WHISKEYSWAMP

Did a search for the forums just to check in on it... been quite a few years since I've posted. Definitely was fun place to be 10-20 years ago.

Sounds like a fun trip... Great story and congrats on your birds.

Tagged out this morning... Been a fun season for my daughter and I, the birds cooperated well. 4 birds off 4 different properties and 3 counties. Had 5 jakes and this ole tom come in. 10" beard, 1-1/8" spurs.

Yup... There will be more birds. Sometimes I'll just call them in and not shoot. I just enjoy hunting them.

congrats to you both! my daughter got her first two birds this year. It was much more enjoyable for me to watch her get her first bird after a couple years of her being frustrated with herself. It was an emotional moment for sure.

Congrats on a dandy!

Nice bird... Congrats!

Nice bird... Congrats. I hope to go after merriams someday. Might have to try that recipe.

Just my personal preference... I won't kill more than one bird on a farm due to giving other hunters and or friends a chance to get theirs. Fortunately, I have several properties spread out over 3 counties to hunt that has birds. I assume you being in Missouri you might have a higher population than the areas I hunt so you'll just have to be your own judge on population vs harvest goals of yourself and others. If you are seeing or hearing several more toms, go after them if you can't help yourself.lol I'll most likely be after my second bird this weekend on a property I've never turkey hunted just to see if they are there and to hunt different birds.

After a couple years of hunting and having numerous opportunities at getting her first bird, my daughter pulled the trigger on April 22nd during the youth weekend. Some of it had to do with trigger anxiety but also not being comfortable with the fixed bead sights. I was not going to let her be disappointed another year so I bought her a youth model 20 gauge and red dot. Needless to say, she felt more comfortable with it and got over her trigger issues. She killed her second birth on the 28th. The first bird came in fairly quickly and she did not hesitate to shoot... I think she was a little mad from years past also.lol 9" beard... 7/8" spurs The second bird I had to work for an hour and a half before he gave her a shot... 9.5" beard, 1" spurs I took mine on April 30th... I had 4 gobblers come in and attack my jake decoy. It was quite the show. The 3 remaining stuck around after the shot to pick on it some more. 9.75" beard, 7/8" spurs Here's the after shot video.

I was fortunate to find the other half yesterday about 300-400 yards away. This pretty much concludes my shed hunting other than keeping an eye out during morel and turkey seasons. My best season ever with 20 sheds, including 5 sets.

Nice haul... An inch of snow on ground here. Should start popping in a week or so after a few warm days.

Thanks... It's been a good year with 19 so far. Typically I find 4-8 a year. These are from Sunday... the larger one was carrying until at least March 22nd according to trail cam pics. Hope to find time to look for the other side soon.

My son found his first shed last night, a set. as they lay

The 5 on the left my daughter and I found on Sunday in a couple hours... the top set was laying in the field pretty much as shown in the pic, usually isn't that easy. The bottom set was about 100 yards apart. The 4 on the right are the same from the above post.