Team 2 ButterBall Bandits
#281
Checking in from the Hoosier State. Bird down today. Stats 25lbs, 11.25 beard and 7/8 spurs. Dropped him at 40yds at 1715 today. I'll post story later. Got to get to bed, kids going out in morning with me. Picts too.
#285
Thanks RPD- Story below:
Got my bird yesterday afternoon.
I started off the season bad- no gobbles no birds no nothing. Awful.
I went out Saturday and actually saw birds. Monday I was out early. I had set up in a field edge, saw a hen in the field and called her back to the deke. I was watching her and she vanished??? I was trying to figure out where she went when I saw the biggest white head coming in:yikes:....wait it was a mushroom hunter. She was wearing a white hat, when I explained the white hat wasn't a safe option she told me it was pink matter of factly-:banghead3
I moved. Went around for a while and had a jake 15yds away, but he was to far to my right to shoot easily, he spooked and bailed on me. Glad I didn't shoot him- made up my mind I was shooting any male pattern beardness.
I moved to a different field edge and set up about 3:30pm single feeding LCD hen I had made a few soft yelps, cuts and purs and didn't hear anything for a bit. I then get a gobble to the north. I called and he cut me off. I was about 200yds from him. He gobbled 3-4 more times without my calling. I had a small wooded finger between me and him that stuck into the field. I could see him strutting back and forth. He didn't seem to want to come in. I almost tried to cut the distance. but chose instead to sit still. He gobbles again and there is a second gobble with him. I called and he gobbles. He eventually came around the corner of the finger. I see both birds. They are moving so slow and back and forth. I had a spot picked out that if he crossed i could shoot him. I catch some movement and there is a hen with him too. She makes a b-line right to me. I am sitting under a cedar tree and have vegetation stacked around me. She is staring at me. I am expecting an alarm putt. The two toms are in my range- together though, Finally they moved enough, I cutt and he stretched, and then I sent a wad of the new Winchester XR #6 from my Mossberg 535 dirt nap. It broke part of his beak off at 37 steps. It was a truly awesome and memorable hunt- took and hour and fifteen minutes to close the deal from the first gobble. Man it was fun!
Got my bird yesterday afternoon.
I started off the season bad- no gobbles no birds no nothing. Awful.
I went out Saturday and actually saw birds. Monday I was out early. I had set up in a field edge, saw a hen in the field and called her back to the deke. I was watching her and she vanished??? I was trying to figure out where she went when I saw the biggest white head coming in:yikes:....wait it was a mushroom hunter. She was wearing a white hat, when I explained the white hat wasn't a safe option she told me it was pink matter of factly-:banghead3
I moved. Went around for a while and had a jake 15yds away, but he was to far to my right to shoot easily, he spooked and bailed on me. Glad I didn't shoot him- made up my mind I was shooting any male pattern beardness.
I moved to a different field edge and set up about 3:30pm single feeding LCD hen I had made a few soft yelps, cuts and purs and didn't hear anything for a bit. I then get a gobble to the north. I called and he cut me off. I was about 200yds from him. He gobbled 3-4 more times without my calling. I had a small wooded finger between me and him that stuck into the field. I could see him strutting back and forth. He didn't seem to want to come in. I almost tried to cut the distance. but chose instead to sit still. He gobbles again and there is a second gobble with him. I called and he gobbles. He eventually came around the corner of the finger. I see both birds. They are moving so slow and back and forth. I had a spot picked out that if he crossed i could shoot him. I catch some movement and there is a hen with him too. She makes a b-line right to me. I am sitting under a cedar tree and have vegetation stacked around me. She is staring at me. I am expecting an alarm putt. The two toms are in my range- together though, Finally they moved enough, I cutt and he stretched, and then I sent a wad of the new Winchester XR #6 from my Mossberg 535 dirt nap. It broke part of his beak off at 37 steps. It was a truly awesome and memorable hunt- took and hour and fifteen minutes to close the deal from the first gobble. Man it was fun!
Last edited by firelt72; 05-06-2014 at 12:49 PM.