Strut10

Me and brother took a road trip. We started in Wyoming and I must say............Wyoming gobblers are the most IGNORANT birds I ever tried to kill in my life !! But Saturday morning, at 5:45 I evened the score just a little. About 3 minutes after flydown, this guy popped over a roll at26 yards and ingested a Longbeard XR. Really nice spurs for a Merriam's but weighed maybe 14-15 pounds. He was an old warrior. Exactly an hour later and a mile away, my brother brought a horse of a strutting snow-tip over a rise with his hens and laid him to rest with a 20-ish yard shot. So, with Nebraska our next stop, we headed east and on Sunday afternoon, brother's Winchester 1300 spoke again and his first Nebraska bird was down. Monday morning brought us back to the same area as we had heard multiple gobbling birds the previous afternoon. I stayed low and brother started for the top of the world. Shortly after flydown time, a big old boss came pushing 10 hens up an old road right toward me. But, in range, but behind the last few limbs before I could shoot, the whole wad of them cut up over the mountain like a herd of bighorn. My brother spent the rest of the morning playing cat & mouse with them but never quite winning. Meanwhile.............some more loud work from the boxcall (30-40 mph winds in the bottom) brought a nice gobbler with his two hens up the same road and I had MY first Nebraska bird. So that afternoon we decided to hunt together in a creek bottom, set up on either side of a BIG old cottonwood tree. Brother was to handle any bird that came from his side and me mine. His side had a bird commit first and another Longbeard XR through his 1300 and............... I had switched over to my SumToy enhanced NEF 20 gauge for the afternoon hunt. About an hour after my brother's bird kicked up dust, a bird gobbled waaaaaaaaaay up a road into the mountain. I fired up a loudmouthed boxcall and he answered. Next time he gobbled he was somewhat closer. Then he gobbled with another bird and they were MUCH closer..........like 300-400 yards back over my left shoulder. Don't know where the second bird got to. But a few minutes later, I see a bird jogging down the road to my left and a beard swinging in front of him. He stopped up short of where I was expecting him to and left the road for a climb up the mountain away from me. I scooted the red dot in his direction and when he cleared a downed limb on the hillside, I loosed a swarm of Heavyweight 7's and he went lights-out. I had my second Nebraska Merriam's. Agreeing that neither of us really had a need to buy and fill a 3rd Nebraska tag, we packed up and left for home Tuesday morning, arriving home 3600+ miles later around 7:00 PM Wednesday night. Yesterday morning, I headed up to one of my favorite crime scenes on our property. I hunted/dodged raindrops til shortly after 10:00 when a nice, sharp spurred bird came strutting in and at 31 yards, fell to that little 20 gauge single. All this from Saturday to Thursday and AFTER getting to watch my daughter ice a VERY solid bird on youth day.............. If it gets ANY better than this in THIS life, I don't know how that could be..............

Good job, as usual, Al !!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS !!!!!!

Big CONGRATS !!!! Well done !!!!!

Way to play the hand you're dealt !!! CONGRATS on a fine pair, fellers !!!!!

Solid bird !!! CONGRATS !!!!!

This morning, Pickle made it 3 Youth Day gobblers in as many years. Poor bird never stood a chance.................. He wasn't on the ground and alive long enough for his feet to get cold from the frost. He gobbled some from the tree across the field from us. I tossed him a couple tree yelps and shut up. When he gobbled from the ground, I cut at him hard. He fired back and I cut him off. I told Pickle get the dot on and get ready. About 60 seconds later he came on the run straight to a jake decoy I staked out front. He slammed on the brakes and started posturing and strutting. When he stood still and ran his neck up.............. Pickle capped him at about 27-28 yards. Game over. 6:15 AM 19-20 lbs, 1" sharp spurs, 10 1/2" beard

P.S. That's why I'm not headed out there til May...............................

The goin' might be rough. But them Merriam's couldn't care less about the snow. They'll act just like it wasn't there. Good luck !!!!

Nebraska panhandle is looking to get 18"-24" in places today.........................

It's been ridiculous here............................. We had more spring in February !!! 6 inches of snow a week ago Monday. 70's today, tomorrow and Saturday. Snow coming in again Tuesday. ALWAYS cloudy...................And rain, rain, rain..................................... We're like 8 inches of rain ahead of normal already for the year. UGH !!!!!!!!!!

Went out this past Saturday listening and heard 20-25 gobbling birds. Woke up to 6"+ of snow this morning............................hard to get real fired up about anything just yet. Season doesn't open here til April 28th. I am excited, though, to take Pickle out on kids' day April 21st. Then, if everything goes as planned, I'll be headed to WY/NE to chase some Merriam's with my brother.

It doesn't take much of an obstruction to pop a barrel............... It DEFINITELY doesn't require a solid obstruction or even a total obstruction.

No long weekend here, but a long day............................ Up early and out to listen to the birdies singing. Heard about 20-25 gobbling birds this morning from one place. Sounded promising. Then had a turkey call builder in to buy some walnut lumber. Then a Walmart run for Momma........................some more honey-do errands around the house and yard..................then off to the tree farm and 3 hours in the Kubota clearing a field of scrap Christmas trees. I'm pooped. Probably up 0:dark-30 tomorrow to celebrate our Lord's resurrection on a hilltop listening, once again, to His Father's most wonderous creation...............the wild turkey.

CONGRATS buddy !!!!!!! 100 on the ground is no small feat !!! Glad you took that little extra time to savor the milestone bird before cashing it in on him.

No. Snow won't stop the bullet. The bullet will go somewhere. And most likely, the snow obstruction WILL cause the barrel to burst.

Only Kydex holsters I run are Fobus. They are OWB, so............................not much help.

Nice bird !!! CONGRATS !!!!!!! Good to get ones like that outta the gene pool........................

CONGRATS !!!! That second pic oughta be entered in a contest somewhere. AWESOME shot !!!!!!!!

Congrats, Al !!!!!!! Still 5 weeks to wait up in this neck....................................

That's a hunt that's been on my bucket list ever since I saw Rio jakes on Lanai close to 30 years ago...................... Doubt it'll ever happen, now, though. CONGRATS !!!!

MUCHO CONGRATS on a stud of an Osceola and finishing off her slam !!!!!!!!!!!!! Sooooooo........................... Mexico trip planned for next year ???

My favorite vest is no vest at all. Been using a belt or fanny pack for a good many years now. For extended stays afield I'll strap on a small daypack/backpack. Only reason I'd go to a vest now is if I thought I'd have to carry a bird out a long, LONG way.

Too long til season here to get real excited. Did hear one gobbling one time about two weeks ago. It's been raining and snowing here ever since with two more weeks of crappy weather (at least) in the forecast.

Can't blame ya. Woke up to an inch or two of snow this morning. Just puts a damper on a good mood.................

Heard the first gobble of 2018 !!! One bird. One time. Back the field from the house. Life is about to be good again !!!!