Most memorable hunt
12-05-2008, 04:25 PM
#1
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Indiana
Posts: 7,182
Most memorable hunt
What was your most memorable hunt. All are memorable but I still have one thats the best. Again I was in Missouri and my wife decided she was going with me to film. Well the morning started off terrible with rain and gusty winds. You couldnt hear anything. Heck my decoy even got blew around that it was pointing with the head looking straight up. Kinda funny looking hehehe. Im an agressive caller anyway and that day I just opened up as loud as I could. Well after watching a couple hens for about 2 hours I spot movement and here he comes. We are in a ground blind as well. I tell the wife here he comes but she cant get focused, so I tell her dont worry about it and not to move. Once he got 15 yards away he got it hard. So I get out of the blind and go to get him and low and behold off flys a turkey. Now Im bummin. Little did I know I was so focused on the one turkey that another was with him and thats the bird that flew off. I was releived that it wasnt my turkey I shot. My wife did get that all on tape though. But that was my biggest bird to date. It was 25lbs double beard 11 and 8in. Spurs were 1.25 each. I was glad my wife got to be with me when I shot this bird. She got to witness turkey hunting from the worst conditions to the best end result. My second most memorable hunt happened last year when my buddy filmed me killing one on tape and yes it was in Missouri but thats a different story.
12-05-2008, 05:14 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Warsaw,MO
Posts: 2,046
RE: Most memorable hunt
Mine was in spring of 2007. Me and my cusin were going to a ground blind on top of a ridge and i was the one shooting. We didn't have very much time cuz we had to go to school. Well i remember that morning we heard a TON of gobbles. Looks back now this is kinda funny butat the time i was getting pissed at Danny(my cousin). Every once in a while he would say "oh theres a turkey", id say "where"? Then he would start laughingand say "im just kiddin". That made me so mad. Well anyway we had a bird working it's way to us and the last timehe gobbledhe was 100 yards or so and then he shut up. 15 min went by and it was getting time to go. Westarted to leave and Danny says "theres a turkey". I was like "yeah right" and i started to unzip the door on the blind. Well i look out the window and there he is, about 40 yards away. He struted all the way in to 20 yards and i let him have it. He weighed 25lbs, had a 10" beard, and 1.25 spurs. My bestturkey so far:
Wayne
Wayne
12-06-2008, 08:36 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Camden,MO
Posts: 2,546
RE: Most memorable hunt
spring 2006 was mine. my buddy calls me to head to a farm about a half hour north.(the only reason he calls me is cause he cant call them in) So i agree. I had already decided that I was gonna take my gun but my main job was to get him one on the ground. Here is the story in a nutshell
The mornin was a little cool and we was running a little late. but not late enough to matter. we get out of the truck and stop to llisten and hear nothin. As we get our gear on a lone gobbler sounds out making his presence known. maybe we will have some luck i thought. As we start to walk down to where i think we should set up the woods come alive. One after another, gobblers are everywhere. we get down set our decoys up 2 hens and 1 jake and settle in at the edge of ancut cornfield. I decide to hit the call and see what happens. it was like music to our ears. every gobbler within hearing distance answered. I take off my hat andflap it a couple times for a fly down.I keep calling for a bit and my buddy say hes coming down the field. he cut the distance between us in half.I keep goin with some light clucks and purrs. Theni see another one pop into the field. The first one comes in and starts to strut his stuff. That was all it took for the other tom. He shoots in like a missle. The first one then preceeds to kick our decoys ass. Then they start fighting each other. I tell my buddy shoot on 3. when i hit 3 shots ring out. but to my dismay both brds turn and start to run off. Like Hell. i bear down and put one in the back of his head. he starts rolling and flopping and i know he is done. i look over just in time to see my buddy shoot the second time and somehow he misses. this bird has had enough and starts to take off he decides hes had enough and flies off. we go over and look at my bird and i told my buddy i think you hit him lets go look. well we never found or saw him again. when we get back we discover that my bird had a triple beard. What a day. even though only one of us came home with a bird it was still a blast. 22 lbs and a triple beard. couldn't ask for more.
