2007 Spring Turkey Photo contest pictures..

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It was rainy most of the day yesterday, but I headed on out this morning with a little lightning and rumbling in the distance.

I hunt on National Forest land in East Texas for eastern birds. These birds get a lot of pressure, but I usually get one. Sometimes it takes longer than others. This is the first time I have gotten one on opening morning, and I was the first one to check a bird at the check station where I usually check my bird.

I heard him start up about 6:45 a long ways off. I headed in his direction, but he was so far away I was afraid I might run into another hunter, but never heard or saw anyone else. When I got about 150 yards (best guess) I sat down and just after I sat down he gobbled. I gave a few soft calls, but he shut up. I called a little more, but he never said a word, so I shut up. After about 10 minutes, he still had not said anything, but a crow started cutting up close by and that made him sound off, and he was closer. I knew he had me pegged from my earlier calling so I sat quiet. A minute or 2 later, I see him about 50 yards out and easing to my right and coming. When he went behind a tree, I swung my gun right and waited. When he hit an opening, I made a soft "yulk" with my diagram just get him to stop and run his neck out. The 3" mag #6's did the rest. I stepped off 39 steps.

19 pounds, 7/8 inch spurs and 9 1/2 inch beard.

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I thought I would try a different pose this year.
 
My story won't be near as good, almost uneventful actually.
The rain Sean was talking about shut me out for opening morning, so I had to adjust my plans by a day.
I didn't get out of town as early as I'd hoped to, so I didn't get to locate the roost like I prefer. It was already almost dark, so I decided to try for a hog by moonlight. After sitting for about 45 minutes, the first came in. Before I get the shot I wanted a bigger one ran him off.
Oh, this is supposed to be about turkey hunting. Sorry.
Got up this morning and headed of the direction I could here the turkey. Got set up and called to them while they were still on the roost. Three different groups answered!
They toyed with me for close to an hour and moved on, all the while staying on the other side of the property fence.
I was torn between uncooperative turkey and hogs. This was a first for me.
I opted to finish up a little work on a hog then went back out. By this time the birds were on our small piece of property, but were "henned up". I knew their basic travel pattern so I decided to wait them out.
Two gobblers came along with two hens, but I was too far away for a shot with the scatter iron. They wouldn't cooperate. I tried for another hour or more and finally decided to call it quits.
On the way back to my ATV, I spotted something in the brush. I wasn't sure if it was a small pig or a turkey. I worked my way towards it. As I got to about 50 yds, it started my direction. I just patiently waited. When it cleared the brush he was only about 15 yds max! I let him have it.
I felt like I cheated, but I have three more tags to do it right!
I didn't think to weigh him. He had 1 1/4" spurs and a
9 1/2" beard.
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The pig weighed 140, it was the third one I saw last night. No luck on the other two. The second of which looked twice as big as this one.
 
Well Ya'll! this is my first turkey hunt. We dont have very many birds here and you must draw in order to hunt. The NDOW is trying to transplant birds and make huntable populations in certain areas. Not knowing a thing about hunting turkeys, I set out to see how bad I could screw things up.

I had driven by this area many times and have seen many turkeys in the fields there before. Having never called turkeys before, I opted for spot and stalk .

At first sun up , I was already in the bushes and trees surrounding the fields where I had seen them earier last month. I could hear them in front of me , but never seemed to be able to close the gap. Finally , after walking what seemed like 10 miles, there he was. Shining in the sun in all his glory. What a magnificent bird. He was huge! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Much bigger than the other birds. He was a good 80 yrds in front of me. To far to risk a shot from where i was hiding in the tree line. What should I do. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif I had to risk it. The adrenaline was pumping through my veins. It was now or never. I made a mad dash from the tree line with my Benelli shouldered. I had to close the gap before it took flight. The turkey turned to take flight and I unloaded the shotgun at it ( you know, Benelli. The fastest cycling auto loader made.) 3 rounds of #4 buck shot and down he went. Hey, What did you expect? Im a coyote hunter. Sweet sucess! Dressed he weighed 17.88 lbs. The picture doesn't show the spurs or beard very well. Oh well, there's always next season. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif




























springturkey.jpg
 
Tim, you look kinda like that tom, right before I busted him.

