Stretch and I spent three days at LBL chasing birds around. Had an absolute BLAST too.
Got to see biggun, bigal and monty (sp?) as well as spent a few days with hawk.
I did learn there are still some rude, slob "hunters" out there in the world too however.
Anyway,
Wed morning we set up on a bird and called to him for a while. Decided he wasn't coming so we backed out and got busted by another bird that was coming to us.
Started working the woodsline and the bird we had been working gobbled again and he was CLOSE.
He was, in fact closer than we thought and we bumped him while setting back up. GRRRRRR
Moved to another field where we thought a gobbling bird was headed and began getting the decoy set up. He gobbled again and I told stretch that he was getting closer.
About 1 minute later he gobbled again and I repeated he is CLOSE and I looked about 200 yards down the field and there he was standing there looking at us.
We were kneeling beside the decoy getting him set up. The grass was kinda tall for turkey so we just kept on working and then he gobbled !
I looked again and there were two of them !
So we finished setting up Jerry Lee (decoy) and belly crawled out of the field. Before I started I glanced back and told stretch to turn the decoy's head around and took off.
We made it the 30 yards back to the woods and set up.
I called one time and stretch whispered to stop and look.
7 jakes had come out into the field from the opposite side and were eyeing JL pretty heavy.
So we just sat still and watched the jakes and watched / listened to the longbeards strut and gobble.
Long story short the longbeards left. They got so far away in the field all I could see were the tops of their heads. They were hidden from view from where stretch was sitting.
Stretch then changed calls and hit them with a slight yelp and a couple hard clucks. Don't know if it was JL or the calling but they changed their minds and came to us on a string. They stopped long enough to scatter jakes in every direction then turned their attention to JL.
About this time I heard stretch say crap. I said, what? He said his head was on backwards. LOL he was looking at his own fan. I told him I know I told you to turn it around but he didn't hear me.
Earlier in the week we had already discussed the double if we got a chance and the plan was for stretch to count, one, two.. boom.
I whispered and asked which one he was going to shoot and he said the one to the far right, whichever one it was.
They were within 5 yards of the decoy and he said, ONE.....
Then silence.
The lead bird strutted around to the front side of JL and was fixing to mess him up.
At this time stretch said, "Not now" because his bird was behind the decoy from him.
I heard,,,, "now" and pulled the trigger.
Absolutely DIRTROLLED my bird. Quickest kill I have ever had. I mean DRN.
His bird jumped 6 feet straight up and came down to the right of the decoy and stuck his head straight up.
Then I heard a sickening sound.... CLICK....
Either the spring had a weak moment or he had a bad shell but his gun didn't go boom.
He quickly cycled another round and BOOM.
We set a full strut decoy up while two birds were in the same field and GOBBLING, crawled out of the field, avoided 7 jakes, had the decoy's head on backwards, I put part of the tail on wrong and had a misfire yet still pulled off a DOUBLE on two longbeards !!! Tell me that ain't fate !
My bird was 20 pounds, 10 1/2" beard with 1 inch spurs and his was 18 pounds 9" beard with 1 inch spurs.
One of the most memerable hunts I will ever have in my life.
Of course he thinks I shot early just to kill the bigger bird but EVERYONE knows I wouldn't do that.
Thanks again for a great weekend man.
Here is a little better picture with Jerry Lee in the middle. VERY cool decoy to say the least. All I am going to say is it is a full strut jake (real mount) that will move at will.... if stretch wants to elaborate he can.
Got to see biggun, bigal and monty (sp?) as well as spent a few days with hawk.
I did learn there are still some rude, slob "hunters" out there in the world too however.
Anyway,
Wed morning we set up on a bird and called to him for a while. Decided he wasn't coming so we backed out and got busted by another bird that was coming to us.
Started working the woodsline and the bird we had been working gobbled again and he was CLOSE.
He was, in fact closer than we thought and we bumped him while setting back up. GRRRRRR
Moved to another field where we thought a gobbling bird was headed and began getting the decoy set up. He gobbled again and I told stretch that he was getting closer.
About 1 minute later he gobbled again and I repeated he is CLOSE and I looked about 200 yards down the field and there he was standing there looking at us.
We were kneeling beside the decoy getting him set up. The grass was kinda tall for turkey so we just kept on working and then he gobbled !
I looked again and there were two of them !
So we finished setting up Jerry Lee (decoy) and belly crawled out of the field. Before I started I glanced back and told stretch to turn the decoy's head around and took off.
We made it the 30 yards back to the woods and set up.
I called one time and stretch whispered to stop and look.
7 jakes had come out into the field from the opposite side and were eyeing JL pretty heavy.
So we just sat still and watched the jakes and watched / listened to the longbeards strut and gobble.
Long story short the longbeards left. They got so far away in the field all I could see were the tops of their heads. They were hidden from view from where stretch was sitting.
Stretch then changed calls and hit them with a slight yelp and a couple hard clucks. Don't know if it was JL or the calling but they changed their minds and came to us on a string. They stopped long enough to scatter jakes in every direction then turned their attention to JL.
About this time I heard stretch say crap. I said, what? He said his head was on backwards. LOL he was looking at his own fan. I told him I know I told you to turn it around but he didn't hear me.
Earlier in the week we had already discussed the double if we got a chance and the plan was for stretch to count, one, two.. boom.
I whispered and asked which one he was going to shoot and he said the one to the far right, whichever one it was.
They were within 5 yards of the decoy and he said, ONE.....
Then silence.
The lead bird strutted around to the front side of JL and was fixing to mess him up.
At this time stretch said, "Not now" because his bird was behind the decoy from him.
I heard,,,, "now" and pulled the trigger.
Absolutely DIRTROLLED my bird. Quickest kill I have ever had. I mean DRN.
His bird jumped 6 feet straight up and came down to the right of the decoy and stuck his head straight up.
Then I heard a sickening sound.... CLICK....
Either the spring had a weak moment or he had a bad shell but his gun didn't go boom.
He quickly cycled another round and BOOM.
We set a full strut decoy up while two birds were in the same field and GOBBLING, crawled out of the field, avoided 7 jakes, had the decoy's head on backwards, I put part of the tail on wrong and had a misfire yet still pulled off a DOUBLE on two longbeards !!! Tell me that ain't fate !
My bird was 20 pounds, 10 1/2" beard with 1 inch spurs and his was 18 pounds 9" beard with 1 inch spurs.
One of the most memerable hunts I will ever have in my life.
Of course he thinks I shot early just to kill the bigger bird but EVERYONE knows I wouldn't do that.
Thanks again for a great weekend man.
Here is a little better picture with Jerry Lee in the middle. VERY cool decoy to say the least. All I am going to say is it is a full strut jake (real mount) that will move at will.... if stretch wants to elaborate he can.