The mornin was a little cool and we was running a little late. but not late enough to matter. we get out of the truck and stop to llisten and hear nothin. As we get our gear on a lone gobbler sounds out making his presence known. maybe we will have some luck i thought. As we start to walk down to where i think we should set up the woods come alive. One after another, gobblers are everywhere. we get down set our decoys up 2 hens and 1 jake and settle in at the edge of ancut cornfield. I decide to hit the call and see what happens. it was like music to our ears. every gobbler within hearing distance answered. I take off my hat andflap it a couple times for a fly down.I keep calling for a bit and my buddy say hes coming down the field. he cut the distance between us in half.I keep goin with some light clucks and purrs. Theni see another one pop into the field. The first one comes in and starts to strut his stuff. That was all it took for the other tom. He shoots in like a missle. The first one then preceeds to kick our decoys ass. Then they start fighting each other. I tell my buddy shoot on 3. when i hit 3 shots ring out. but to my dismay both brds turn and start to run off. Like Hell. i bear down and put one in the back of his head. he starts rolling and flopping and i know he is done. i look over just in time to see my buddy shoot the second time and somehow he misses. this bird has had enough and starts to take off he decides hes had enough and flies off. we go over and look at my bird and i told my buddy i think you hit him lets go look. well we never found or saw him again. when we get back we discover that my bird had a triple beard. What a day. even though only one of us came home with a bird it was still a blast. 22 lbs and a triple beard. couldn't ask for more.
12-08-2008, 07:46 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pa
Posts: 4,647
RE: Most memorable hunt
That's a tuff one!!!I guess If I had to pick a hunt it would bethe most recent hunt of last spring... Honestly I can not put one hunt over the other... All my turkey hunts are on heavily pressured public land and NONE of these birds come easy...It putsinto perspective the saying "easy come easy go"
12-08-2008, 10:31 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: RI
Posts: 3,073
RE: Most memorable hunt
My most memorable hunt was 2 seasons ago, and it didn't even result in a bird down. I was hunting a farm with multiple fields and hardwoods between them. Three of the fields are next to each other connected thru the woods by a small farm road. The week before this hunt, I had a bird gobble on the far side of a ravine, and I set up at the edge of that ravine and surprisingly called him in. Unfortunately, he circled around me and came in from behind, then spooked. I bumped that same bird on the way out of the woods. The following week, I struck a bird who sounded off in the same place. It was like instant replay, except he didn't come in. I was working him for nearly a half hour. He moved off to what I thought was probablythe end field of the three fieldsdescribed above. I moved on him and went to set up in the center field. I placed a hen and jake decoy right at the fields edge where I figured if he took that road in to my calling, he'd see the dekes and go for it. I set up on an adjacent field edge, with my back to the woods. After a good half hour of having him respond to my calls and not seemingly move at all, I shut completely up for about 15 minutes. I then called with a few soft clucks, and he responded, and he sounded closer! Okay, game on. I stayed quiet for another 5, then scratched the leaves a little. Gobbbllleeeee! Sounds like he was in the woods, not on the farm road. Anyway, he's coming. I hear some movement in the woods behind me, but I see nothing. I waited a few more minutes, then gave him a soft cluck, then GOBBBBLLEEEEEEE! This bird emerged from the woods DIRECTLY behind me. He gobbled point blank into my ear. If I would have swung around, I probably could have grabbed him by the neck. I was frozen in place, and I see the shape of a strutting tom move from behind me to my right in my peripheral vision. He was no more than 5 yards from me when I saw him turn towards the center of the field. I thought his fan would shield my movement so I started to bring my gun up. He started turning to his left, so I froze. He was now looking right at my dekes, then he came out of strut and started walking towards them. Then he started running toward them I figured he was gonna start fighting with my jake, and I'd take him when he got there, but he just sped on past my dekes and into the woods behind them. I might have been able to take a shot while he was running, but I didn't want to chance it and I really did think he'd stop by the dekes. Anyway, that was one tough bird and my most memorable hunt. I'm hoping he's still around, maybe I'll get another chance at him this spring.
