Turkey season opens this morning here in Georgia, 26 Mar. 05. It's now 03:35, and I woke at midnight, had the clock set for 03:00, just couldn't sleep, like a kid waiting for Santa to show up. I've checked and rechecked my equipment, will be leaving in 25 minutes, want to be in place by 05:00, I've heard him for the past 2 weeks, I think I've got him patterned, maybe not, but at least it's Xmas time this morning.

A kid at heart and loving it,
dog1

Sounds like you did your home work!!!!

Hopefully by the time you read this you've got the ol boy

dog 1, wish you the best!

weLL ITS the next day............sooooooooo give the details brother!!

26 Mar. 05, 14:00 hrs. and done.

Here's the story and score:

As my earlier post said, couldn't sleep, so left the house at 4:00 a.m. this morning. Got to the hunting land, got my equipment together and was set up by 5:00 a.m. But got to tell you, learned something new this morning!

I've been listening to this bird or possibly another, for the past two weeks. Two weeks ago, he was gobbling across the property line, the next day he would be on our land (150 yds or so), the next day, he would another 150 or 200 yds. further on us, and the same each day, til he was about 3/4 of a mile on us, then it would start over, but going in the other direction til he was back gobbling across the line. Well this past Thursday, the 24th he was on us, about half way of his normal travel. I got there every morning at 5 a.m. and he would start gobbling around 6:15 a.m. I would stand in some volunteer pines and listen. Thursday, he started, but I started hearing birds fly down and start clucking, Hens! They was headed towards me, so I high tailed it out of there, didn't want them to see me. Same thing happened the next day, (Friday) but about 200 yds. further and had to leave before the hens could see me.

So last night, Friday, I decided I would be about 200 yds. from where he was Friday morning, I gambled and got to the land at about 4:30 a.m this morning. I left the truck about 4:30 a.m., and around 5 a.m I was within about 50 yds. of where I wanted to set up. This is where I heard something I've never heard over several years of Turkey hunting. I had to climb thru a huge oak tree that had fallen up the road during the last hurricane that came thru Florida and Georgia. I made a lot of racket breaking limbs, etc. When I got thru this mess, I heard a sound like, uppp, uppp! I stoped and listened for a minute and decided it was what we call a swamp bird, which stays around water, don't have a clue what the bird I'm talking about is called. Anyway, I didn't hear it again, so started walking again, and heard it again, uppp, uppp. I'd stop, then move, convincing myself it was a swamp bird.

I might add, it is a full moon and was afraid I would bump birds in the light, which I have done before. I got to where I wanted to be, set up my stool and blind, got everything ready. I heard that sound continuosly till about 6:15 a.m. It was so foggy you could hardly see over 20 yds and I felt like nothing was going to happen. I decided to see if I could make something happen, I touched the striker to the ole yellar slate call and heard that yupp again. Again I did some soft tree calls and then I heard a bird fly from one tree to another behind me, I had to strain to look around the tree I was siting against and up, I saw a turkey siting high in a tree behind me, but couldn't tell if it was a hen or gobbler. I stroked my slate and he made that yupp sound again, now I new what I had heard, and it was a turkey, as I said, never heard that sound before.

I made a couple of soft clucks and the ole boy flys down within 25 yds of me, to my left and is looking straight at me, I couldn't move. At this point I couldn't see a beard, had to wait for what seemed like a year and he finally purred and started walking from my left to right, on my left, which was ideal because I'm right handed.. He went behind a big oak, I got my gun up and when he steped out I could see the beard thru the fog, the rest is history.

Don't get me wrong, I was a little let down by his weight, but it was Xmas day again. He was 15.1 lbs. (on certified scales), 11 inch beard, both spurs was 3/4 inches. I scored it on the TurkeyHunting.com web and here's what I got: 15.9375 + 7.5 + 7.5 + 22 = 52.9375.

Not my greatest, but means just as much as any I've ever taken and heard him make a sound I have never heard.

Sorry for it being so long.

dog1

P.S. My digital camera won't work because of installing the Norton Anti Virus program (can't figure out how to over ride it), so only took pictures with a polaroid and a 35 mm. I sent copies of the polaroids to a friend to see if he could post them for me, they are terrible, but maybe they will show up enough and hopefully he can see them. If not, I'll have the 35 mm photos when I use up the role. A friend that took the photos' for me got a gobbler that had over 1 inch spurs and weighed 20.5 lbs this morning. I didn't measure the beard but it was long. Needless to say, I took photos' for him, hope the 35's are better, fog was terrible at 7:00 a.m., when photos' were taken.

One more edit: It's now 2:50 p.m. I've been to see my mother at the nursing home, boiled the wings to send to an unseen friend, Y'all know him as JW, for the wing bone call he made and sent me. Thanks JW.

I got me a TBone on the way home, grilled it, had a couple of mixed drinks, now I'm gonna get a nap.

Love all y'all and your hunting stories.

dog1

Congrats!!!! Nice story.

Dane......Way to go my friend.......good story........nice bird......

And ya know me am thinking of how to help ya with that Norton thing.......PM me a phone number and maybe we can work though it....


AND......I knew you be hunting way before me........GO TEAM #1......


I think U b da 1st! hehe

Congratualtiosn again...

JW

well done, i hope my opening day story is as exciting as yours. great job.

dog1 Congratulations,

And good story too.

How many turkeys are you allowed ?



I had trouble with norton to.

I just uninstalled it and reinstalled itt.

I had to do it two times and then every thing worked.

One thing you can do is to disable the norton temperly.

And then to use the camera then turn it back on if it works.

Good luck on your next Big Tom

Most excellent hunting report... a big congrats to you! A great turkey experience and he sounds like a super nice Tom with a great rope to me.