whats your memorible hunt
 

mine i think was my first,a 4 day hunt and with a few hours left in the pouring rain i never gave up and with my knees shaking i dropped a 25 lb with a 10 1/2 inch beard.i was all alone and in all my hunting and fishing days i was never so proud and excited.i knew then i would always be a turkey hunter.do you guys have a short story of your most memorable bird?

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

hm, my first was pretty memorable, but last years was just AWESOME.
Called in 4 longbeards about 35 minutes after flydown. I had a hen behind me who was eating and softly clucking for a good hour, and her calls plus mine, really had those toms coming in strong. They even crossed a little dry creek bed to get to me. All 4 came in right in front of me, and i took what looked to be the biggest one. Ended up about 22Lb with an 11" beard, and inch spurs, not the biggest one ive killed, but, MAN what a hunt;)

Mat

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

I posted this before but it is my most memorable.
Someone said it made them think about
not always taking things for Granted.
It all started when My wife gave birth to my son on March 13th.
Unfortunately he didn't survive. We had to make a decision whether to
cremate or bury him. We decided to have him cremated. Well, anyway I told
him as he passed in my arms that I would take him hunting. (sorry if this
offends anyone).
So here we go: It's 3am in the morning as the alarm clock goes off, it's been
a long week of hunting and it's the second Saturday of the Spring season. I
had been guiding all week and had called in many birds for my clients but
today was my day to hunt. I got dressed and put the canister with my son in
it in my breast pocket close to my heart. I woke up my brother law and told
him it was time to go. He got up and got dressed all the while we discussed
what bird we were going go to after. We decided on a bird that was out close
to an intersection of an old logging road. We put on our turkey vests and
started the long dark walk out to the spot.
Upon arriving at the spot I wanted to set up at, I put out my hen decoy,
picked a nice blow down to tuck into and a tree for him to lean against. It
was a beautifully quiet and calm morning. As the sun started to rise it just
made the walk all the worth while. About 15 minutes after the light broke I
heard him gobble on his own about 100 yards in front of us to the south. I
waited for him to gobble again and started my soft tree calls. As soon as I
started, he gobbled back at me and a hen started calling back about 60
yards to the west of me. ( you know that feeling you get when you know
you're where you're supposed to be :-) ) Well he gobbled for awhile and I just
hushed up. The hen got more and more excited as he gobbled. At about
6am I saw the hen fly down and heard the gobbler fly down. The hen started
calling to him pretty excitedly so I started mimicking her but getting a little
more excited than her. I could hear him coming towards her and saw her
walk out onto the logging road and just stand there as if to say here I am. I
stopped calling for about 15 minutes and just listened to him gobble at her. I
then could tell that he too had stepped out onto the logging road but was
just on the other side of a hill in the road. I watched as she perked up. I
started calling to him excitedly again and he responded with double and
triple gobbles. He then shut up but I could here the famous pfffffftttttt
drummmmmmmmmmm. I could hear him coming closer. I touched my
breast pocket and said to my boy it just doesn't get any better than this.
The First thing I saw was the Awesome fan coming up over the hill. Then he
stepped up over to show me his impressive beard and body size. He was
brilliantly colored with all the bronzes, reds, whites, and of course blues. I
watched him walk up to the hen and just strut like he was the king. I started
shaking with (I don't care who you are; you shake at a sight like that)
excitement. I kept calling to him and he kept strutting for me. He got with in
25 yards of me and hopped up on the bank of the road. I watched him for
awhile til I could get a clean shot at him. I took that special bird with one
clean shot. I walked over to that majestic bird and gave him thanks for being
there and giving his life for me and my son. I looked skyward and thanked
God for giving me such a gift. I spread some of my Son's ashes there where
the turkey laid since it was my son's bird and not mine.
I just wanted to share this with all of the turkey hunters, and I hope that
nobody is offended by my story, if you are I apologize to you. Thanks, Pat

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Mine would be my first time turkey hunting.

I didn't get any thing.

But what makes it so special is I only learned to use a diaphragm call

Two days before I went and I got turkeys close to me.

