What's the closest you've had a mature strutter?
05-22-2006, 06:36 PM
#31
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Nanjemoy, MD
Posts: 998
RE: What's the closest you've had a mature strutter?
Mr. Longbeard -I was scouting in a public hunting area on a Sundayduring spring season at the time with the wife (no Sunday hunting in MD, as you know).There is much more to the adventure, toldin a post a few years back. I "aggravated purred" with a mouth callafter the bird crossed in front of us, and he camegobbling around the tree right up to me, fire in his eyes, and making mevery nervous.
He started to leave and I got up and went to him, expecting him to alarm, but he went right into strut and started to purr back to me real loud.
The bird and I began to circle each other, bothof usdoing aggravated purring. This is neat I thought, but I've seen enough turkey fights to know what happens next, and I ran to a tree with the bird chasing me. I snapped a few more photos of himon my ass as I tried to stay ahead of him:
I have wrestled mature gobblers before in cannon nettrap and transplant operations, and more than once I entertained the thought... When I was down to just a few pictures left on the camera, I yelled to the wife to come and get the camera. When she stood up, the bird alarm putted and left in a flash. No doubt he had considered me a rival, I was wearing a black t-shirt with a red logo at the time (SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN, HAVINGCONFRONTED TWO SUNDAYPOACHERS A FEW YEARS AGO). The wife (whowatched all this from ~40 yds away) threatened to never eat turkey again if I hunted this bird. I didn't go back... But I can truthfully say when Istage a gobbler fight, it'sfrom personal experience! - 'twas the adventure of a lifetime.
-fsh
He started to leave and I got up and went to him, expecting him to alarm, but he went right into strut and started to purr back to me real loud.
The bird and I began to circle each other, bothof usdoing aggravated purring. This is neat I thought, but I've seen enough turkey fights to know what happens next, and I ran to a tree with the bird chasing me. I snapped a few more photos of himon my ass as I tried to stay ahead of him:
I have wrestled mature gobblers before in cannon nettrap and transplant operations, and more than once I entertained the thought... When I was down to just a few pictures left on the camera, I yelled to the wife to come and get the camera. When she stood up, the bird alarm putted and left in a flash. No doubt he had considered me a rival, I was wearing a black t-shirt with a red logo at the time (SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN, HAVINGCONFRONTED TWO SUNDAYPOACHERS A FEW YEARS AGO). The wife (whowatched all this from ~40 yds away) threatened to never eat turkey again if I hunted this bird. I didn't go back... But I can truthfully say when Istage a gobbler fight, it'sfrom personal experience! - 'twas the adventure of a lifetime.
-fsh
05-22-2006, 07:11 PM
#33
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pa
Posts: 4,647
RE: What's the closest you've had a mature strutter?
15 yards... Really didn't give him a chance to get any closer
Now I had 2 jake like 5 feet from me once with no face mask and no gloves on... That was pretty cool!!!
Now I had 2 jake like 5 feet from me once with no face mask and no gloves on... That was pretty cool!!!
05-22-2006, 07:15 PM
#34
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pa
Posts: 4,647
RE: What's the closest you've had a mature strutter?
ORIGINAL: fshafly2
Mr. Longbeard -I was scouting in a public hunting area on a Sundayduring spring season at the time with the wife (no Sunday hunting in MD, as you know).There is much more to the adventure, toldin a post a few years back. I "aggravated purred" with a mouth callafter the bird crossed in front of us, and he camegobbling around the tree right up to me, fire in his eyes, and making mevery nervous.
He started to leave and I got up and went to him, expecting him to alarm, but he went right into strut and started to purr back to me real loud.
The bird and I began to circle each other, bothof usdoing aggravated purring. This is neat I thought, but I've seen enough turkey fights to know what happens next, and I ran to a tree with the bird chasing me. I snapped a few more photos of himon my ass as I tried to stay ahead of him:
I have wrestled mature gobblers before in cannon nettrap and transplant operations, and more than once I entertained the thought... When I was down to just a few pictures left on the camera, I yelled to the wife to come and get the camera. When she stood up, the bird alarm putted and left in a flash. No doubt he had considered me a rival, I was wearing a black t-shirt with a red logo at the time (SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN, HAVINGCONFRONTED TWO SUNDAYPOACHERS A FEW YEARS AGO). The wife (whowatched all this from ~40 yds away) threatened to never eat turkey again if I hunted this bird. I didn't go back... But I can truthfully say when Istage a gobbler fight, it'sfrom personal experience! - 'twas the adventure of a lifetime.
-fsh
Mr. Longbeard -I was scouting in a public hunting area on a Sundayduring spring season at the time with the wife (no Sunday hunting in MD, as you know).There is much more to the adventure, toldin a post a few years back. I "aggravated purred" with a mouth callafter the bird crossed in front of us, and he camegobbling around the tree right up to me, fire in his eyes, and making mevery nervous.
He started to leave and I got up and went to him, expecting him to alarm, but he went right into strut and started to purr back to me real loud.
The bird and I began to circle each other, bothof usdoing aggravated purring. This is neat I thought, but I've seen enough turkey fights to know what happens next, and I ran to a tree with the bird chasing me. I snapped a few more photos of himon my ass as I tried to stay ahead of him:
I have wrestled mature gobblers before in cannon nettrap and transplant operations, and more than once I entertained the thought... When I was down to just a few pictures left on the camera, I yelled to the wife to come and get the camera. When she stood up, the bird alarm putted and left in a flash. No doubt he had considered me a rival, I was wearing a black t-shirt with a red logo at the time (SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN, HAVINGCONFRONTED TWO SUNDAYPOACHERS A FEW YEARS AGO). The wife (whowatched all this from ~40 yds away) threatened to never eat turkey again if I hunted this bird. I didn't go back... But I can truthfully say when Istage a gobbler fight, it'sfrom personal experience! - 'twas the adventure of a lifetime.
-fsh
This bird wasn't imprinted on humans was he
05-23-2006, 03:31 PM
#37
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 500
RE: What's the closest you've had a mature strutter?
I thought of another close tom. One spring when I was scouting, I called two hens and a strutting tom to less than five yards away. I was on one side of a fence and he was on the other. We were up on a ridge in an area where the ridge was clear. It was a glorious spring day--warm and sunny--and that tom stood there, spitting and snapping into strut for about ten minutes, before the hens got bored and wandered off. I never heard any drumming, but I can still recall the sound as he would crack those wings into position. I didn't have a camera along, but the mental picture is still in focus and indelibly etched in my mind!!
I did have a hen within three feet of my Doghouse blind for about an hour once, too, but that's not a strutting tom.
I did have a hen within three feet of my Doghouse blind for about an hour once, too, but that's not a strutting tom.
