Phil from Maine

Hi all, as of day 3 of our turkey season I have nailed another turkey.. No bearded hen this time for me..LOL A decent gobbler wieghing in at 20 1/2 lbs. with a 9 1/4 in beard as well as both spurs being 3/4 in. It was a hard to get turkey with the story and photos to come later on..

doetrain

Good job. Sounds like a nice Bird. Don't keep us waiting to long.

Phil from Maine

Here is the story to this hard to get gobbler..
I left the house a little later than planned as it was already legal hunting time. That never left me any sort of darkness to set up in. I was planning on going up to where I had shot the bearded hen at and saw a tom strutting with a hen with him. They both saw me coming and run for cover..LOL So I went up the road a ways and set up on a hill over looking the area. It was raining a lite rain just enough to get wet. I tried for 2 hrs but did no good. So I packed up and continued on my way.

When I arrived at my destination there was no sign of any turkeys around at all. So I went and set up in a funnel shape ravine hoping to get a turkey to come in. After calling for another 2 hrs and nothing I was debating about packing it up and calling it a day. ( our legal hunting hours ends at noon ). Just as I was about to pick up I noticed a hen coming my way right threw the ravine. I watched her for about a minute when I caught movement coming from on top of the ridge I was set below. It was the tom moving in on the hen. The hen must have saw me or something as she started a faster pace all at once right past my decoys. The tom started picking up pace to follow her and I then moved to try and get a shot at him. When I did he broke out in a run. I drew and shot just as the tom was heading for the woods.

The tom tried to fly but it didn't look like he could. So I knew he was hit and that I needed to find it. I only had 2 shotgun rounds with me so off into the woods I go looking for the tom. I kept circling until I hear this strange sound. It sounded like 2 deer tapping antlers or something close to that sound. So I look around and see the tom was making that noice around 20 yards from me. So I hauled up and shot and some how he started flying but could only get around 2 or 3 feet off the ground. I am not sure what had happened with that second shot but I am guessing an over shot. I had forgotten the long tom shoots high at close range.

So here I am in some of the thickest messes in the Maine woods looking for a turkey I had hit without a darn compass with me. So after having him fly and I couldn't find him I proceeded to head back out to the truck to get another shell or two. I end up going to a clearing I thought was the road and powerline I was hunting on. What do you think I saw in the clearing?? Water! Water i never knew was there.. LOL.. I thought great now how the heck am I going to get out of here. I decide I would go back up the ridge and follow it down the other side. When I got back up there lo and behold I here a noice with sticks breaking. I am thinking a deer just took off and that turkey is trying to fly straight away from me. This time it only goes about 10 feet and lands. I run up there and find it in a little pocket by some spruce trees. I get to it as it is trying to fly off again. I dropped down and put a knee on it so as I could get a hold of it. This causes a couple of tail feathers to come out of it but at least I have him recovered.

On the way back home in the area I was trying to call at was another tom about the size of mine with 2 hens with him. Go figure if I had stayed there maybe I would of had a different story. But, for now I know anytime I have shells left over from the previous season they will be getting some target practice. I simply will refuse to use any left over shells again. I am thinking that is why the turkey got away from me in the begining..
Here is a pic of him and a pic of his beard..

RPD63

Nice bird. It's great that you found him.

sdhunter11

congrats phil

huntrfishr

Good one. Congratulations on the 2nd bird.

Phil from Maine

Thanks guys.. It was a difficult one locating that last one that is for sure..

You are right about that one as I was not all that sure I could. I was hopeing it just went in the woods a short distance and would be real easy to find. That was not the case and as with any type of game once shot I am dedicated to do all I can to recover it..

UncleNorby

That's the way you do it. Persistence pays. Would it be legal to continue looking after noon, without a gun?

I am using shells I've had for years. I know how they shoot and have not been re-patterning these last several years, so a box of 10 lasts a long time.

Phil from Maine

I do not believe that would be a problem as long as I tried to notify a warden so that they know what is going on. They normally allow you to for deer hunting after hours if it was wounded. But, to really be able to answer that question it would certainly have be to asked before trying.

When I think about this situation I found myself in. I realized I prolly should of waited for another day rather than shoot at a running bird. I still blame some of it on those old shells though..

doetrain

Good work Phil,I hate loosing a wounded animal as we all should.