Setterman
Well-Known Member
Alright, the jacka$$ field turkey that's occupied many days for me this year finally succumbed to Darrin Dawkins aluminum this morning.
I've hunted this bird 11 mornings, and been through ever imaginable game wth him. He flies from the tree into the middle of the field he's laying dead in pretty much every day. He started with 19 hens, and today had 6 still. For some of the season he had several running mates that never strutted or gobbled just hung close, but they've disappeared lately. There's 2 jakes that basically keep him alive by getting in the way or picking me off before he closes.
During this quest, I tried getting tight to him on the roost, like 50 yards and he pitched out into the field. I tried wearing green pants and a long sleev green t shirt and laying flat on my back in the field while calling and using a round foam thing. For a headrest, all he did was send his minions to me who dang near stepped on me before spooking, he strutted off with his hens. I've tried light calling, he gobbled like hell, but wouldn't budge. Loud aggressive, still no movement. Gobbling at him, to which he gobbled back in a voice that pretty much said back that I wasn't man enough to challenge him. My favorite though was the afternoon I caught him in the woods, and called him in but he was masterful at playing peek a boo behind trees and I couldn't get a clean shot.
Fortunately he's extremely vocal and very consistent on where he will be, granted he has a full bag of tricks he uses to escape death. He his also ferociously mean and fights all the time any male bird even his minions.
Yesterday I fooled with him again, and as usual he won and left behind his hens. This time though he lingered for about 5 minutes and his hens exited out and hopped a creek. When they were just about out his sight he ran to catch up. Here's where the plan was hatched that led to his demise.
I started this morning in that patch of trees you can see in the distance as I have for many mornings. As usual he was right where I expected and gobbled like mad on the limb, pitched down to the middle of the field and went into strut. As usually his family joined him and off we went for a standard butt whipping for me from this bird. I decided that what I saw yesterday was a pattern based on previous hunts, so I made the decision that when his hens drifted towards the creek, I could slip out the back side of that tree island, crawl up the creek in water (who cares as long as he dies), and slide myself in between his hens and him.
So as luck would have it, about 8 his hens drift over the rise away from him, and I sneak out into the creek and begin crawling. I miraculously made it to where the field necks down to about 100 yards wide and simply kneel in the creek next to bush with my gun on the bank and only my shoulders/head above ground basically as theirs limited cover. I call he answers, and shortly I see his fan top the hill at about 150 yards. I call he answers and begins the slow march towards death. What I didn't account for was the hens coming back to check me out, and almost blew it when right behind me they start clucking. I did panic and just focused on him who is now jiggling he's coming so fast and his fat body is like jello. Anyway, it takes forever for him to get there and at some point 2 hens cross the creek and go back to him. When this happened I thought it was over so I made the decision to call one more time. That sealed it and him, minions, and the two hens came on a rope. At 20 yards he got surrounded by other birds, but I just waited and when they cleared I waved my fingers that were in the forend of my gun and he raised his. Lights out. I could've killed him for a while but enjoyed the show and also a worthy foe like this I wanted to be patient and enjoy the last few minutes of him and his game.
This bird would've died in minutes with decoys, as much as he liked to fight. However, I loved the challenge and kind of sad he's not there for the next time. Don't want to start a big controversy but birds like this earned the right to be a nightmare to kill as long as they've been dodging death. Killing him as he runs to a plastic turkey just isn't right imo.
Beard was 10.5" thick, spurs right at 1.5" pic doesn't do them justice. Massive dominant bird that was a real sport.
I've hunted this bird 11 mornings, and been through ever imaginable game wth him. He flies from the tree into the middle of the field he's laying dead in pretty much every day. He started with 19 hens, and today had 6 still. For some of the season he had several running mates that never strutted or gobbled just hung close, but they've disappeared lately. There's 2 jakes that basically keep him alive by getting in the way or picking me off before he closes.
During this quest, I tried getting tight to him on the roost, like 50 yards and he pitched out into the field. I tried wearing green pants and a long sleev green t shirt and laying flat on my back in the field while calling and using a round foam thing. For a headrest, all he did was send his minions to me who dang near stepped on me before spooking, he strutted off with his hens. I've tried light calling, he gobbled like hell, but wouldn't budge. Loud aggressive, still no movement. Gobbling at him, to which he gobbled back in a voice that pretty much said back that I wasn't man enough to challenge him. My favorite though was the afternoon I caught him in the woods, and called him in but he was masterful at playing peek a boo behind trees and I couldn't get a clean shot.
Fortunately he's extremely vocal and very consistent on where he will be, granted he has a full bag of tricks he uses to escape death. He his also ferociously mean and fights all the time any male bird even his minions.
Yesterday I fooled with him again, and as usual he won and left behind his hens. This time though he lingered for about 5 minutes and his hens exited out and hopped a creek. When they were just about out his sight he ran to catch up. Here's where the plan was hatched that led to his demise.
I started this morning in that patch of trees you can see in the distance as I have for many mornings. As usual he was right where I expected and gobbled like mad on the limb, pitched down to the middle of the field and went into strut. As usually his family joined him and off we went for a standard butt whipping for me from this bird. I decided that what I saw yesterday was a pattern based on previous hunts, so I made the decision that when his hens drifted towards the creek, I could slip out the back side of that tree island, crawl up the creek in water (who cares as long as he dies), and slide myself in between his hens and him.
So as luck would have it, about 8 his hens drift over the rise away from him, and I sneak out into the creek and begin crawling. I miraculously made it to where the field necks down to about 100 yards wide and simply kneel in the creek next to bush with my gun on the bank and only my shoulders/head above ground basically as theirs limited cover. I call he answers, and shortly I see his fan top the hill at about 150 yards. I call he answers and begins the slow march towards death. What I didn't account for was the hens coming back to check me out, and almost blew it when right behind me they start clucking. I did panic and just focused on him who is now jiggling he's coming so fast and his fat body is like jello. Anyway, it takes forever for him to get there and at some point 2 hens cross the creek and go back to him. When this happened I thought it was over so I made the decision to call one more time. That sealed it and him, minions, and the two hens came on a rope. At 20 yards he got surrounded by other birds, but I just waited and when they cleared I waved my fingers that were in the forend of my gun and he raised his. Lights out. I could've killed him for a while but enjoyed the show and also a worthy foe like this I wanted to be patient and enjoy the last few minutes of him and his game.
This bird would've died in minutes with decoys, as much as he liked to fight. However, I loved the challenge and kind of sad he's not there for the next time. Don't want to start a big controversy but birds like this earned the right to be a nightmare to kill as long as they've been dodging death. Killing him as he runs to a plastic turkey just isn't right imo.
Beard was 10.5" thick, spurs right at 1.5" pic doesn't do them justice. Massive dominant bird that was a real sport.
