MarlinSlayer
Well-Known Member
Took my two kids 14 (girl) and 11 (boy) on the first day of youth hunt on my buddies farm. Got there right at daybreak to hear four birds hammering. Got set up in the blind....got them loaded and comfy....broke out snacks..... had a hen and jake in the intimate position facing the blind and a lone hen at 45 degrees. Let out a couple of yelps.
In about 10 minutes I spot the Black Basketball about 175 yds away in full strut slowly working his way toward us. Bottom line...we worked him for at least twenty minutes..he was in and out of strut and appeared disinterested at times and would feed. I'd yelp, and purr, and he'd go back into strut. He'd work a semicircle back and forth, only closing about 5 -10 yards each time. The kids were enthralled. They kept saying "He's so awesome!". Little one said "I prayed last night that God would grant us a bird."
At one point, he Gobbled (first Gobble since on deck)...head was white, and then started to walk away. I yelped, he came back and stopped at 35 yds. I told both kids they could shoot, and somehow they both missed....(they were both trembling)...he flew away (sigh).....they were hooked...and spoiled. Boy wanted to go out again next morning, but after two 4:15 am wakeups and a lte night. After about an hour with nothing, boy wanted to go home. Didn't want him to burn out.
Right after opener, took a buddy out to same farm. He's been battling a lung and brain monster and wanted to go out for the first time in years before he started his next series of treatments. Again we were late, and though he was tired as we approached the blind, the sound of the birds hammering (3-5) put a smile on his face. Sun was well up, but the Good Lord had layed a thick cover of fog on only the field we would hunt. Good thing as we had to re-erect the blind and set out decoys. I yelped, wildly flung my hat to simulate a flydown and cackled. In about five minutes he said "THERE!". A big hen had settled down about 30 yds from us. All of a sudden it was like watching the airborne assault on "The Longest Day". No less than 35 birds started dropping in from all over. Unfortunately, the only strutters were 60 yds away, fanning and gathering the hens to them. We couldn't do anything about it and they walked away. He was thrilled and said he hadn't seen anything like it before.....very happy, he said it was time to go.
Which brings me to my first bird this season. If you recall, I first posted on here last year with my first ever turkey, shot with my 17 year old son before graduating from high school and leaving home. So this is my second turkey ever.
I've been reading the forums voraciously and took to heart the advise about NOT using decoys... so the birds won't hang up...so this day I went out to my lease and worked out of an old deer ground blind by a pond at sun-up but decided to move to the hill as I'd seen the Turkeys there mid morning. I thought I heard a bird walking just below the hilltop, and purred....nothing.
I was afraid he would see me before I saw him so moved against an old cedar with three trunks, I blind called with a pot, then hit a box about 20 minutes later with a LOUD yelp. 10 minutes later, about 1/4 mile off, I hear a faint gobble. I answered it, and he cut me off with a Gobble....then I went Silent for two or three more Gobbles. Then I cut and purred....he gobbled as he was circumnavigating the little hill behind me and then sounded farther away. I hit the box again LOUD, for three yelps. He Gobbled back significantly closer.
Before he could close the distance, I decided I better stand up behind the three limbed cedar and peer in between the trunks. Sure enough, here he comes. I am not sure there weren't two birds, but eventually a committed Tom , worked his way in constantly stretching his neck looking for me and I shot him as he got to the point where he'd have a good look at me the next time I purred. It must have been funny to see me holding a pot between my knees striker in one hand, while standing (kind of) and trying to keep the gun on the bird. Shot him at 22 full paces down hill. His wing got beat up when he rolled down the hill to a fence and got hung up in the wire. His head was so bloody I thought I'd decapitated him at first... only 18.75 lbs, 9 7/8 beard, 15/16 spurs. Learned a ton.
No decoys in the woods for me now.
Leaving after Easter for a week long turkey hunt with the RV and my neighbor at the non-quota at LBL and a quota we got drawn for.
In about 10 minutes I spot the Black Basketball about 175 yds away in full strut slowly working his way toward us. Bottom line...we worked him for at least twenty minutes..he was in and out of strut and appeared disinterested at times and would feed. I'd yelp, and purr, and he'd go back into strut. He'd work a semicircle back and forth, only closing about 5 -10 yards each time. The kids were enthralled. They kept saying "He's so awesome!". Little one said "I prayed last night that God would grant us a bird."
At one point, he Gobbled (first Gobble since on deck)...head was white, and then started to walk away. I yelped, he came back and stopped at 35 yds. I told both kids they could shoot, and somehow they both missed....(they were both trembling)...he flew away (sigh).....they were hooked...and spoiled. Boy wanted to go out again next morning, but after two 4:15 am wakeups and a lte night. After about an hour with nothing, boy wanted to go home. Didn't want him to burn out.
Right after opener, took a buddy out to same farm. He's been battling a lung and brain monster and wanted to go out for the first time in years before he started his next series of treatments. Again we were late, and though he was tired as we approached the blind, the sound of the birds hammering (3-5) put a smile on his face. Sun was well up, but the Good Lord had layed a thick cover of fog on only the field we would hunt. Good thing as we had to re-erect the blind and set out decoys. I yelped, wildly flung my hat to simulate a flydown and cackled. In about five minutes he said "THERE!". A big hen had settled down about 30 yds from us. All of a sudden it was like watching the airborne assault on "The Longest Day". No less than 35 birds started dropping in from all over. Unfortunately, the only strutters were 60 yds away, fanning and gathering the hens to them. We couldn't do anything about it and they walked away. He was thrilled and said he hadn't seen anything like it before.....very happy, he said it was time to go.
Which brings me to my first bird this season. If you recall, I first posted on here last year with my first ever turkey, shot with my 17 year old son before graduating from high school and leaving home. So this is my second turkey ever.
I've been reading the forums voraciously and took to heart the advise about NOT using decoys... so the birds won't hang up...so this day I went out to my lease and worked out of an old deer ground blind by a pond at sun-up but decided to move to the hill as I'd seen the Turkeys there mid morning. I thought I heard a bird walking just below the hilltop, and purred....nothing.
I was afraid he would see me before I saw him so moved against an old cedar with three trunks, I blind called with a pot, then hit a box about 20 minutes later with a LOUD yelp. 10 minutes later, about 1/4 mile off, I hear a faint gobble. I answered it, and he cut me off with a Gobble....then I went Silent for two or three more Gobbles. Then I cut and purred....he gobbled as he was circumnavigating the little hill behind me and then sounded farther away. I hit the box again LOUD, for three yelps. He Gobbled back significantly closer.
Before he could close the distance, I decided I better stand up behind the three limbed cedar and peer in between the trunks. Sure enough, here he comes. I am not sure there weren't two birds, but eventually a committed Tom , worked his way in constantly stretching his neck looking for me and I shot him as he got to the point where he'd have a good look at me the next time I purred. It must have been funny to see me holding a pot between my knees striker in one hand, while standing (kind of) and trying to keep the gun on the bird. Shot him at 22 full paces down hill. His wing got beat up when he rolled down the hill to a fence and got hung up in the wire. His head was so bloody I thought I'd decapitated him at first... only 18.75 lbs, 9 7/8 beard, 15/16 spurs. Learned a ton.
No decoys in the woods for me now.
Leaving after Easter for a week long turkey hunt with the RV and my neighbor at the non-quota at LBL and a quota we got drawn for.
