LBL Youth !

[X-Tennessean]

Figured I would have seen some post from the youth hunt at LBL this past weekend !! Ok who is holding out on us ? Stories and pics we need'm !!

 

[NoNtYpiCaL1]

We spent the weekend there back country camping and hunting. It was my first time turkey hunting there, I have deer hunted there off and on for 20 years so I was not in totally unknown ground. My dad carried me on the youth deer hunt every year and I have continued that tradition now that my son is old enough. I am very lucky to have plenty of private land to hunt, so to me its more about getting away and carrying on a tradition my dad instilled in me. Some of my best memories from childhood are from piney campground and back country camping-hunting trips with my dad and now 20 years later with my son. Two weeks ago I was telling my dad that my son was drawn and we were gonna spend the weekend there and unexpectedly my dad said I think I will tag along if there is room. This was a shock because he quit hunting about 8 years ago, but said he decided to buy his sportsman license this year and spend time in the field. So after 8 years of asking grandpa to go hunting my son was excited to hear about the trip planned. I left friday morning to go up and find a place to camp and hunt. It didn't take long and I was happy with a place to call home for the weekend. Grandpa picked the boy up from school and headed up to help set up camp. Saturday morning we went hunting while grandpa decided he would hang at camp and have breakfast ready for our return. We got on 3 longbeards that were fired up on roost. They were a long ways from where we needed to be so they were on the ground before we got to them. One bird stayed fired up and was ready to play the game and had closed the distance fast. We had walked so far getting to them that I didn't realize we were pretty close to a road. So long story short, the bird got spooked from us by road hunters when he was about 75 yards away. We returned to camp, eat and loaded up to try another spot that had some fields that I had seen some birds in. We get there and heard a gobble right away and then discover my son had took his camo off to cool down and left it all at camp. I decide to sneak to the field edge to determine whether to go back to get camo or call it quits and go fish for a little while. I get to the field edge to be greeted by 3 longbeards strutting 30 yards away. So I sneak out, we make a mad dash for camo and return asap. By the time we returned the wind was brutal and the birds were gone and its HOT. We give it a break until later on and went to the roost site of the morning birds to see or hear none. So sunday morning we went to the field were the 3 birds were at daybreak. The wind was bad but we manage to find a gobbling bird, get set up and the plan comes together. He hits the field on flydown in range but was not in clear shot path. Shortly 4 jakes come in from the other side of the field and they head toward the gobbler. The gobbler runs to them and they all meet up in a perfect clear shot, he shoots and rolls the gobbler. As we were heading to him flopping around he comes to his feet and starts away from us and gets in the woods before he can finish him off with second shot. We searched for a long time and never found the first sign of the bird. So I have a long story, great but terrible hunt, no kill pic but pics and memories made on a bittersweet trip that will be cherished forever.

 

[WRbowhunter]

Saturday morning was fun.Had 5 gobbling but had another hunter slip in on us and cut us off on one bird. changed ridges and had 2 coming at us. they were hitting it hard and got within 50 yds in the woods but got hung up at a top of a little bowl and then went back up the ridge. just a little to far for the shot. had one bust us at the top of a ridge in the afternoon. he came up the hill from the west so the sun was in out eyes and just could not see him until it was to late and he busted us. no birds but some very fun hunts

 

[X-Tennessean]

Great story Nontypical !! Thanks guys for posting and telling your end Maybe we will have a few more chime in after today and tomorrow's hunter's get back !! I drew the weekend hunt and not for sure if I am gonna tackle it or not.