Atchman2
Well-Known Member
It was an early very wet morning. Last night showers were passing through the area, but they cleared out around 4 AM. I'd already loaded most of the stuff near the door but went on a scavenger hunt for my extra camera. As I was looking I found my #4 shot! Only had three of them but one is all you need right?
Between the MS and the excitement I just couldn't sleep so I got up at 4 and started getting ready to go. In my haste, I forgot part of my camera bipod. I didn't forget it though it turns out that it fell off the device. Oh well. That was fine until I STEPPED on my El Cheapo tripod and broke the handle off of it!
So I drove the 40 minutes out to my friend Jim's. This was year three in my quest to get a turkey. I had my ground blind, one slate call, one glass call (I learned my lesson year one after I dropped my slate in the wet grass), and lastly a box call. The slate call is a Flextone "Tramp Stamp", I thought the name was cool.
The box call I use is a Quaker Boy Hurricane. It is an all weather box call so I don't have to worry about the dampness or chalk.
This year, I drove down part way into the pasture. There is a gully down the middle and I hid my truck in it. Also because I'm trying to carry the camera equipment, a gun, a blind, and I wanted a "real" chair instead of my stool for setting there for hours. On the way in I stopped and got some snacks, a new box of Remington 3" Nitro Turkey in 4 shot, and a new mouth call that I can't use (they just gag me, but I keep trying).
So I set up the blind down near the creek. The day before I saw two gobblers strutting in the field so I wanted to be close enough to call them. I put out three decoys, two hens and a jake. Per the tv shows I watch I put them facing the blind and put the jake in an advantageous looking position near a hen.
Just as it got light I heard some fluttering and saw the flash of some wings, but really didn't see any birds for a few more minutes. Turns out it was the same two toms, and about five hens. That started my several hour courtship of these toms. They wouldn't gobble back, they wouldn't walk towards me and in fact they walked further and further away! I filmed them walking around but my camera was on max zoom and the light was bad. I'm not sure how they pictures came out. I got the hens to within 30 yards of me, but the gobblers stayed at least 200 yards away. As I sat there several deer walked out nearby and didn't seem to notice me.
So after I went to the bathroom I decided to take a break and move the blind. I'd lost sight of the two toms so I gathered up the blind and started moving it up the hill out of the swampy area where I was located. Camera number one was out of battery life, so I took some equipment I wasn't using or couldn't use (my shooting sticks are too short for my blind). As I hooked up the battery I saw Jim the landowner. I told him I wasn't giving up I was going to try a little longer and maybe walk down the creekbank.
Instead of trying to hide I was sitting in my bright blue chair, drinking Diet Pepsi and eating some jellybeans. I see something white WAY out in the field. Sure enough it was the two gobblers grazing up the other side of the hill. I've been here before. I get impatient and blow any chance of getting a bird. So I just sat still in the chair continuing my rest and my snack. I just kept watching them in the binos.
Then I got an idea. I was observing them and I noticed they were pretty determined to graze along the wood edge. In between are some small rises, a fence, yet another marsh, and several hundred yards of field. When they ducked behind one of the rises, I grabbed my shotgun, the Tramp Stamp, and my box call and made a dash up the hill. I crossed the fence through the edge of some woods, and moved to the field edge. I moved slowly using the binos to be sure they weren't coming over the rise. When I determined the coast was clear, I moved at a fast walk until I got to the marsh. At the marsh I went almost up to my knees in mud and gunk! The cattle had been there so there was LOTS OF GUNK! YEUCK!
After clearing the obstacle I moved ahead. Down the tree line I noticed there was an area the jutted into the field. I was hugging the edge, but when I approached I knew I was within 80 yards of them and they were just behind that area. I stopped and dropped down on my knees. I was about 10 yards or so from that area and couldn't see around it. I knew that they would see me if I moved any further so I decided to sit there.
I pulled out the old Hurricane and started doing some hen yelps and then some soft purrs. The gobblers that haven't gobbled in the last four hours THUNDERED about 40 yards away from me, just around the edge of the jut.
I kept up the box call for awhile, then they went silent. That was when I grabbed the Tramp Stamp and started doing some higher pitched yelps, some putts, and finally some more purrs. Again they THUNDERED! Then they went quiet.
Well it was killing me. I knew they were there somewhere. For a minute I thought they may be sneaking through the woods, but it is really dense there. On top of that the air was buzzing with mosquitoes from the marsh! Lastly, I was sitting on my knees so they were about to give out.
I rose up just slightly to adjust my knees when I see the top of his head just over a little rise. Instantly I dropped back down, grabbing the call and did a couple of soft yelps. That was too much for him and he raised his head over the rise-BLAM! At 1300 FPS, the #4 Nitro Turkey load knocked him down. For a minute he didn't even flop! I was shaking with excitement as I ran up to him. Then I made the mistake of grabbing him-OH OH! It was STILL ALIVE and didn't like me grabbing him by the back legs. I leveled the shotgun and put another one in his head. Still it took a good two or three minutes for him to stop pulsing. I knew he was dead since most of his head was gone!
Jim heard the shots and called me excited! I was still shaking with excitement. He came down, looked at the bird and opened the gates for me. Man I'm still stoked!
I didn't have anyone to take my picture so I did a video capture.
