Peterand I scored again on a really nice 4 year-old turkey this morning. A real unique turkey because the only way we could kill him was to neek up on him.
Short story - the turkey was strutting with 5 hens and a subordinate gobbler 400+ yards across a field next to the edge of our club that boarders a Mississippi River oxbow. He roosts on the island across the oxbow and flies over to our field then gobbles his hens to him. We wanted to set up on the edge of the oxbow but were afraid of being seen because it was a bright night and we got there just a bit too late.
We decided to make a sneek attempt and really busted it through a jungle of blowdowns and vines. This area is located in the extreme NW corner of Tennessee and was hit by the same ice storm that KY got a few weeks ago. The woods have been cutover and what the chainsaws didn't get the ice did.
We finally found them in a little back field adjacent to the river. 5 hens and the dominant bird with his subordinate friend. We were able to sneak to a great spot within 80 yards of the turkeys to our right without spooking them. The birds needed to come left for us to have a shot and they did. I really wanted Peter to kill the turkey but he was on the very limit of his 20 gauge range I thought. We discussed it and he agreed that I needed to take the shot so I did. He was between 37-40 yards which is slightly beyond what we both agree is the max range for his gun despite the fact that he shoots Nitros too.
This, I believe, is one of the dominant birds on the south end of our lease.He spends all day chasing hens around and strutting. He only weighed 19 lbs 20 ozs, 10.25" beard and curved 1 1/8" spurs. Final score = 62.625.
Look at the pic below to see how he strutted his primary wing tips off - I've never killed one that had than much feather tips strutted off.
A great day and exciting hunt. I get morepumped sneeking up on turkeys than calling them. Peter was more excited than I was, though I still regret that the turkey didn't pass 5-10 yards closer so he could kill it.
