Congratulations
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Anticipation...
- Thread starter megalomaniac
- Start date
Congrats! Same bird or different area and bird?
30-06 type of guy
Well-Known Member
Congrats man.
Nice! Congrats
Bgoodman30
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12:01 is the best time of day! Congrats!
spoon
Well-Known Member
Congratulations! Didn't get drawn for the early 2 weeks on public
Wahoo98
Active Member
Way to stick with it! Congratulations!
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Aighty, got him dressed just before the bottom dropped out, 2 Boston Butts on the smoker, now having a celebratory glass of whisky.
Ethan had bad diarrhea for whatever reason this morning after I got him up at 5a. I told him I had to get to the lease by 545 to beat the other hunters to be sure we claimed the area the bird we roosted was at. I had high hopes for him... literally a single tom without hens on opening day and hadn't been called to. AND I knew within 50 yards which tree he was in. I don't feel like I've got a slam dunk often, but this was as close to a slam dunk as you can get. Ethan and Sophia know I'm not going to ever save a bird for them.... if they don't go with me, Imma gonna kill him. I told Ethan if he wants to come later with a roll of toilet paper I'll let him shoot the bird, otherwise I'm tagging him and we will try to find another bird for him.
I beat everyone there, got set up about 125y from where he was roosted in the pitch black, and waited... and waited... and waited... it got light, and I waited some more. And I waited. Crows cawing, geese honking, but nothing. I really didn't want to move up to the spot I wanted to start at (didn't start there in the dark because there was a chance he limb hopped overnight and I didn't want to be right under him), but I finally crawled at a snails pace 30y up to the killing spot. Soft called... nothing. A bit louder, nothing. Finally at 8am he dropped out of his tree to the ground 100y away. $hit, I don't want to shoot a silent bird sneaking in, but it's been a LONG time since I killed a bird, so he is going to get sacrificed on the alter of my bloodlust. Scratched leaves, feeding purrs, gun at the ready. Nothing. Repeat in 20 min... nothing. Repeat in another 20 min... nothing. Sumbitch, this tom is officially gay.
Made a giant loop around him and called from the other side... nothing. Worked the hardwood drain for a half mile in both directions he could have gone... nothing. F it.... time to find a heterosexual bird.... Bailed out checked 4 more areas, no tracks, no sign. The other guys in the lease had left by now, so checked the first guys spot... nothing. Went to the 2nd guys spot... found a gobbler track.... uh oh, it's ON now! Worked that area for an hour, nothing. Worked a quarter mile to the north, nothing. Checked the radar, had about 40 minutes before the bottom was going to drop out. I was just about to head home, when I decided to head a quarter mile south of guy #2's spot...
Headed down a new road we pushed in to a new plot a quarter mile south of guy#2's spot. Walking and calling, nothing. I had never been to this new plot and wanted to see it anyways for next deer season, and it looks fabulous in the middle of plantation pine thinned out 4 years ago, but off the plot the woods are a disaster with yaupon, privet, and briers so thick you couldn't walk off the plot. Called from the plot, nothing. I was surveying which trees needed to come out for our next deer season, when a bird gobbled only 125y away thru the crazy thick stuff west of the plot (about 2 min after my last call). First gobble of the season at 1145a, and this guy obviously wants to die. Was running bare bones with just a mouth call, facemask, and shotgun by this point, so I found the closest bush and tucked in. Hit him again, and he crushed it from the same spot. Checked maps, and he was in a hardwood drain, but I didn't think he could make it ... hold on.. comupter about to die...
Ethan had bad diarrhea for whatever reason this morning after I got him up at 5a. I told him I had to get to the lease by 545 to beat the other hunters to be sure we claimed the area the bird we roosted was at. I had high hopes for him... literally a single tom without hens on opening day and hadn't been called to. AND I knew within 50 yards which tree he was in. I don't feel like I've got a slam dunk often, but this was as close to a slam dunk as you can get. Ethan and Sophia know I'm not going to ever save a bird for them.... if they don't go with me, Imma gonna kill him. I told Ethan if he wants to come later with a roll of toilet paper I'll let him shoot the bird, otherwise I'm tagging him and we will try to find another bird for him.