I didn't have all camo and I moved around ( because of my back )

And I made the mistake of makeing the Putt Putt sound LoL

I really learned from that one the hard way LoL

Soooooooo maybe I will do it right this time.

I can't wait for my first Turkey.

When and if I ever do you will probbly hear me in here LoL

To hear a turkey gobble back when you call is such a thrill.

Any way that is my favorite for now ( Untile I get One )

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Pat,My friend,I still appreciate that story.Thanks for sharin it again.As for me.I just don't think I could pick just one.But I'm pretty sure it would be one where someone else did the shootin.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Pat, as someone who had a son stillborn, that story really hit home and I thank you very much for sharing with us.

My favorite hunt didn't result in a bird. It didn't even result in a bird being within 50 yards, but it's one I'll never forget never-the-less. Two years ago, I took my 5 year old son along with me for his first hunt. He was not going to be the shooter, but I wanted very much for him to go along and share my time in the outdoors with me. So for weeks, I prepared for opening day to make sure his hunt would be memorable. I finally decided on a large corn field that the birds tended to come to shortly after flydown. I went out the day before the hunt and put up my blind in a fence row directly facing the ridge where the birds would be roosting.

The morning of the hunt, I was surprised to find my son already awake at 3:30 when I went into his bedroom to get him. After a quick breakfast and helping him into his camo, we hurried out the door, not sure what lay in store for us. As we arrived at the spot, I found my blind had been knocked over in a thunderstorm the night before. Hurriedly, I fixed the blind and put some branches on the blind to break us up. Just as the sun began peaking over the mountain behind us, we settled into the Doghouse blind and prepared. It was a fairly cool morning (high 30's), and the birds didn't gobble until a full 45 minutes after first light, but my son remained patient. Finally, I heard a bird sound off well to the left of our position. I asked my son if he heard it, but he hadn't. Suddenly, a bird ripped off a gobble directly accross the field from us. I turned to ask John if he'd heard the gobble, but I could tell immediately that he had heard it. His eyes were the size of quarters as he exclaimed "He's right on top of us!!!" I could tell right then that he was hooked!!! Soon, 5 different birds were screaming back and forth to each other and everything looked good. I made a few calls and hoped the dekes I had layed out would bring the birds into us. After 15 minutes of hollering, the birds quited down and I knew they were coming. Sure enough, one by one, 7 different birds soared into the field (4 gobblers and 3 hens). Again, I looked over to see if John saw the birds, but he was already counting..."One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven turkeys, daddy!!" The birds were about 75 yards away and generally moving in our direction. I didn't know who was more excited, John or me. Things were coming together like they rarely do when turkey hunting when the hens began to turn and feed slowly to the ridge that they had came from. Try as I might, I couldn't lure one of the toms to my set up and I couldn't turn the hens and within 20 minutes, all of the birds were safely back in the woods. We stayed for a while, but couldn't get any birds to answer us and my son soon began to get cold, so we headed to a local restaurant for some breakfast. I couldn't have been prouder than when the waitress, seeing my son in full camo asked if he had been hunting. His reply still rings in my ears to this day..."Yeah!! I'm a turkey hunter, just like my daddy!!!"

I think that day just proves that it's not the kills that drags us out in the woods at ungodly hours, it's the stories and the memories that will live in us until we breath our last breath.

Sorry this was so long, fellas!!

Slice

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Thanks Jal.
Slice that sounds like a GREAT hunt. i could see how proud you were in the words. Pat

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

:D
Best hunt, all of them. But the one that will stick with me the most would be my first ever.
Didn't know anything, I mean anything about turkey hunting, but my father invited me to go. He had been hunting turkys for 5 years with out any luck.

I found this site, and the south board and started reading everything I could.

Get out to the site and set up. Here my first ever fly down cackel, sounded like a pack up monkeys to me. The field in front of me comes alive with little periscopes all in it.

From my left a hen walks by at about 15 yards. I'm looking hard at her to somehow turn her into a tom, with no luck.

