2007 Spring Turkey Photo contest pictures..

Status
Not open for further replies.
Really proud of this one.Harvested at 6:45 this morning.Took him by myself.He came off the limb after two hens pitched down into the feild.He was so close on the roost i dont know how i got that close to him.He just couldn't stand it with those hens rubbing on my strutting decoy.21.5 lbs,10.5 in. beard, 17mm. spurs.2 yr old.
2007_0429mineturkey0007.jpg

2007_0429mineturkey0005.jpg

 
Last edited:
Got to go turkey hunting yesterday. Got lucky and walked up to a roosted bird in the dark, and I happened to occupy the high ground too. I owl hooted and he woke up and gobbled. Then I sporadically, and queitly, from 50 yards, started to softly yelp with my slate call. He gobbled everytime, even though he didn't gobble at the hen he was roosted with. Right about the time shooting light started, he had enough, and flew down towards me. He landed 25 yards away, stuck his head up to look around, and I dropped him with 3 1/2 inch Hevi-shot #6's.

He had a 10 1/2 inch beard, 1 inch spurs, and weighed 20 lbs.

491559.JPG


491560.JPG


491561.JPG


Bake
 
Funny you should ask that Redeye.

We were in South Dakota, but the interesting thing is that 3 of the subspecies have been stocked in that general area over the years. What we usually see are Eastern birds, but both Rios and Merriams have been planted at different times. Sometimes we see a bird with more white to the tail tips and wonder. I was showing a fish cop pictures of a turkey a couple of years ago that had coloring like the one on the right, and he just threw up his hands and said "who the heck knows!" Apparently there are no positive tests that could be done to determine bloodlines.
 
I took my sons Turkey hunting this weekend. They are both college age but have not turkey hunted since they tagged along with dad when they were too little to even remember. They have hunted quail,dove and deer with me in the last few years but not turkeys. There was a reason I wanted them to go this weekend beside the fact that it's a very good place to hunt. I have my grandfathers old Springfield model 67 pump 20 gauge shotgun that he hunted turkeys with and my dad and I have killed turkeys with it so I thought it would be neat if one more generation got a bird with it.
So saturday morning we are setup in a Double Bull blind with gobblers at various distances gobbling. The closest bird heard my tree yelps and would cut me off at every call so I shutup and was waiting for him to fly down. Well everything got quiet for about 6 or 7 minutes and being the agressive caller I am I started into a cackle and he gobbled from directly behind the blind less than 15 FEET away which got our attention but he was so close I was scared to try to lower any windows on that side of the blind figuring he would pass around to either side of the blind giving us a shot. Brandon, my oldest had first shot and the 20 gauge so he was positioning for the shot and he whispered that there were 3 hens veering of to the right into the brush but the gobbler took a route out of range and it was over - but exciting.
We decided to go eat breakfast then go see if we could find some lonesome gobbler with no hens. Meanwhile it started raining and we waited until it stopped and went to an area were I had success in the past. I setup the boys 25yds out in front of me at about 45 degrees to the right and left.Well I started calling with a mouth call and a slate trying to sound like two hens getting together and then a hen answers me along with a gobbler. I could barely hear the gobble due to the wind in my face, so I thought he was a ways off but in just a few minutes I saw Devin, my youngest, raise his gun. I looked and coming out of the brush right at me was a big gobbler in full strut. Brandon had not gotten his gun up because the turkey was looking directly at him, so Devin took him at 29 yards. The gobbler had two beards one 7 1/2 and 10 1/4 inches with long limb hanging spurs. We hunted between rain showers but could not connect on a bird for Brandon but that just gives us another reason to go back.
devinsturkey004.jpg
 
Last edited:
2007springturkey064.jpg

Here is a link to a bigger pic: You'll have to click the maximise button in the upper right corner of your browser to see a full size pic. Turkey I'm on the right with my first bird; it weighed 19 lbs with a 11-inch beard and 1 inch spurs. My friend pulled the trigger on his first bird at the almost the same time I did. We had an awesome day that ended with a double. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Last edited:
Just found this post but i shot my turkey a week and a half ago in Nebraska. This was the third year we have been to this area of Nebraska and we hunt on private and public land. We set up on a private chunk that had 6-8 toms on it and my buddy and best friend went and set up with bows in a blind on one side of the roost and i set up on the other by my lonesome with shotty in hand. After the birds flew it was apparent that they were NOT coming my way so i picked up the decoy and started hiking back to camp. It was about a 1.5 mile hike in the hill country and got to camp grabbed some water and then went off for another chunk of private we can hunt. It was about 2 miles the opposite way. I was just about to the end of the property when i could hear some gobbles. I snuck over the next ridge and saw a tom strutting with a hen down a gully and in the neighbors property. I decided to sneak around the ridge and try to call him accross the fence and up the hill. I got into position and set up and heard a couple of hens putting below me. I could not see them but knew they were close. I got set up and not 5 seconds later three hens come out of the draw in front of me and then the tom gobbled down below across the fence. Just then two other toms shock gobbled from where the hens just came from. Just then they came into view as well they were walking away from me so i could not see beards so i picked the lead tom and whacked him. He started to flopping and went down the hill probly 30 yards i chased him down the hill and right as i was getting to him he kicked up a nice white tail shed. Kinda a cool bonus. He was only a 7 inch beard and 3/4 inch spurs. Not the biggest but good times and great scenery made it great.
nebturkey001.jpg

nebturkey004.jpg

nebturkey006.jpg


And P.S. this spot would be great for yotes. Heard 3 different dogs howling within half mile of our camp. Will definately be hitting it up this fall. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Last edited:
Greg,

have you had a chance to download those pics yet?