12-08-2008, 01:06 PM
#6
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 189
RE: Most memorable hunt
Gosh, there are so many good hunts. There was my first turkey taken 2 hours after my husband had just shot his first turkey. Or the story of how I was caught with my pants down peeing when I turkey walked by. Or the first time I ever called a gobbler in with aggressive calling. That was fun!
But I think my favorite hunt was probably one of the shortest ones too. I had been turkey hunting around4 years and had shot either 3 or 4 turkeys, but they had all been jakes. I'd been learning a lot on my own and been going to the school of hard knocks. I started my 5th spring season determined to get my first mature tom.The morning it all came togetherwas the start of the third week of the season and I set up along a field where I had seen a tom strutting the previous week. I knew the birds roosted across the field from me and in fact, I had watched a group of them head to the roost woods the evening before.
As the sun came up, I heard a gobble, but it sounded like it was behind me? No, it can't be. I RARELY have seen a turkey roost in the young woods behind me. Whatever. I get my slate out and quietly "yelp, yelp, yelp". The gobbler answers and he IS behind me. Softly "yelp, yelp, yelp" one more time and I set my call down and wait. I turn about 1/4 way around the tree and see the gobbler coming from my right. There is another field about 50 yards away and the gobbler is walking the edge of that field, but not coming into the woods towards me. He looks into the woods and gobbles. This is all so cool. He keeps walking toward a fenceline and goes behind some brush. I now know that he is going to pop into the field I am sitting along. I turn back around to face the field and wait. He struts up the edge of the field and stops about every 10-20 yards and stares into the woods looking for that hen he knows that he heard. He gobbles again. Finally he walks in front of my gun. BANG! My first mature gobbler. Weighed almost 23#. I think it was around 6:20am. I called twice, very softly and then waited 10 minutes for him to finally reachmy position. Gosh it was all so very special.
But I think my favorite hunt was probably one of the shortest ones too. I had been turkey hunting around4 years and had shot either 3 or 4 turkeys, but they had all been jakes. I'd been learning a lot on my own and been going to the school of hard knocks. I started my 5th spring season determined to get my first mature tom.The morning it all came togetherwas the start of the third week of the season and I set up along a field where I had seen a tom strutting the previous week. I knew the birds roosted across the field from me and in fact, I had watched a group of them head to the roost woods the evening before.
As the sun came up, I heard a gobble, but it sounded like it was behind me? No, it can't be. I RARELY have seen a turkey roost in the young woods behind me. Whatever. I get my slate out and quietly "yelp, yelp, yelp". The gobbler answers and he IS behind me. Softly "yelp, yelp, yelp" one more time and I set my call down and wait. I turn about 1/4 way around the tree and see the gobbler coming from my right. There is another field about 50 yards away and the gobbler is walking the edge of that field, but not coming into the woods towards me. He looks into the woods and gobbles. This is all so cool. He keeps walking toward a fenceline and goes behind some brush. I now know that he is going to pop into the field I am sitting along. I turn back around to face the field and wait. He struts up the edge of the field and stops about every 10-20 yards and stares into the woods looking for that hen he knows that he heard. He gobbles again. Finally he walks in front of my gun. BANG! My first mature gobbler. Weighed almost 23#. I think it was around 6:20am. I called twice, very softly and then waited 10 minutes for him to finally reachmy position. Gosh it was all so very special.
12-08-2008, 02:04 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location:
Posts: 3,465
RE: Most memorable hunt
My most memorable was my 2007 Alabama bird. My dad and I went down and hunted our butts off for three days straight trying to get me a bird and couldn't seal the deal. Last morning we had down there we went out and got setup on a hot bird on roost, I called him in and killed him with pops there to see it all. It was special to both of us.
12-09-2008, 03:39 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: palm bay fl
Posts: 4,504
RE: Most memorable hunt
It seems like my hunts just get better and better, so thats a tough one fo rme..but it would have to be last season when my friend came down from Md.,i got limit before they got here, so it was just for them....
This will be long so quit now if you're not wanting to read alot, lol.....
i don't think i'll ever be able to explain to myself , let alone anyone else, how much i cherish turkey huntin'.
