going on close. Almost all the birds got quiet once on the ground. I heard a pair of shots on the private land and 2 follow ups the I assumed was a double. A lone hen slipped past about 7:20. I continued to let my nephew nap but about 10 minutes later I had to wake him up, red heads on the other side of the field! It was four jakes. He got his gun up but they would get no closer than about 40 yards, a bit too far for he and his 20 gauge. They kept toying with us, a few steps closer, a few steps back. Then, what I assumed were the shooters of the double went driving down the nearby gravel road. Those jakes heard the crunching and ducked into the woods. They didn't go far but after it had gone silent, something spooked them because I heard them putting in the woods. That was basically the end of the morning hunt. We sat until 10 am and then headed into town to get my brakes checked.
Upon return from town, I needed a short nap and then we broke camp. As we were pulling away from camp, I spotted a male turkey about 600 yards at the back of a weedy field. I glassed him for 10 minutes before he finally got in the open and I could see a beard. I turned to my nephew and said let's go after him. As I turned back, the gobbler was gone! I guess that one was not meant to be. We were undecided on where to hunt. I had two ideas. One was to go near where I had spotted at least one feeding tom the afternoon before or to head near where I had heard a lot of the gobbling in the morning. On our way down the road, a fellow stopped us to chat turkey hunting. My choices came up and he offered up that where I saw the feeding tom was an afternoon hotspot. The decision was made. We loaded everything up and headed into that area. We were set up about 3 pm. About 3:40 I heard a gobbler cluck in the woods out of view behind us but close! I purred and clucked on my slate a he hammered back. Game on (or so I thought). I got him fired up, gobbled about 5-6 times within gun range but still out of site. He then faded back along the ridge and gobbled about 75 yards behind us and clucking ever so often. My nephew suggested I try the gobble tube which I thought was a good idea too. Hit it and he fired back but wouldn't come in for a fight either, at least not yet. I got him to gobble a few more times as he moved away to about 150-200 yards. My nephew was excited but a bit dejected. I told him not to be discouraged, this bird is going to move up and down the ridge trying to collect hens before going to roost and that we were not out of the game. About 4:15 a hen popped out in to the field about 300-400 yards down from us. She was feeding and dusting which I got my nephew to watch through the binocs. About 7 minutes later, I see a red head come out about half way between us and the hen and I can immediately see it's a longbeard! I tell my nephew there he is and I notice a second one come out behind him. They get to the field edge and turn and slowly start feeding towards us. I tell him to get his gun up and hold it like he was going to shoot one. We had covered if a double situation was to arise, I was going to have him shoot first and when I saw he had connected, I would try to kill the second bird. Over the next 5-7 minutes they slowly fed our way. At 125 yards I saw the lead tom's head fire up and he broke into strut. He walked a bit closer and strutted again. At this point I told my nephew that when I call the shot, he's to shoot the bird on the left. Glad I did because when they got to 50 yards, they sprinted in to fight my jake decoy at 15 yards! They swarmed it and bowed up. The strutter was on the left of the jake and second bird on the right, just how I wanted them. I quietly told him to shoot. He replied “Now?” I said “Yes now” BOOM. In the split second I saw his bird get crushed I leveled the boom on mine! Double down! Mine was flopping so I ran out. Dylan followed and I gave him a huge hug! I was so proud and he was SO happy. We got some photos, made some calls, and headed to the truck two very happy hunters. I had him carry him bird with my turkey tote for about 100 yards but even with the bird up over his shoulder, the head was beating him just above the ankle! I offered to haul them both which he gladly accepted. In review, I'm pretty sure I heard them slip past us in the leaves a few minutes before they popped out. Also my nephew is pretty sure that when the bird was clucking, it was a second one gobbling over the one clucking, so these were probably what was close to us earlier. I am still on cloud nine and so very thankful for such a great and blessed experience!
Final stats
Dylan's Tom – 22lbs! 8 3/4” beard 3/4” & 7/8” spur
Mine – 18 lbs 10 3/8” beard & 7/8” spurs
I told Dylan he did something I've never done – kill a 22 lb gobbler in NC!