Then, sneaky peet, steps in. Stops at 15 yards behind a palm tree. Have the gun on the trunk of the tree waiting for him to go forward or back. He steps back and then it's over.

I scream like a Klingon at my first ever turkey. Now I've got a problem. What do I do now.

Walk back to my fathers spot. Tell him I sorry for ruining his hunt but I got a bird and didn't now what to do next. He just sits there shaking his head and laughing.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Every hunt is soo memorible to me, I always learn something new about hunting whether it be deer, turkey, small game, waterfowl, or pradator hunting. So I think I have yet to have my most memorable until I will be able to use all of these things to get a very special animal!

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Touching story Pat.


Mine was back in college, probably the first real time I went out. I had a buddy who was a good caller/hunter. We set up trying to give me the shot. I am right handed, had the decoys well to my right, expecting the birds to come up the hollow from the left. There was a 4" tree tight in front of me so I could only swing so far left. Didn't he call in 2 nice birds to about 5 yds. They came in and put on a show, full strutting, gobbling, you could hear them when they puffed up. They walked straight in and straight out in such a lane that stupid little tree never allowed me to get a shot, and neither could my buddy. Not 30 minutes later, 2 more HUGE birds came in and my buddy missed a tough 30 ish yard shot. It was a pretty wild time.

I hunted another time or 2 with him and then didn't set foot back into the turkey woods until just a few years ago. I don't know why I took such a long break.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Once again great story Pat!!!Watching my kids as well as others that I guide make for thrilling memorable hunts for me!:)

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

I have two that are a tie in my mind. The first was the first turkey I shot (not the first hunt). In that one when he showed up in full strut after blowing my ears off with a gobble at 50 yards (when I didn't think he was that close and I was standing up instead of sitting down) I though he would hear my heart beating and I couldn't catch my breath.

The second was with my middle son (age 11) last year on the last day of the season. He had been out with me in previous years and earlier that year without seeing a turkey (although we had heard a few). After working a bird all morning but not getting him to come to us I put down my gun and left my son with a friend while I went to see if I could circle the birds and find out what was keeping them away (it was very heavily wooded and we could hear them but not see them). When I got back the three of us were standing and talking about what to do next. At that point my son announced that he had yet to see a turkey and he didn't believe that you could really get them to come to calls. No sooner had he finished speaking when his eyes got huge and he started to shake. He pointed behing me and there, not 20 feet away, was a jake that had walked right in while we were talking. I told my son to slowly pick up he gun and he informed me that he couldn't because it was leaning against the tree where the turkey was standing. Needless to stay will still have fun talking about the first rule of hunting ("always keep your gun with you").

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Pat, that is a very touching story...I too have lost a child at birth that had gone full term. Thanks for sharing.

Here is one of my many turkey memories....

I stumble through the darkness stopping periodically to sound off the locator calls in my pouch with the hopes of getting some idea of where my prized targets might be. The first few attempts proved futile. As I made my way around a huge wash out next to a creek, finally a crow call gave away the general location of the roosted toms. They were perched among some timber in a deep ravine that acted as a border for a bean field on one side and a cornfield on the other.

There was no way to traverse the bean field without bumping the birds so my plan was to sneak up the backside of a grassy hill opposite the deep ravine. From there I hoped to make my way down the slope to a wild plum thicket that offered valuable cover in my effort to pull off this deadly ruse. I was worried about spooking the birds when I set up my decoys in the bean field because by the time I made the half-mile hike to my chosen spot Mother Nature was beginning to shed her cloak of darkness in favor of brighter attire. From the babble coming from the trees several hundred yards across the open expanse it became evident I didn’t drive the birds off the roost so I began calling to let them know there was some action taking place in the bean field. Apparently I do not speak the Tom Turkey dialect very well because to my dismay at least three gobblers elected to fly down to the cornfield on the far side of the ravine. I kept calling to them and eventually I could see them strutting on the far hillside. It became painfully obvious they were already in the company of the feathered female kind.