It just seems like it can't get any better , it does.....first it was my first bird that my sister got me,then it was the first one i got on my own,then doubling with Fl., then calling one in for her ,getting a hunt on video with my friend.... hunting with friends met through the internet ,and all of the other milestones...good and bad...getting myswamp bird,Easter bird, St. Patricks day bird(doubling with fl. again)...but i think God saved the best for last ,hunting with old friends...and i have only God to thank because without him, none of this would be possible....
When i was 18, i was introduced to this guy through my then fiance, now ex...he lives in Maryland....we were all close for years , then things happen and we went our seperate ways, talking occassionally......the one regret i have about the past was that we never hunted when we were all together. Walt and I didn't hunt and Steve just didn't think i would want to go , so he never asked and i had no clue what hunting really was back then, so i never asked.....well,we've have been trying to get our buddy to come down for a Osceola hunt, it's been a dream of his to get one, but he never did....finally this year , he came down....neither one of them have gotten osceolas.....Walt never really ever turkey hunted, but Steve is a turkey hunting fool....oh, the pressure i had on me, lol....haven't seen my friends in years and now i have to try to get them birds, what was i thinking....shaking head.
Friday's hunt......we all met , i heard my turkey hunting song on the way in, i was so happy, then while we were waiting to go in, Steve saw a shooting star...Fl. and I both saw shooting stars when we got our birds...it was looking good....got into the woods, set up....heard gobbling all around us...but we had to respect another hunter that was hunting there too, as soon as they flew down, they shut up....we went to another area, thought we'd be nice and get away from the other guy and even our chances some...went and made a blind,had a hen come by... Steve and i talked to her for awhile, then we went to another area, made another blind, sat there , nothing....we thought we knew where they'd be roosting ,so we made blinds for the next day(today)...we decided to sit in the last one made for the rest of the hunt...i was laying down, Walt was behind me, Steve was to my left...i gave a couple of yelps on the call and just waited, not even thinking we'd get a bird this late in the day....i thought i heard some crunching, i asked them if they heard it but both are half deaf and didn't hear me ask, so i assumed they didn't hear the crunching, lol...but then i thought i was hearing stuff, wishful thinking,or one of them figiting, so i laid still listening for more...it got louder and louder, i see Steve get his gun up, i thought he was looking through his scope to see if he can see what was coming in, he wasn't....bout that time i saw a gobblers head standing in front of him and i told him to shooooooooot, he did...his Osceola tag filled....so i scream YES!!!! forgetting poor Walt, Steve's screaming "Walt, theres more, shoot!"...."Casey Call!".....so i started calling, it didn't help, lol....He had one shot but it was over Steve's head, so he didn't take it.....well, i feel like a total DA for screaming .....i have never ever everrrrrrrr done that, shaking head....i usually always wait to see what excitement might come after the shot....i was so freaked out about screwing it up for Walt that i forgot to call after the shot....and i was guiding them, some guide huh....and to top it off, one of the ones that got away was up in a tree watching us the whole time, lol.....they got to see me after a shot, lol....puking and shaking,it doesn't matter who shoots, lol... it was great !!!Walt was great about it, he was so tickled that Steve got his bird, it didn't matter that i screwed his chances up....I was so happy i cried, i've only done that once in my life....matter of fact i have tears rolling down my face now as i type, lol....i'm such a girl, lol...this hunt, spending time with them, 2 of my oldest and dearest friends hunting my stomping grounds with me as their guide,having the experiences we had, it was great...a blessing without a doubt.
