bald9eagle

First bird this year. Using my own call. 18lbs, 7/8 and 15/16 spurs, 9.5" beard. Cool hunt. He gobbled hard standing in the middle of some cut-over. My brother tried to crawl out in the edge of the clear cut after I had moved around to the backside of the bird. He spooked and just sort or ambled his way down to me. He had been easing my way to my decoy before my brother spooked him.

Arrowmaster

EFHs first bird of the year

superstrutter

There's really not a whole lot to say about this hunt. It's one of those hunts you dream about. Everything fell in place. It was almost too easy. I roosted this bird Friday evening, so I knew exactly where I was going to set up. I got out there and he started gobbling on roost. I brought my video camera with me. I was determined to film this hunt. I set my camera up on the tripod and got everything ready. By the time I got set up, it was almost flydown time. I gave a series of yelps and he gobbled. About 2 minutes later he gobbled and was close and coming. I hit record on my camera. He came in gobbling and strutting. I waited as long as I could. I got him on camera gobbling and strutting for a few minutes before I took the shot, which was 36 yards. He weighed 18.8 lbs., both spurs were under and inch, and he had two beards, 10" and 3".

bornagain64

I doubled up with my brother, his first bird ever and called him in with a pot call I made. I finished getting him into range with a hooks executioner mouth call.

John

huntman1235

got me a rio today in kansas, it was like deer hunting its so cold, 23 degrees and the white stuff in the pic is hail not snow 9 and 3/4 inch beard, 1 inch spur and 1 and 1/16th inch spur, and 22 lbs

BIG DONNIE BRASCO

BOOM!
My "hunting buddy" slept in AGAIN, so I went without him. (he was to get the first shot, so I am kinda glad he did).
I made it to my lucky spot a little later than I would have liked too but I made it before sunrise. Almost as soon as I sat down on the FROZEN ground (26 degrees) nestled between the only two cedars for miles around, I heard an owl, then a gobble, and 2 more gobbles all a few hundred yards to my right but significantly behind me. I was worried that they were on the other side of a really large creek, and may fly down over there so I needed to get, and keep their attention.
As the sun was creeping up I beat my gloved hands together (flapping) and started my fly down cackle and was cut off by TOM! I knew they heard me, so I waited.....
5 minutes pass and I do a little yelping.... GOBBLE! wait...... 15 min...........
do some soft yelps, purrs and scratching..... nothing.
wait 15 min.............. yelp, purrrrrr, cluck..... nothing.
wait 15 min, and hear a tiny hen softly yelping behind me, they NEVER come in from behind me!!!
I am pretty exposed, but fully cammo'd so I VERY s l o w l y crane my head around and see her at 60 yards behind me in a field. Then I see another hen, and another. I see three hens marching North away from me, but I just KNOW there has to be a big ole tom with them! I turned back around to softly call to the hens since the unseen toms weren’t responding. The hen was talking to me like crazy!! I just kept mimicking her and she would respond and started turning my way. Once again I slowly turned my head, and that’s when I saw him! EASILY the most mature tom that I have ever seen in person! 100 yards to my rear, and headed NE and on a course to start walking AWAYfrom me at 80+ yards. PATIENCE forced me to be silent. My mouth got dry, my heart was racing and I was having that moment when we say to ourselves… “This one is mine to LOSE”! I needed him to come another 30-40 yards East before I would try and get his attn. and draw him south 50 yards to within range!
Just as he was perpendicular to me position I started purring on my slate call. He stopped in his tracks as his three girls kept heading East. He strutted for them, and they kept walkin. He turned and strutted for me and I purred a little, then shut up. He dropped his fan and started inching my way….60 yards away but FULLY behind my left cedar tree. He would need to come within 20 yards to clear the tree and for me to get a shot. I could tell that he had decided to come on in and he was in FULL strut! Then out of the blue, hard right turn into the tree line!! If he was going to walk the tree line he will literally bump into me! I lost a bird 2 years ago when that happened because I wasn’t patient and I rushed the shot! Right then and there I said he could stand in my lap and I would not blink!! Then … I LOST HIM! Couldn’t see him through the cedar tree…. Then SNAP…. DRUMMMMM….. SNAP………DRUMMMMMM! He was 6 FEET to my left and spittin and drummin like a BOSS! The most breathtaking natural sight I have ever witnessed!! BRILLIANT red, white, and blue head, and FULL strut! He then made a sharp turn to face my little hen decoy and strutted straight to her… then ATTACKED HER! LOL! I yelped once, head up, BANG, flop!

WHOOP & HOLLAR!!

My most exciting hunt ever, and I hope you all get to experience that rush!!!
I have never shot a REALLY mature bird in my life. Seems like every bird that I have ever harvested has been just a year or two and NEVER a “limb hanger”!
Eastern bird from KS
Each spur a solid 1.25”
Beard 10.75”
Weight 26.25 (fatso)

Psylocide

Great story, nice pics Brasco (well, everyone really).

Arrowmaster

I shot this Missouri bird on opening mornig at 7:45am. 20lbs 1in spurs and 9in beard.

turkey harvester

Killed this one Saturday morning, 17 lbs, 9 and 4 inch beards and 1 inch spurs both sides. Great hunt bird came strutting in just like they're supposed to. My best friend was there to watch the whole show.

Teebugg

i think cylinder bore and federal flite control at 25yards is deadly....