To my left and rear I hear something in the grass. At the first glimpse of movement I thought it was a couple of pheasants that had been crowing behind me but to my surprise the pheasants turned into turkey hens (personal reminder: get eyes checked!). Perhaps they had a silent suitor with them. I lay flat and rolled over on my belly and tried to position myself for a shot in case a tom was with them. They saw the decoys and got nervous but seemed to get calmer when I responded to their chatter. They milled around for about 10 minutes, at times only about 12 feet from me and then silently vanished over the hill.

I sat back up and called some more to the gobblers across the valley. I could see one harassing some hens but figured there was no way for me to get a gobbler to my setup because I had already been calling from this location for more than an hour. As I contemplated packing things up, I see a blob of black and red step out of the weedy ravine about 200 yards away…I fumble for my striker…

Driven by an urge greater than he can control the unsuspecting tom sprints in my direction! About half way to the decoys he stops to strut and profile…I call softly to him again… He can only fight the compelling force burning inside him momentarily as he terminates his strut and breaks into a sprint one more time. As he rushes to claim his prize the light reflects the iridescence on his breast in a dazzling display of color. His baldhead and neck, a beautiful combination of patriotic red, white, and blue, is arched forward in saber like fashion as he makes his charge up the hill. His 11 inch beard sloshes from side to side further accenting the magnificent creation that he is. Again he stops to display his splendid profile, snood, dewlap, and carnucles, ripping with crimson, in a royal strut.
He is within range now but I don’t even have my gun up, the show is too good. I am held captive by what I see. Once again nature has lured me into her magic circle with shock and awe of the most spectacular kind. She has intoxicated me with the moving picture I am beholding in front of me and my judgment has been impaired. I almost feel sorry for this guy…almost. I know unless something goes exceptionally wrong this majestic tom is about to kick his oxygen habit.

Suddenly he identifies the jake decoy as an intruder, a trespasser with no rights in his domain and begins to spit and hiss. As if I have lost control of all my faculties I hear my gaping mouth whisper the words, “totally awesome!” But alas if I am to complete this deceptive ploy it is time to act for he is dreadfully close.

As he is about to render malice to my decoy I carefully raise my gun and take aim. A cluck from my diaphragm call causes the duped bird to make a momentary pause and raise his head. The Benelli “barks” with a thunderous clap. Amplified by the valley walls the shot rudely ends the morning calm and the antics of my feathered star. The tom is pushed one direction, and I another as final judgment is anticlimactically meted out in the form of 1¾ ounces of number five shot at very close range. It occurs to me that I felt more than he did.

As the last echo of the blast ripples across the valley, and the final feather falls softly back to earth, I drink in the experience of the morning and feel both exhilarated and humbled. Yes, it’s going to be another great day.

Vital Statistics:

Weight:……25 lbs. 4 ozs.
Beard………11 inches
Left Spur…..1 1/8 inches
Right Spur…1 5/16 inches

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

A couple years back, I took a chance and opted to hunt the local "big woods" instead of my lowlands honey holes. After an entire day on the go, I hadn't even heard a gobble. I kept going deeper and deeper into the game lands (about 1.5 mi.), calling with no response.

So I sat up atop a huge boulder, which was very special to me - It was where my great grandfather used to stand while running his coon hounds. I finally heard one answer, and man was he far away.

I closed the distance and he was coming, and fast. The acoustics of the hollows made him sound farther away than he really was. So, I'm stuck in the open with nowhere to hide. So, I pulled out my jake decoy, and stuck it in the ground, and crawled to about 10 yards away.

So here he comes, with six hens, strutting and gobbling up a storm. I did a couple soft purrs and tucked the call inside my cheek. Man, those hens walked right past me, at less than 5 yards. I could hear them all purring and the gobbler's drum. I couldn't move a muscle, as I was laying in the middle of the open woods, so I had to wait for him to walk into the line of fire. He finally did, and I took him at 10 yards. He had about a 9" beard, 1" spurs, and about 18#.

Definitely not my biggest bird, but one of my favorite hunts, for sure.

