No better way to end it

[PickettSFHunter]

No better way to end the season than with a wily public land gobbler. I do still have one tag but I'm calling it done. I have hunted public land over several states and areas within TN as well but This particular place is still the most difficult I've found even though I hunt it the most and live right by it.

Last week I was walking and calling trying to locate and had noticed a gobbler track in a sandy spot when I came back through. It was very fresh and I knew that it hadn't been there earlier so I knew it was a gobbler that had silently checked out my calling.

This morning I went back in there and got to that spot and hooted. It gobbled within 150 yards. I eased up another 75 yards or so and set down. It never gobbled again even at other owls and crows. I never even heard spitting and drumming. I tree yelped twice, did the fly down with my hat and sat back. Maybe 5 minutes later, I yelped once more and just sat silent. 30 minutes later this bird came slipping up an old logging road just looking. Shot was 30 yards. Call used was Gooserbat Bacon. Beard was 10.25 inches. Spurs 1 inch. The weight is what blew me away... 13 pounds 9 ounces, yes 13 pounds. The absolute lightest gobbler I have ever killed.

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[Acorn]

Nice bird, Congrats!


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[Wrangler95]

Nice going but don't understand the lite weight!!Congrats !! :super:

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Nice going but don't understand the lite weight!!Congrats !! :super:

I have seen quite a few come out of this area at 16 pounds but never this light. Tried two scales and both gave that weight. This is all hardwoods, these birds never see a field. Not sure if that contributes or what.


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[Setterman]

Awesome job, I've noticed birds being pretty light this year

 

[PalsPal]

Congrats Stephen!

No signs of injury or disease?

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Congrats Stephen!

No signs of injury or disease?

nope. Acting and looking perfectly normal. I could tell when I picked it up that it was one light bird.


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[Southern Sportsman]

Awesome. Congrats!!

I was hunting with a buddy in middle TN around 2009 and a bird came in on his side. He killed it and went and picked it up and I thought he had killed a hen from the size. It was a gobbler - 10" beard and sharp 1" spurs. Weighed in at an even 13lbs. Perfectly healthy as far as we could tell. I guess some turkeys are just dwarfs.

 

[woodsman04]

Congrats Stephen!

No signs of injury or disease?

nope. Acting and looking perfectly normal. I could tell when I picked it up that it was one light bird.


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I've killed two 14 pounders in Alabama several years ago. This year I killed a 16-1/2 pounder in Tennessee. One bird in Alabama was using cow pastures, one was in the hardwood mountains, and the one I shot this year in Tennessee that was so light was a cow pasture bird.

I think it's common for mountain hardwoods birds to not get much over 17 pounds though. Not sure why every once in a while I'll kill. Light weight in cow pasture areas. Don't care though, weight doesn't matter to me.


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[Andy S.]

I guess some turkeys are just dwarfs.

Ditto. I have seen three 12-14 pound dead gobblers in my life, all from western and middle TN.

 

[TN Larry]

Awesome, congrats!

 

[AT Hiker]

Great story on a well earned bird!

As for the weight, I'm sure you had to tote him out a ways, so that lite weight had its benefits[emoji6]


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[megalomaniac]

They are all light because of all the acorns keeping them in the woods this year. At least that's what everyone else is saying about not seeing birds.

Congrats on a hard earned bird. 13lbs is crazy light. Most of the weight is in the breasts, so I'm guessing they were pretty thin after you breasted him out? Did he have any pellets in him from another hunter that you could tell? In any case, 13lbs is not a healthy gobbler... something is not right with him. Glad you got him before they yoties.

 

[Matador]

Congrats on a fine hunt.

 

[AT Hiker]

They are all light because of all the acorns keeping them in the woods this year. At least that's what everyone else is saying about not seeing birds.

.

Lol, thats the go-to Facebook answer.


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[PickettSFHunter]

They are all light because of all the acorns keeping them in the woods this year. At least that's what everyone else is saying about not seeing birds.

Congrats on a hard earned bird. 13lbs is crazy light. Most of the weight is in the breasts, so I'm guessing they were pretty thin after you breasted him out? Did he have any pellets in him from another hunter that you could tell? In any case, 13lbs is not a healthy gobbler... something is not right with him. Glad you got him before they yoties.

Breasts were small for sure. No other pellets that I saw.


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[spoon]

Congratulations

 

[Tennessee Lead]

Way to finish strong!



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[FARMTOFIELD]

Killed a gobbler out of a cut bean field last year that tipped the scales at 10#

 

[String Music]

Congrats! Those are the hardest birds to kill!


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