I beat everyone there, got set up about 125y from where he was roosted in the pitch black, and waited... and waited... and waited... it got light, and I waited some more. And I waited. Crows cawing, geese honking, but nothing. I really didn't want to move up to the spot I wanted to start at (didn't start there in the dark because there was a chance he limb hopped overnight and I didn't want to be right under him), but I finally crawled at a snails pace 30y up to the killing spot. Soft called... nothing. A bit louder, nothing. Finally at 8am he dropped out of his tree to the ground 100y away. $hit, I don't want to shoot a silent bird sneaking in, but it's been a LONG time since I killed a bird, so he is going to get sacrificed on the alter of my bloodlust. Scratched leaves, feeding purrs, gun at the ready. Nothing. Repeat in 20 min... nothing. Repeat in another 20 min... nothing. Sumbitch, this tom is officially gay.
Made a giant loop around him and called from the other side... nothing. Worked the hardwood drain for a half mile in both directions he could have gone... nothing. F it.... time to find a heterosexual bird.... Bailed out checked 4 more areas, no tracks, no sign. The other guys in the lease had left by now, so checked the first guys spot... nothing. Went to the 2nd guys spot... found a gobbler track.... uh oh, it's ON now! Worked that area for an hour, nothing. Worked a quarter mile to the north, nothing. Checked the radar, had about 40 minutes before the bottom was going to drop out. I was just about to head home, when I decided to head a quarter mile south of guy #2's spot...
Headed down a new road we pushed in to a new plot a quarter mile south of guy#2's spot. Walking and calling, nothing. I had never been to this new plot and wanted to see it anyways for next deer season, and it looks fabulous in the middle of plantation pine thinned out 4 years ago, but off the plot the woods are a disaster with yaupon, privet, and briers so thick you couldn't walk off the plot. Called from the plot, nothing. I was surveying which trees needed to come out for our next deer season, when a bird gobbled only 125y away thru the crazy thick stuff west of the plot (about 2 min after my last call). First gobble of the season at 1145a, and this guy obviously wants to die. Was running bare bones with just a mouth call, facemask, and shotgun by this point, so I found the closest bush and tucked in. Hit him again, and he crushed it from the same spot. Checked maps, and he was in a hardwood drain, but I didn't think he could make it ... hold on.. comupter about to die...
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
On phone now...
I decided I needed to go away from him 300y, cut down to the drain, the work back in the drain towards him to have a chance of killing him. Hadn't called in 10 min, he hadn't made a peep either. Let out an excited cutt to check him before moving and he gobbled 50y away from the edge of the plot! So much for him not making it thru the thick jungle. Swung the gun and he came out into the plot looking. And looking, and looking. He worked in to 40y and I was shaking so bad I knew he was going to pick out my barrel shaking. He locked up there for a couple minutes looking and although I wanted to kill him at 30, I was just about to fall apart from shaking. Screw it, hammer down. He gone.
I decided I needed to go away from him 300y, cut down to the drain, the work back in the drain towards him to have a chance of killing him. Hadn't called in 10 min, he hadn't made a peep either. Let out an excited cutt to check him before moving and he gobbled 50y away from the edge of the plot! So much for him not making it thru the thick jungle. Swung the gun and he came out into the plot looking. And looking, and looking. He worked in to 40y and I was shaking so bad I knew he was going to pick out my barrel shaking. He locked up there for a couple minutes looking and although I wanted to kill him at 30, I was just about to fall apart from shaking. Screw it, hammer down. He gone.
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megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Headed to natl forest tomorrow as I don't want to fool with the bird I started on today.
No way the bird I killed was the one I was on at daylight... the one I killed was 1500y away and across a major highway.
No way the bird I killed was the one I was on at daylight... the one I killed was 1500y away and across a major highway.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
I only heard ONE bird gobble in MS last year... and that was in 20 something days hunting here. But if you appreciate the little things (I found a patch of native azaleas blooming today I didn't know were there!) during the journey, it makes the grind not as bad.
Bgoodman30
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Man I love those late morning surprises! I rarely get them any longer because I am off to baseball games! Interesting he stayed on the limb until 8am. I think they're just like we are if they are rock and rolling on the limb and partying all night they may sleep in! Congrats great start.
Congrats man!
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Super…nice looking azaleas too!
Displaced_Vol
Well-Known Member
I have been so busy this spring I've barely thought about turkey season yet. Reading that story helped a lot. Congrats!
Congrats. Great story as well
Congratulations!
preachermantom
Well-Known Member
I liked early start here in TN. Like a kid at Christmas waiting for the season. Good luck in MS!!!
