darn2ten
Well-Known Member
Went down to middle Georgia for opening weekend. Met my BIL there, would be the first time we've got to turkey hunt together in about 10 years. It's his first year on a 3000 acre family owned farming operation that 10 members lease the hunting rights to. The place had a mix of fields, pastures, and hardwood and pine timber tracts. Opening day we only heard one bird on the roost that was a distance over the property line and nothing after fly down. We found another area that looked promising and hit it the next morning. We got set up on a roosted bird but as soon as he hit the ground was lead off in the opposite direction by hens that were roosted right by him. We split up and both got birds to respond mid morning only to be intercepted by real hens as the birds made their way in. Next morning we were back and things were quiet. My BIL stayed up by some pines and a clear cut as I went off in a hardwood swamp drain. About 2 hours after daylight I heard him shoot, then after a while another shot. I had a bird working in at about 60 yds. that got ruined by a spooked deer at the wrong time. Made it back to the truck to find my BIL had doubled up. He had a nice 3 year old bird with a 10.5" beard and 1 1/8" spurs and a 2 year old with a 9" beard and 7/8" spurs. That afternoon I moved to a new area with a big hardwood hammock with a small creek drain thru the middle and surrounded by planted pines. Right before dark I heard one fly up then a few minutes later he sounded off. After a couple minutes I hooted and another bird gobbled straight to my north. The next morning found me back and and set up on the last bird I had roosted the night before. He gobbled pretty good on the limb then things went quiet. I knew he was on the ground so I gave him a series of yelps and he fired back. This went on for a few minutes but he wasn't getting any closer. Decided to give him the silent treatment for a while then some soft clucks and purrs. He wasn't saying much and the next time I heard him he was moving away. I gave him some yelps and aggressive cuts and he fired up. Silence for a few and when he gobbled again he was closer. My BIL did some soft calling on the slate as I softly ran a diaphragm to sound like multiple hens. After about 10 minutes we hear some soft yelps about 60 yds. out on the edge of the pines just across the small drain. I yelped back and came a thundering gobble from just out of vision. He had committed and was now on my side in the hardwoods. Finally I see a bobbing blue head just over some brush. As he hit a little clearing he went into full strut and started working to my left. When he hit the next opening I clucked at him and he stretched his head up and I pulled the trigger on the ol' Browning. He was a 3 year old with a 9.5" beard, 1 1/16 and 1 1/8" spurs, and weighted 21.8 lbs.
My BIL's birds
My bird
My BIL's birds
My bird