My Beretta Silver Mallard 12 gauge 3" shell Remington Nitro Turkey ammo #4 shot
Anyway off to pluck the bird!
(BTW 1" spurs and a 10" beard)
Between the MS and the excitement I just couldn't sleep so I got up at 4 and started getting ready to go. In my haste, I forgot part of my camera bipod. I didn't forget it though it turns out that it fell off the device. Oh well. That was fine until I STEPPED on my El Cheapo tripod and broke the handle off of it!
So I drove the 40 minutes out to my friend Jim's. This was year three in my quest to get a turkey. I had my ground blind, one slate call, one glass call (I learned my lesson year one after I dropped my slate in the wet grass), and lastly a box call. The slate call is a Flextone "Tramp Stamp", I thought the name was cool.
The box call I use is a Quaker Boy Hurricane. It is an all weather box call so I don't have to worry about the dampness or chalk. This year, I drove down part way into the pasture. There is a gully down the middle and I hid my truck in it. Also because I'm trying to carry the camera equipment, a gun, a blind, and I wanted a "real" chair instead of my stool for setting there for hours. On the way in I stopped and got some snacks, a new box of Remington 3" Nitro Turkey in 4 shot, and a new mouth call that I can't use (they just gag me, but I keep trying).
So I set up the blind down near the creek. The day before I saw two gobblers strutting in the field so I wanted to be close enough to call them. I put out three decoys, two hens and a jake. Per the tv shows I watch I put them facing the blind and put the jake in an advantageous looking position near a hen.
Just as it got light I heard some fluttering and saw the flash of some wings, but really didn't see any birds for a few more minutes. Turns out it was the same two toms, and about five hens. That started my several hour courtship of these toms. They wouldn't gobble back, they wouldn't walk towards me and in fact they walked further and further away! I filmed them walking around but my camera was on max zoom and the light was bad. I'm not sure how they pictures came out. I got the hens to within 30 yards of me, but the gobblers stayed at least 200 yards away. As I sat there several deer walked out nearby and didn't seem to notice me.
So after I went to the bathroom I decided to take a break and move the blind. I'd lost sight of the two toms so I gathered up the blind and started moving it up the hill out of the swampy area where I was located. Camera number one was out of battery life, so I took some equipment I wasn't using or couldn't use (my shooting sticks are too short for my blind). As I hooked up the battery I saw Jim the landowner. I told him I wasn't giving up I was going to try a little longer and maybe walk down the creekbank.
Instead of trying to hide I was sitting in my bright blue chair, drinking Diet Pepsi and eating some jellybeans. I see something white WAY out in the field. Sure enough it was the two gobblers grazing up the other side of the hill. I've been here before. I get impatient and blow any chance of getting a bird. So I just sat still in the chair continuing my rest and my snack. I just kept watching them in the binos.
Then I got an idea. I was observing them and I noticed they were pretty determined to graze along the wood edge. In between are some small rises, a fence, yet another marsh, and several hundred yards of field. When they ducked behind one of the rises, I grabbed my shotgun, the Tramp Stamp, and my box call and made a dash up the hill. I crossed the fence through the edge of some woods, and moved to the field edge. I moved slowly using the binos to be sure they weren't coming over the rise. When I determined the coast was clear, I moved at a fast walk until I got to the marsh. At the marsh I went almost up to my knees in mud and gunk! The cattle had been there so there was LOTS OF GUNK! YEUCK!
After clearing the obstacle I moved ahead. Down the tree line I noticed there was an area the jutted into the field. I was hugging the edge, but when I approached I knew I was within 80 yards of them and they were just behind that area. I stopped and dropped down on my knees. I was about 10 yards or so from that area and couldn't see around it. I knew that they would see me if I moved any further so I decided to sit there.
I pulled out the old Hurricane and started doing some hen yelps and then some soft purrs. The gobblers that haven't gobbled in the last four hours THUNDERED about 40 yards away from me, just around the edge of the jut.
I kept up the box call for awhile, then they went silent. That was when I grabbed the Tramp Stamp and started doing some higher pitched yelps, some putts, and finally some more purrs. Again they THUNDERED! Then they went quiet.
Well it was killing me. I knew they were there somewhere. For a minute I thought they may be sneaking through the woods, but it is really dense there. On top of that the air was buzzing with mosquitoes from the marsh! Lastly, I was sitting on my knees so they were about to give out.
I rose up just slightly to adjust my knees when I see the top of his head just over a little rise. Instantly I dropped back down, grabbing the call and did a couple of soft yelps. That was too much for him and he raised his head over the rise-BLAM! At 1300 FPS, the #4 Nitro Turkey load knocked him down. For a minute he didn't even flop! I was shaking with excitement as I ran up to him. Then I made the mistake of grabbing him-OH OH! It was STILL ALIVE and didn't like me grabbing him by the back legs. I leveled the shotgun and put another one in his head. Still it took a good two or three minutes for him to stop pulsing. I knew he was dead since most of his head was gone!
Jim heard the shots and called me excited! I was still shaking with excitement. He came down, looked at the bird and opened the gates for me. Man I'm still stoked!
I didn't have anyone to take my picture so I did a video capture.
My Beretta Silver Mallard 12 gauge 3" shell Remington Nitro Turkey ammo #4 shot
Anyway off to pluck the bird!
(BTW 1" spurs and a 10" beard)
