Georgia turkey season

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Been a tough year, but we managed to get everyone a bird.
My oldest drew first blood when he called a pair in with his trumpet.
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It took a few babysitting days from me and “Ganny” but my DIL finally connected after I found a few birds strutting in a field shortly after flydown. They set up the next morning on that field and the birds worked like they read the script.
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And finally my next to the youngest son. He doesn’t really turkey hunt so this took us about 8 hunts before it happened, lol. We had several hunts he should’ve shot and been long done. One hunt he got so shook up he missed!! But yesterday it all came together!! We only take 3 birds off this property and I “donated” my bird to him. Turned out to be a dandy weighing 18.6# with 1 1/8” spurs and a double beard 9.5” and 4”.
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These pics came in this morning. This is the exact spot we set up when my youngest killed his bird. We had spotted a strutter with optics and put up a camera. After he shot his bird we were wondering if he’d got the main strutter…guess not, lol.
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Was out putting some sets in off the beaten path in areas where I found coyote tracks and on the way out I came across these guys. There was another up the hill in the burn to my right. This doesn’t count the 6 I saw up front setting either, lol.

 
I should’ve got a pic of the before, but we smoked a breast for lunch today and I swear it was like eating a steak!
Tonight we’re having fried turkey breast that’s been soaked in hot sauce.
 
Cool, 3 for 3! (y)

I'm not much on shotguns so have only shot one turkey and that was w/an AR when one stepped out in front of me. Don't know if he was just old & tough or I didn't know how to prepare it, maybe both, but I would have enjoyed my left boot more than that tough old bird. :( My son shot this one while hunting w/his 416 Remington. That was a sight to behold; wish I had been able to take my fingers our of my ears to get a picture of the massive explosion of feathers when he shot.🤣
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I’ve eaten turkeys from Florida to Washington, including Texas. They all taste good to me, lol. Never had any that were tough and that’s even eating fried turkey cooked over a camp fire.
 
We have Turkeys every where they crap on every thing I hose my porch off at least twice a week they wake me up before day light regularly with all their racket, in the last 25 years or so we have killed 3 turkeys because someone said they could cook one,in all three cases you couldn't stick a fork in the gravy, if I want turkey I will go to HEB and buy a BUTTER BALL. Murl B.
 
Sure glad you said that, Murl; I was thinking I just didn't know how to cook them. My son has shot a number of them and he said the breast was edible, but drumsticks were not. We ran the drumsticks through a blender and made turkey salad out of them. I have put wild turkey on the same list as javelina.....the "everyone should shoot one" list. 🤣
 
Well this past Saturday I got to fill one of my tags.
The first bird came in silent even after setting up on him while he was on the roost. Once he hit the deck he went silent and didn’t want to play the game. Shortly after he crossed the creek a jake came in and followed the gobbler. Luckily they both headed off West.
I still had hope because while I was setting up I heard to birds across the creek South and East of me.
I now focused my calling to either one that would respond. One gave me two gobbles and I shut up. Within a couple of minutes I see a fan. I’m thinking I’m set as he’s coming in on a string…so I thought.
When he veers to his left I see what I missed, hens!
So now I need to focus on the hens and he’ll follow. Instead of sounding “pleading” I just made small talk on the glass. The hens heard me and started my way.
Now my dilemma is I’m gonna have hens cross the creek on my side before the gobbler. I don’t need him across the creek, but I need him closer than 75yds, lol.
The first hen flys over and looks me up and down and goes back to feeding. The second hen gets to the creek and instead of flying over, she decides to walk the bank and head West.
So the gobbler is at 50yds with one of his ladies across the creek and one on his side but heading away from me and what I hope is his favorite hen!
I cut my eyes right and could still see the hen across a little wet weather hole I’d set up next to. I was about to either blow my chances or make it happen and to be honest it was a 50/50 shot.
Now I’m camoed up head to toe, but I’m in a burn and there’s only so much hiding in a burn. I rolled the dice and gave a soft short 3 note yelp.
Believe it or not I closed my eyes when I did it and opened them to see the hen across the creek turn back my way and the gobbler let out a gobble and broke strut and started in as well. The hen on my side reversed course which sorta sped up the other hen and gobbler.
Now I faced a new dilemma the hen and gobbler are in a line straight down my gun barrel and everyone is closing in fast. Luckily the hen that had crossed the creek let out a couple where you at yelps and the gobbler stopped to strut and the hen veered towards her. After a few yards of separation I clucked and when he raised his head…he died.
I tell my Doc every year that if my heart can take hunts like that then I must be good to go!

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