I was hunting with another guy, who never even heard me shoot - he was pretty far out of radio-range, as well, so I couldn't even tell him I got one. I met him back at the parking area, and he thought I was lying about killing a bird, till he saw it.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

To make a long story short, I was leaving from a hunt about 9:30am because I was late for work. I stopped one more time to yelp 7 after I did I heard one sound off 100yds from me. I set up & 5 min later 2 longbeards came in. I let them show off for a few min. then I took the dominate bird @ 20 yrds. After I shot the other bird jumped about 12 feet in the air then stopped. I started cutten and yelping & he turned around and started stomping on the bird I had just shot. I was amazed. After about 2-3 min of beating the other dead bird up, he stayed within 15 yrds of me and gobbled every single breath he had for 10-15min. I finally got up & waved my arms and he flew off. I went & picked up my bird & as I was walking out of the woods I heard the other one fire back up, but I left him. It was the most awesome hunt I have ever been on. To bad I didnt have my camcorder.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

bird or no bird,i could read these stories all night.some with sadness and some not.thanx for sharing guys,it humbles me to read some of them.if you are like me we have all have setbacks in our lives and being outdoors keeps me grounded.sometimes i choose to go alone and i observe nature and reflect on the past and present,sometimes i think about nothing at all.god bless to all of you.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

I really don't have one that stands out alone. There all in my memory banks for as long as I can still remember them!!!!

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Will i would say like most people my first bird was very important.
I have not been bird hunting long and dont have that many birds so all of them are memorible.

But the most specal would have to be the last day "hunt" of last years spring seasion.

I did not evan carry a gun.
I had limeted out in Fl.

But on that last day my doughter "5" in from shcool caming running in and saying daddy i just say a turkey in the back fild. Can we please go hunting.

I told her i had limetde out. But we would try to call him in any way.

She had been pratcing with some of my calls and she is geting good. she can evan yelp with her voice some what.

we set up in the front hay fild about 400 or so yards from him. i let her do most of the calling.

he came in strate up the fild.
he got with in 50 yds of us.
then my wifes cat ran across the yard a scard him off.

But the sher injoyment of that bird coming in to my doughters call was amasing to me.

She therily injoys it.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Sorry for putting 3 but they all are great to me..

Here are three accounts.. In ohio I went out to some public land and ran into some guys walking the road from hunting.. They told me they just saw a bird go up over a hill.. So I decide to try it out in the morning.. I get out there and get to this rock wall by some hills and boom I heard 5 or 6 turkeys gobbling like crazy.. so I head up this hill... had a hen fly up in front of my 2 yards away.. scared the &^%% outta me.. lmao.. Instead of setting up like I should have... lol I stalked to the sounds.. and well they stopped and I got lost lmao... 5 hours later I come out on some guys farm and he gives me a ride back to my truck....lol... But it was awesome to hear all that gobbling..

Next day I went to a farm a guy from the town said I could hunt.. It was windy as heck and it didn't see anything.. but in I got a turkey to gobble back to my call twice... I was happy as heck...

A special hunt to me was a buddy of mine that owned the local archery shop offered to take me hunting.. First time ever anyone has done this.. It was great.. we get out to this corn field up on a hill from a river.. well first thing he dropped me off to hunt the field it was dark and I didn't see a cable across the field road.. down I went... He ragged on me all day about that...lmao.. he went on down to hunt a ridge back in the woods about 700 yards away. I got setup in the field.. heard some gobbling close.. all i called out was a hen.. we both didn't get anything but Him just offering and taking me made it special to me...


Erik

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Pat, Thanks again for sharing your story agian, I've read it many times over the last couple of years and it still has the same effect on my wife and I.


