quackaddict
New member
Finally killed my Merriam's. In their historic range, on public ground.
2012, tough learning curve and very call shy birds.
2013, Only got to hunt 3 days, had a bird coming on a string opening day and had a fella get between me and the bird...no dice. The other 2 days were too windy to do any good.
Great hunt this year. Roosted several our first evening, my buddy dropped the hammer a few minutes before 7 on a bird that slipped in from behind us(satellite gobbler). The bird we were originally working was only about 75 yards from us just over a little rise on the ridge with a hen in tow. Heard drumming just across the ridge from us and he gobbled at about 50 yards. Made a circle behind me, buddy shot, we started cutting when the bird was flopping and the other dude starts gobbling hard again, but the hen led him off down the mountain.
No roosted birds on evening 2(windy), but we went to where we heard a bird on fire the first morning on a different mountain. Had to setup mid-slope because the bird flew down before we could get where we wanted to. Heard him drumming, stuck his head over the bench he was strutting/gobbling on, he saw the decoys and headed down. Walked right in front of my gun barrel at 20 yards and got his noggin mashed at 6:45.
Found an area with a ton of sign later that day, but got rained out until 11 the next morning(Saturday). Got a bird to gobble once to a crow call, but that was it.
Last morning(Sunday), we went in and heard 6 different birds on the tree. Called a gobbler into about 80 yards and he hung up thanks to a hen. One of the other birds came from about 300 yards off to around 150(we think), but wouldn't come in either. We could only hunt till about 8:30 or so, so we couldn't chase them around. Had we been able to hunt that area like we wanted to on Saturday, I have no doubts that we would have killed at least one more bird.
Birds gobbled good on the tree and for about 30 min on the ground and that was it. One tough thing we learned is they don't gobble long on the tree before they hit the ground(20min tops), and you can't cover mountain ground but so fast. It really, really helps to have birds roosted so you can try to get in before they hit the ground.
His bird: 9.5" beard, almost 1" spurs with a good hook(for a Merriam's) and 19.5lbs
Mine: 8" beard, stubby 1/2" spurs, 19lbs
2012, tough learning curve and very call shy birds.
2013, Only got to hunt 3 days, had a bird coming on a string opening day and had a fella get between me and the bird...no dice. The other 2 days were too windy to do any good.
Great hunt this year. Roosted several our first evening, my buddy dropped the hammer a few minutes before 7 on a bird that slipped in from behind us(satellite gobbler). The bird we were originally working was only about 75 yards from us just over a little rise on the ridge with a hen in tow. Heard drumming just across the ridge from us and he gobbled at about 50 yards. Made a circle behind me, buddy shot, we started cutting when the bird was flopping and the other dude starts gobbling hard again, but the hen led him off down the mountain.
No roosted birds on evening 2(windy), but we went to where we heard a bird on fire the first morning on a different mountain. Had to setup mid-slope because the bird flew down before we could get where we wanted to. Heard him drumming, stuck his head over the bench he was strutting/gobbling on, he saw the decoys and headed down. Walked right in front of my gun barrel at 20 yards and got his noggin mashed at 6:45.
Found an area with a ton of sign later that day, but got rained out until 11 the next morning(Saturday). Got a bird to gobble once to a crow call, but that was it.
Last morning(Sunday), we went in and heard 6 different birds on the tree. Called a gobbler into about 80 yards and he hung up thanks to a hen. One of the other birds came from about 300 yards off to around 150(we think), but wouldn't come in either. We could only hunt till about 8:30 or so, so we couldn't chase them around. Had we been able to hunt that area like we wanted to on Saturday, I have no doubts that we would have killed at least one more bird.
Birds gobbled good on the tree and for about 30 min on the ground and that was it. One tough thing we learned is they don't gobble long on the tree before they hit the ground(20min tops), and you can't cover mountain ground but so fast. It really, really helps to have birds roosted so you can try to get in before they hit the ground.
His bird: 9.5" beard, almost 1" spurs with a good hook(for a Merriam's) and 19.5lbs
Mine: 8" beard, stubby 1/2" spurs, 19lbs
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