How did you do last weekend? Did you ever find that other bird?

Sean


ps. Big Daddy's Guide Service ROCKS!!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif

pss. Got luck this year( 4/26/07 ) and got a good size tom
beard - 11"
Spurs - 1 3/4"
Weight - 23 lbs
It was the first bird check in at that station and only the second one heard of being killed in that county.

Yep. Here is the picture...


DSC00786.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I was planning on just doing the calling. 6 toms later Mrs. Dog finally squeezed off on one. Later in the day I was trying to call one in for my little brother and the wife talked me into bringing a shotgun along just in case. We located a bird and got on him but he held to the ridge and skirted to my left with my brother infront and to my right. Needless to say I ended up whacking him. Talk about a great weekend. That was my second weekend off since October. [beeep] cows......

Sheilaturkey2.jpg


Sheilaturkey.jpg


HSheilaTurkey07.jpg


DD
 
I got a chance to go back out this week to Nebraska since i am graduating this weekend from college and have some time off before i start work Monday. I ended up going solo as i could not find anyone down for the adventure to a new and unknown area. The first day i patterned the birds. I slept in my truck that night and then yesturday morning I ended up shooting my second tom of the year at 7 in the morning. Oh ya this was all done on public land as well.

nebturkeymay001.jpg

nebturkeymay002.jpg

nebturkeymay005.jpg
 
Our 2007 Season turned out really great. When over to Eastern Washington (the state) a picked up some great birds. A double one evening and a single the next morning in the same spot.....Three Wolves and I......
 
On sunday was opener for me here in Minneaota. I went out and got set up in my tent and waited. Soon I had 5 deer and three turkeys out in front of me. Now this truned out to be a real fun day. Here are the deer and the turkeys standing there at 50 yds and now it turns into a game of deer chacing turkeys and then turkeys chacing deer and no shot. Well after a while they kinda split enough to where I could get a shot. We are at 42yds and I prepair to shoot. Just before the shot the deer jumped at the turkey he ducked as I hot and guess what, yes I missed. I did blow a feather out of his tail.

went out the next day saw the same turkey, but they wouldnt come in.

Went out today and guess what, yes I got him!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pic with the hole in his tail.

weight 17lbs.14oz
spurs 3/4 inch
beard 9 inches

not big but a fun time................................

0007.jpg


0001.jpg
 
Here is my first NYS bird of the 2007 season

Stats:

weight: 21.5 lbs
Spurs: 1" each
Beard: 8.75"

Score: 59

Hunted him for 4 days in a swamp. Finally scored him and he rolled in the water for the drowned rat look /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
494994.jpg
 
I took this gobbler the first day 4/28 at 815 am. I was hunting with one of my brothers, I usually call and let whomever is with me shoot. However my brother forgot his license so I called and shot.

The weather was average temp and raining. We got to our location about 30 minutes before light and listened. We located two gobblers and set up between them. I got two new wood pot custom slate calls, and because of the weather, could not use them. So, I used a Hooks mouth call along with clucks and purrs on a Primos Power Crystal with a Primos acrylic striker. I carry this call for rainy weather. I called for a couple of hours without calling anything in. My brother had to get to work at 9 so we left doing some scouting on the way out. We got to about 300 yards from the vehicle, at about 800 am, and my brother told me to call and see if I get an answer. Switching mouth calls, I put in a Primos Double Diamond mouth call, and yelped. No answer was received, so I cut aggressively and received a gobble for an answer. We set up and I made cuts and yelps with the same mouth call and clucks and purrs with the Power Crystal. In about fifteen minutes the gobbler came into gun range, heading for my lone hen decoy. I shot it at about 35 yards with a Mossberg 500 stock x full choke, and Federal Premium high velocity flight control wad 5 shot. The bird specs are 8" even beard, .75" spurs, and 20 pounds.

I could not get real nice pictures of the bird because it was wet. At home I dressed my 5 month old first child (boy) in his winter coat and hat (which happen to be camo and legal orange), and got some pictures with him. Even if the bird was not wet I planned on using a picture with my boy. I am a very proud dadad. Also, I think this picture would look good under a custom glass surface pot call.

I waited to post the picture because I had two tags, and I wanted to see if I got a better picture with my boy and a bigger bird. I called in a large bird for one of my brothers but did not get a picture with my boy, and did not like the pictures as well. Later, I will post a pic or a couple and a story of that bird, but not in the contest thread.



turkey2007008.jpg
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top