What is your favorite turkey
 

What is your favorite turkey hunt you have had or which bird has meant the most to you?


Hmm now that I asked this I have quite a few runnin thorugh my head.
I think one of my most rewarding hunts or eye opening experiances with a turkey was the first bird I ever walked up to. He was strutting around 15 or so hens in a bottom and It took me about 2.5 hours to creep within 35 yds in open hardwoods. The wind was blowin 10-15 and gave me some sound cover. I used a small 4 foot wide drain to creep up and once in range it seemed like it took me 5 minutes to shoulder my gun. It was by far one of the most intense stalks and bushwacks I have done

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

Every bird I shoot is memorable and awesome. But I guess the best is when my wife filmed me with my biggest bird which was a double beard 11in and 8in amd 25lbs...

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

my favorite bird is the dead one. :D

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

My first was my most memorble. My father and I set up on a bird along side an old road. Being new to it all I was in aww about everything. The most amazing thing of all was that the old tom did exactly what my dad said it would. When it came time he even reach around from behind me and cocked the hammer on my shot gun. 24 lb 11 3/4 beard and 1" spurs not bad for a young man huh? From that time forward I wanted to know as much about the sport as he did. We put the Mohican sneek on one together this year also it was awsome.

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

everyone in their own right are speacial... i have had a few that really stand out though...
too long to detail, but several classic hunts all in the same area over the years.

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

One of my favorites last from this last past season in oklahoma. My wife went on her first turkey hunt ever after she filmed me taking 2 rios. We sent up 20 yards from a river and there were 5 or 6 jakes and one giant longbeard roosted on the other side. I did some soft calling and the hens flew down to the left of us about 10 yards and then the jakes and gobblerflew down right behind right after the hens. The gobblerwas 15 yards away from us,andthis guy was one of the biggest toms i have ever seen. He had to have been pushing close to 25 lbs., had a good set of hooks that looked to bearound 1.5" and he had at least 2 beards, both of which were thick and full one was probably 10" and the other was 7" or 8".Well she is following it with the gun and she goes to shot the turkey and she anticipated the kick of the gun and flinched. The pattern that was the size of a baseball went right over his head and he flew right back across the river. The best part of it all is after the hunt she said she didn't even feel the recoil when she shot and that she wants to go again next year which I am extremely thrilled about cause I have been trying to get her into hunting.

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

When i walked up to my Osceola County Florida gobbler and saw a pair of 1 7/8ths hooks, I realized I had finally done it, a huge weight had been lifted off my torso, my slam was complete.......great feeling

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

My first was a hen (legal fall hen) back in the early 70's when the flock was first re-introduced to Vermont. I had never seen a wild turkey and rumor had it that an area near the bottom of the state had some turkey. I looked up the routes to get there on an atlas and left the house all alone at 1:00 am for a 3 hour ride to get down there and try my hand at it. I did some research and bought a box call and a kiki diaphragm to bring back busted birds. I got down there and found a nice looking ridge and started up the mountain. It got light and I heard a gun go off way up the ridge. I just stood there and could see some huge birds gliding down through the hardwoods like fighter jets with wings locked back. I didn't know what to make of it since I had never seen a bird so large. Then it dawned on me that they were turkeys and I took aim and dropped one as it glided past. I now had my first turkey a young hen that weighed about 9 pounds. I was pretty proud but decided that shooting one out of the air wasn't all that good from a sportsmanship standpoint so I tried the kiki run I had learned about. Low and behold within minutes I could hear birds coming all around me and soon after I harvested my next bird another 9 pound hen. That was the limit and I took them home and had a real frustrating time plucking them. The garage was full of feathers and the wife wasn't all that much impressed especially with all the pin feathers she had to pull after I presented her with my semi cleaned birds.In the years after that I hunted only spring toms and have harvested many well over 20 pounds. This year I got my two birds, both decent toms one was a 2 year old with 10 ½” beard and the other a 3 year old with 9” beard. I now breast them and cook them on the grill which makes my wife much happier.

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

I remember that feeling, it was awesome!!!!!


quote]ORIGINAL: nmblackgold

When i walked up to my Osceola County Florida gobbler and saw a pair of 1 7/8ths hooks, I realized I had finally done it, a huge weight had been lifted off my torso, my slam was complete.......great feeling
[/quote]

RE: What is your favorite turkey
 

That is hard to say. I have only killed 2 birds and both were this year. I had tried the last 3 years to kill a bird and wasguidedon all those hunts. This year I spent all winter practicing calling and did a lot of scouting in the early spring. I decided to go at it by myselfand Iput 2 gobblers down. Obviously there is nothing like the first, but I really can't say which means more. They both mean a lot to me, especially because I feel like I accomplished something , and also because I will never forget either of those hunts for the rest of my life. Talk about intense!

So far I've only taken 1 bird, this year A double beared Gobbler at about 25 yds with the 12. Wasn't a "typical" hunt. Wife got off work early and ran in the house says "Get your gun theres a bird down the road in the field. Knowing my wifes errrrr lack of knowledge and when she saw the birds she hit the gas. I actually told her "Prolly a pheasant." I was wrong she was right. She only saw 1 hen, but when she stopped and I got out. I saw about 10. Grabbed gun and loaded.
Off from the flock was a nice bird, for me anyway. Then I notice as he started for the flock he was bearded. And was on the move, luckily he wasn't running just moving at a good pace. 1st shot dropped him in his tracks. A few small jakes were mixed in with the hens on the far side of the flock from me. Glad i saw the Tom before he started to move.

Over all he had 2 beards, 9 and 6 in. 1 1/4 in spurs. and was at least 20 lbs. We ate roast turkey same nite. GREAT bird.

My luck will prolly never be as good. I know when I went with our oldest we saw 1 (On public land) take flight when we were goin back to truck, unloaded. And had a few respond to calls but on the wrong side of a large pond. And a few more that would answer 1/4 mile off but never closer. And if I called closer they wouldn't. So all hunting techniques failed and a spur and pounce worked somehow.

This fall I have hopes of arrowing a bird if the chance presets itself. I have located 2 flocks already and they are staying in 1 spot each. Same spot 4 days going strong. Should the bow not cut it I will still have Oct to bag a bird with the gun. High hopes, and as it sits. alot of oppertunity I hope.

I remember my first year hunting birds. I went out alone in a blind and set up in an area with fresh sign. I heard gobbles all morning, but they seemed to be moving away from me. I continued to call every 30 minutes or so with no response. About 1000, I decided to take a little nap before heading to my evening spot. I woke about 1030 and looked out at my decoys and saw three hens (swore I only put 2 out). Anyway, the live hen moved and 30 seconds later I saw the tom she had in tow. Ended up with a 22lb 11 inch beard and 1 1/8in spurs turkey. I knew it then just like I know it now - I'll take lucky over good when I get the chance.

Every bird I shoot everytime I hunt will be so much memorable for me,I am counting not on the birds I caught but the experiences I had while hunting them.