Wild Hunt in Missouri

Rhino

By Rhino
in Turkey Hunting

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Rhino Monster Buck

Rhino

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My buddy & I returned to MO for the last week of the season. To say the least, it sure was memorable. Rained every dang day! Near record high temps too. Here's how it went.

5/2 - We decided to do a double team since I already had 1 in the bag & he was still looking for his 1st MO gobbler. We had gotten there late on the afternoon of 5/1 & watched 2 gobblers leave a field to go to roost. Set up where we saw them. Around 7:30 3 gobblers come in but stay out of range. Worse yet they angle to our left and stay in one spot ~100 yards away. At 8:00 the rain begins. Around 9:00 we decide to get aggressive with gobbler we heard in the distance. He cuts & I gobble. It sure fired that bird up. Here he comes on a sting. When the gobbler is in easy range my buddy fires...and misses...clean. :jaw:Worst miss I've ever seen. His shot pattern was 3 steps to the right of the bird. I couldn't help but ask what the heck he was aiming at! No more opportunities that morning.

5/3 - We decide to split up with my buddy taking 1st choice of areas to hunt. It's overcast & a bit windy. Birds start gobbling close to fly down time. The 1st bird I'm working hangs up for a while & then heads away. Around 8:00 I decide to move toward a bird I'd heard in the distance. I finally find him ~1/2 mile away in a field with a hen and move in to set up. When I get to my set up point inside the edge of the woods, the dang hen busted me. The gobbler decides he better leave too. It's now ~9:00 & since I didn't think he was busted too bad I crawl out into the edge of the field and set up a hen decoy ~2 steps from the edge. Yep...I used a decoy for a change. I decide to let things settle down for a while before attempting to call. My buddy calls at 9:20...he'd just got busted. He hangs up when he hears another bird gobble. I check my watch...9:25...OK time to start. I dish out some hen talk...no response. 5 minutes later I dish out some more hen talk cutting myself off with my gobble call. Seconds later the hen appears to my right. Less than 30 seconds later the gobbler, now with a jake appears in front ~150 yards away. In business!!! The hen pecks her way along moving from right to left but anling away from me. The gobbler & jake move toward her. As they close in on her she picks up her pace. All along I'm dishing out some soft hen talk. The jake gets her message, takes notice & here he comes. Oh no...not good...he's on a string & the gobbler is still behind the hen. The jake gets inside 5 steps with me hidding as much of my face behind the stock of my shotgun as possible with 1 eye on him. Don't move!!! I'm thinking any second he's going to get nervous & bust me. He never did. He actually started pecking around the decoy before returning toward the gobbler that's now ~80 yards out. A few minutes later the jake coaxes him to come check me out. Attaboy!!! Here they come! The jake's in the lead...gobbler ~15 steps behind him. Finally just in range the gobbler hangs up...I impatiently wait. Jake closes in, then eases back to the gobbler. The gobbler starts to move to my left in the direction of the hen. That's it...Nitro load released. The bird hits the ground & comes up running toward my right. 2nd load released...dang...forgot to lead him...gobbler goes airborne...3rd load released when he's about 3' off the ground...correct lead he hits the dirt. I always carry 4 shells. In this wet, muddy field I'm taking no chances. Load the last round and approach my bird. At ~ the 30 yard line his head comes up...no way...4th load released that slams him down. My 2nd MO gobbler sports an 11 1/8" beard and has a 1 5/16" spur & a 1 1/16" spur. Never seen such a difference in spur lengths unless one was broken. That's limits me out in MO.

I call in my bird to telecheck. Then the rain begins. My buddy (Ernie) is still out there. I'm enjoying my lunch under the hatch of my Tahoe when I hear a shot...then another...then a 3rd...not good. I know Ernie only carried 3 shells. About 45 minutes later I get a call....Al...bring more ammo. LMBO :D Here's his story. The bird came in with a buddy...both mature gobblers. His first shot knocked him over...the bird hits the air...2nd shot knocked him down...he runs toward the wood line...3rd shot knocks him down there. My buddy runs to his bird. Upon arrival the bird comes to his senses and decides to battle it out with Ernie. :clown: The bird is jumping up in the air ~4' beating the crap out of Ernie with his wings. Fortunately it was a 2 year old bird with just 3/4" spurs. The battle site has feathers everywhere covering an area ~ 3 steps by 4 steps. Finally Ernie gets a break...well not exactly. :rolleyes: The bird takes off running in the woods...the chase is on! Ernie chases his bird ~1/4 mile keeping himself between the bird & the field before the bird gets just far enough ahead to where it decides to try to hide under a blown down tree top. That's where Ernie waited thinking his bird would die there. Finally he decided he better call for more ammo. He finished off his bird ~5 minutes before legal shooting ended at 1:00. :smoke: I was litterly laughing so hard at the battle area I can't stand up while he's telling me the story. Hard to catch my breath & my jaws hurt I had laughed so hard. Ernie's 1st MO gobbler has a 10 1/8" paint brush with the 3/4" spurs. This was his 3rd gobbler but the 1st one he'd ever called in on his own. Bet he never forgets that one!!! :clown:

Here we are with our birds. His killed in the rain...mine shortly before it started.

Al_Ernie_s_MO_Turkeys_1_5-3-12_R.jpg

The last 2 mornings Ernie didn't get another shot opportunity but he did work a bird each morning.

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