I'm almost 36 yrs old and been turkey hunting since I was old enough to keep up with my dad in the woods and Up until last season all of my most memorable hunts have been with my him. This past season was my oldest sons first year turkey hunting with a gun (12yrs old).We made several hunts here in our home state of La but he was not able to connect with his first bird. I planned, prepared and hunted harder then I ever have to get one within 30yds but was unsuccessful.
We planned our annual tirp to Taxas and it turned out that he would be out of school that week so we packed up and headed out.
Our first morning was nothing out of the ordinary for Texas turkey hunting, we must have had 30 birds fire up at the first sign of daylight- There was nothing better then to see that kids face light up like he had just seen his first magic trick. We worked several birds that morning but they were just to henned up.We moved to a different area that afternoon and worked two Longbeards with 4-5 hens within 35 yds- the hens bcame a little spooky and started to move off so I told Travis to take the shot, he did and shot clean over the ole Toms head- Never touched a feather- He was so disgusted, I thought he was going to cry- I felt like it myself but wasnt going to show him - The next morning started out the same, birds gobbling their heads off and we lucked up and got a HERD of Jakes all fired up and coming in. He didnt really want to shoot a Jake but these birds were within 15 yds spittin, drummin and gobblin like a bunch of fools- I told him he better take advantage of it and take one so he shot and folded one and I shot another. So his first bird was also a double with his ole man.
I expect he and I will have many more hunts to cherish just as I do with my Dad.

Those are the kind of things you truely live for !

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

Mine would without dout was the day I called in the first bird for my wife. we worked a bunch for about three hrs. and over a mile.a mature bird;(not the big boss) but a good bird came and circled us and was standing about 15' from me for 5 min. me saying as low as I could."shoot him baby ; shoot him" after what seemed an hr. she finally shot him.

she though I was gonna shoot him,and I was waiting on her.it was her hunt but him being that close to me she though I should shoot him.I was off to the side and not in anyway in danger.just closer then she was.

I was truly proud of that hunt and of her.:D:D:D:D

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

miine would be my first bird......it was my 4th year of trying......i hadnt even heard a gobble up close......i'm sitting there with Fl. and she called, then i hear balalalalalla right behind me , i started shaking, she said it was coming in from my right, for me to get ready, i knew it was coming in from my left but i did what she told me and i was ready to shoot the bird coming in on my so called right......then he appeared, to mu left, right next to me ....he gobbled, spit, drummed, everything, i could see he saw me, but we didnt even as much as blinked, i had to let him get away from the blind so i could switch the gun around, he kept going.......he got about 60 yds. away and she called him back to me, i couldnt see him, she told me to take him, it was nerve racking, then he appeared and i dropped him, ran up to him, got spurred because i grabbed his legs forgetting about the spurs, lol.....he was my longest bearded bird to date, longest spurs too....he weighed 17 lbs......got me running up to him on video, the whole hunt was suppose to be on video, but the camera didnt want to work...dew alert.....but it was great....i shook so bad, fell backwards with the bird on my back, she got pics of me going down, lol......it was a classic hunt.....

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

I have been fortunate enough to kill several gobblers in my day, my first when I was 12 years old. I would have to say tho, that my most memorable was last season. I set up along a field where they commonly fly down in the morning. I set a decoy at 20 yards, and waited. When I knew the birds were on the ground, I gave one loud excited yelp. Immediately the bird answered, and within 5 minutes I had 2 mature toms strutting at 5 yards. Keep in mind now, I am bowhunting, and not in a blind. I am just keeling next to a tree in some tall grass. You talk about exciting...Let me tell you that Pat is right...the warm fuzzy feeling is caused by a close up gobble. Anyway, I finally got the shot at 20 yards, with both birds strutting and looking away, I came to full draw and let fly. WHACK! The 23 pounder walked about 30 feet into the field, and fell over. Wow, now THAT was exciting. My first turkey with a bow and arrow.

RE: whats your memorible hunt
 

It was my first bird of two that I took last season. He went 18 lbs at the end of the second week in season, had a 10 1/2" beard and 1" spurs. He was the smallest of two that came in at the same time. I had the 2 of them gobble probably well over 100 times in about an hour. The one that I shot I knew was the smallest, and I let him come into 25 yards where he tried to mount my decoy several times. I was waiting hoping for the bigger one to give me a clear shot and after about 15 minutes of waiting for the big one, the one closest to me started putting.........needless to say he got a load of Winchester Supreme #4's headed his way real quick. He did put on an excellent show though, and even though he isn't the biggest, he was the most rewarding.