Lance- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I hunted this bird hard for two days before sealing the deal on him.He would not coperate at all.The only time he would gobble was when he flew down off the roost and then shut up.No luck sat and sunday morning I finally got a chance at him sunday evening.He was roosting in a swamp and taking care of buisness in a hardwood bottom so i setup between the two at 3:00pm and did a little soft yelping for 30 seconds and put the calls up.About 4:15 I could hear something comming through the water a few seconds later two jakes with 6in beards poped out from behind some palmetto bushes and were acting funny when they saw the decoy.While I was paying attetion to the jakes He started spitting and drumming out of sight a few seconds lateer he showed himself.When he saw the decoy he went back into strut towards the decoy doing his little dance for mabel(the decoy)all the while I was telling him to get it out of his system while he could.After about 5 minutes of the show I putted on my primos limb hanger mouth call and he came out of strut and I sent a load of 3" #6 heavishot at 35 to finish the game.I have killed 11 turkeys total in my 7 years of turkey hunting and this was the hardest of all.
He was 20 pounds had a 11 3/4" beard and 1" spurs.
 
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Good looking birds everyone... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Lance, you need help! But, you made me laugh so hard I nearly fell off my chair. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Got to the lease about 6am and we started on the same ridge we had called last Saturday. Got to our first place to get a response and heard a gobbler a long way off. It was on the opposite side of this ridge line about a 3/4 mile away. Tim knew exactly which ridge he was on so we took off through the hardwoods. After about a 15 minute walk, we get to about where we felt he was. We called again and he was about 100 yards away on the exact ridge Tim said he was on. He has hunted this land for 15 years, so he knows it pretty well. We set up on the bird about 50 yards from the roost and I bet he gobbled 200 times before he flew down. He was on fire. But it was not to be on this bird this morning. He flew down along with about 10 hens, and hung up and would not come in. We will get him tomorrow.
After lunch at about 1pm we surveyed a field that we have been seeing some birds in every afternoon, and low and behold they were there today as well. Knowing where they were and knowing we could not get that gobbler off of those hens, we decided on the ol sneak attack. There is a creek that runs beside this field just where they were heading. We get to the creek and get to about where we think they are. Tim climbs up the side of the bank to take a look see and they are about 20 yards away from where we are. He sees the tom at about 40 yards right next to the creek getting ready to cross to the other side. That is when I ease up the bank and find his head through the grass and BOOM. He hit the ground and never moved. Man was I pumped. He is not the biggest bird on our lease, but he is my first. Finally got the monkey off my back. This makes 5 birds we have taken off our lease so far.
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After a 2 year hiatus from Turkey hunting, I finally had an opportunity to go. I had El Tigre (my son) Friday and Saturday and decided we needed to get down to the Waco area and see all of family. Low and behold, Saturday morning brought snow and sleet along with 32 degree weather. We picked our way back to Granbury to drop Hunter off at his moms Saturday night and I decided the heck with it, I needed some alone time, and headed to my lease.
I’ll admit that I had my doubts with the strange weather and all, but sun up found me sitting underneath a live oak on the back side of one of our pastures Easter morning. I had already set out my decoys and kind of just sat there reminiscing about things in the past that had happened this time of year and let the world come alive. About 15 minutes after light I could hear wings gliding to earth a few hundred yards off and I cut loose with a few purrs on the old slate. I had 3 different gobblers answer immediately /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. I just new the one to my south was headed my way because I could hear his hens chirping their way up the hill. After about 20 more minutes of talking back and forth 2 more gobblers joined in /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif. Well know, this could get interesting. The one to my south was about ¼ mile away, West was almost a mile, Southwest was ¾ of a mile, North gobbler was about a ½ mile and there was another almost a mile further from him. I still concentrated on the one to my North since he was the closest and positioned my self for a shot coming up out of the draw.
Things kind of quitted down a little for about 5 minutes so I started in on some excited hen purrs and clucks. The gobbler to my North answered and he was about a mile away /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif…what the heck? The next one to speak up was the one to my West, and he was closer, a lot closer. I started a few soft purrs to try and peg his distance and he was even closer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. Crap! I am not in a good position to shoot towards the West. I drop down and crawl over to the only good position that is close. Directly under a deer blind with no cover around me except a 2 ½ inch leg for the blind. I get the gun raised and make one more soft purr and he is within a 150 yards know!
A few minutes later and I see him…at a full trot /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif. He must have been running like this the whole dang way. He gets to within 45 yards and starts strutting…a little closer…a couple of more purrs…he is in the clear but still strutting with his back to me. I make a soft cluck and he pokes his head up…Remington 820 with a Turkey Choke and 3” mag 4X6’s sends him to the dirt /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif. 1st Turkey in 2 years, 8 1/2 inch beard and 1 inch spurs.
Thank you lord for a wonderful morning…and thank you more for your son /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif!

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Good stories and pics everyone.

cwbycrshr:

That picture is excellent. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif
 
Thanks Moe and Silencer...Im hooked again, well re-hooked, whatever, headed back this weekend.
We can take 4 birds in that county of Tx. I want do more than 3 off that ranch. We'll see if I can get a couple more for the contest.
cwbycrshr
 
Nice picture Handyman. Weight? Beard? Spurs??? Share a little of the story with us! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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