Sat. hunt:I asked God just for the opportunity to make it up to Walt for the day before, just to give him a chance ...y'all don't know how bad i really felt....we met , walked to where Steve had killed the bird, listened, gobbling all around us, but off a bit, there was this one bird, Steve and i both said"thatbird is getting worked", he was Hot, then Boom, Boom.......we decided we'd go looking , we got to an area, looked real good, it wasn't,lol... but i did find a gobbler terd laying next to me while we were there, lol....so we ventured off to another area...we set up, Steve is asleep and Walt's head doing the bob, i was LMBO, Walt woke up, but Steve started snoring, so i had to break out the video, lol....i thought i was going to die from giggling so hard...after that i called some, and then i heard a gobble from in front of me, a ways off but he gobbled, then you see Steve wake up, i'm like did you hear that, he's like "yeah" , lol...you know he's a true turkey hunter, sleeping like a baby one minute, hears a gobble and wakes up, lol....then we hear another one, this one was behind us...tried getting the him to come in, he's respond, but wasn't coming, so i told them , we have to go....we moved, thought it was close enough, but it wasn't, so we got closer,I laid down, Walt kneeled behind a palm and Steve was off to the side of me and Walt...the birdwas coming in...there i am shaking from head to toe,uncontrolable shaking, my heart is racing, the closer he gets the more i shook, and don't ever think shaking is a bad thing, i did some of my best calling, lol....took like 40-50 minutes from the first gobble to the last...i heard spitting and drumming, i was dying, he was right there and then i saw him, 9-10 inch beard and then i saw his buddy, yep, 2 of them, right there, i told Walt "Shoot it", and i was waiting and waiting and waiting, lol..but he never did....Steve never saw them...turned out when they got close enough they knew something wasn't right, but they never putted, just turned around , he was waiting for them to come out from behind the tree , but they were gone....game over....he didn't feel comfortable with the shot, so he waited, which i give him so much credit for...In the end no bird...but i really don't think that mattered to him...i know it didn't....He got to see more in the 2 days of hunting with me and Steve then i did the first 3-4 years i hunted....Multiple birds gobbling every morning, saw all sorts of sign,he learned that birds come in silent, but it's much better when they come in a gobbling and strutting...and he got to see one of his(our) bestfriends dream come true ....it was like old times, but better, lol( i can send them both home to thier wives, lol).....
we finally hunted together and we couldnt of asked for a better 2 days of hunting...i never thought i would of had this weekend....so my prayers were answered and then some.I'm hoping we can have many more hunts together.....and i hope Walt got bit by the turkey bug.....
Steve's public land osceola
13.4 lbs
3/4 inch spurs
9 inch beard
a nice 2 year old.....
This will be long so quit now if you're not wanting to read alot, lol.....
i don't think i'll ever be able to explain to myself , let alone anyone else, how much i cherish turkey huntin'.
It just seems like it can't get any better , it does.....first it was my first bird that my sister got me,then it was the first one i got on my own,then doubling with Fl., then calling one in for her ,getting a hunt on video with my friend.... hunting with friends met through the internet ,and all of the other milestones...good and bad...getting myswamp bird,Easter bird, St. Patricks day bird(doubling with fl. again)...but i think God saved the best for last ,hunting with old friends...and i have only God to thank because without him, none of this would be possible....
When i was 18, i was introduced to this guy through my then fiance, now ex...he lives in Maryland....we were all close for years , then things happen and we went our seperate ways, talking occassionally......the one regret i have about the past was that we never hunted when we were all together. Walt and I didn't hunt and Steve just didn't think i would want to go , so he never asked and i had no clue what hunting really was back then, so i never asked.....well,we've have been trying to get our buddy to come down for a Osceola hunt, it's been a dream of his to get one, but he never did....finally this year , he came down....neither one of them have gotten osceolas.....Walt never really ever turkey hunted, but Steve is a turkey hunting fool....oh, the pressure i had on me, lol....haven't seen my friends in years and now i have to try to get them birds, what was i thinking....shaking head.
Friday's hunt......we all met , i heard my turkey hunting song on the way in, i was so happy, then while we were waiting to go in, Steve saw a shooting star...Fl. and I both saw shooting stars when we got our birds...it was looking good....got into the woods, set up....heard gobbling all around us...but we had to respect another hunter that was hunting there too, as soon as they flew down, they shut up....we went to another area, thought we'd be nice and get away from the other guy and even our chances some...went and made a blind,had a hen come by... Steve and i talked to her for awhile, then we went to another area, made another blind, sat there , nothing....we thought we knew where they'd be roosting ,so we made blinds for the next day(today)...we decided to sit in the last one made for the rest of the hunt...i was laying down, Walt was behind me, Steve was to my left...i gave a couple of yelps on the call and just waited, not even thinking we'd get a bird this late in the day....i thought i heard some crunching, i asked them if they heard it but both are half deaf and didn't hear me ask, so i assumed they didn't hear the crunching, lol...but then i thought i was hearing stuff, wishful thinking,or one of them figiting, so i laid still listening for more...it got louder and louder, i see Steve get his gun up, i thought he was looking through his scope to see if he can see what was coming in, he wasn't....bout that time i saw a gobblers head standing in front of him and i told him to shooooooooot, he did...his Osceola tag filled....so i scream YES!!!! forgetting poor Walt, Steve's screaming "Walt, theres more, shoot!"...."Casey Call!".....so i started calling, it didn't help, lol....He had one shot but it was over Steve's head, so he didn't take it.....well, i feel like a total DA for screaming .....i have never ever everrrrrrrr done that, shaking head....i usually always wait to see what excitement might come after the shot....i was so freaked out about screwing it up for Walt that i forgot to call after the shot....and i was guiding them, some guide huh....and to top it off, one of the ones that got away was up in a tree watching us the whole time, lol.....they got to see me after a shot, lol....puking and shaking,it doesn't matter who shoots, lol... it was great !!!Walt was great about it, he was so tickled that Steve got his bird, it didn't matter that i screwed his chances up....I was so happy i cried, i've only done that once in my life....matter of fact i have tears rolling down my face now as i type, lol....i'm such a girl, lol...this hunt, spending time with them, 2 of my oldest and dearest friends hunting my stomping grounds with me as their guide,having the experiences we had, it was great...a blessing without a doubt.
Sat. hunt:I asked God just for the opportunity to make it up to Walt for the day before, just to give him a chance ...y'all don't know how bad i really felt....we met , walked to where Steve had killed the bird, listened, gobbling all around us, but off a bit, there was this one bird, Steve and i both said"thatbird is getting worked", he was Hot, then Boom, Boom.......we decided we'd go looking , we got to an area, looked real good, it wasn't,lol... but i did find a gobbler terd laying next to me while we were there, lol....so we ventured off to another area...we set up, Steve is asleep and Walt's head doing the bob, i was LMBO, Walt woke up, but Steve started snoring, so i had to break out the video, lol....i thought i was going to die from giggling so hard...after that i called some, and then i heard a gobble from in front of me, a ways off but he gobbled, then you see Steve wake up, i'm like did you hear that, he's like "yeah" , lol...you know he's a true turkey hunter, sleeping like a baby one minute, hears a gobble and wakes up, lol....then we hear another one, this one was behind us...tried getting the him to come in, he's respond, but wasn't coming, so i told them , we have to go....we moved, thought it was close enough, but it wasn't, so we got closer,I laid down, Walt kneeled behind a palm and Steve was off to the side of me and Walt...the birdwas coming in...there i am shaking from head to toe,uncontrolable shaking, my heart is racing, the closer he gets the more i shook, and don't ever think shaking is a bad thing, i did some of my best calling, lol....took like 40-50 minutes from the first gobble to the last...i heard spitting and drumming, i was dying, he was right there and then i saw him, 9-10 inch beard and then i saw his buddy, yep, 2 of them, right there, i told Walt "Shoot it", and i was waiting and waiting and waiting, lol..but he never did....Steve never saw them...turned out when they got close enough they knew something wasn't right, but they never putted, just turned around , he was waiting for them to come out from behind the tree , but they were gone....game over....he didn't feel comfortable with the shot, so he waited, which i give him so much credit for...In the end no bird...but i really don't think that mattered to him...i know it didn't....He got to see more in the 2 days of hunting with me and Steve then i did the first 3-4 years i hunted....Multiple birds gobbling every morning, saw all sorts of sign,he learned that birds come in silent, but it's much better when they come in a gobbling and strutting...and he got to see one of his(our) bestfriends dream come true ....it was like old times, but better, lol( i can send them both home to thier wives, lol).....
we finally hunted together and we couldnt of asked for a better 2 days of hunting...i never thought i would of had this weekend....so my prayers were answered and then some.I'm hoping we can have many more hunts together.....and i hope Walt got bit by the turkey bug.....
Steve's public land osceola
13.4 lbs
3/4 inch spurs
9 inch beard
a nice 2 year old.....
