Rhino Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 To say the least it was a tough opening few days for turking hunting in MS. No foliage for cover to help move in to set up on birds and very limited gobbling activity. Here's how it went. Opening day - I slipped into an area before daylight where knew gobblers had been seen in January. Heard...NOTHING gobble. While moving I heard a bird gobble once on the neighbors property about 3/4 of a mile away. After listening at several more places I decided to call blind on the edge of a food plot ~8:45. Within 10 minutes I had 3 jakes inside the 10 yard line. Took this picture of them with my iPhone when they eased out far enough so I could move. Sat there till 10:00 but nothing else showed up. On the move again...2 set ups later a bird answers me at 11:30 that's ~300 yards away. Got him to close to ~150 yards then silence for ~15 minutes before he gobbles his last time at ~noon close to where he was when I 1st heard him. With no foliage and no topography to cover moving in that area I sat there until 1:45 just in case he'd come in silent. Didn't happen...figured he probably gobbled in some more hens. 2nd morning - I'm sitting close to where I last heard the bird gobble at noon before daylight. Heard nothing at all & hung in there until 9:30. Listened at a few more spots before throwing in the towel and going bass fishing. My luck changed that afternoon landing this 7 lb. 13 oz. bass. That marked my change in luck. 3rd morning - I decide to listen from high ground at dawn for gobbling birds. A bird gobbles way off close to where I was the 2nd morning. I ease that way & stop to get a better fix. 3 more birds gobble but the one I 1st heard is the stongest sounding bird so I head toward him. About 200 yards from where I thought he was I stop again. He gobbles once on the ground & never again. While trying to figure out the next move a 2 birds are gobbling E of me ~1/2 mile away. One is burning it up so...time to go for the HOT bird. By the time I ease in close enough to where I can work him it's all quiet again. Oh well, I decide to set up in a 1/4 ac. food plot & try out the new DSD decoys. Yea...I know I haven't use a decoy in years hunting MS but with no foliage I figured it might help with the birds being able to see from a long way off. I set a submissive hen out with a jake on its tail end and an upright hen off to the side. I set up in a pile of old rotten logs off the SW corner figuring they would problem have to come in the NW corner. 1st call a bird answers way off to the W. Oh well he answered so I cut back at him with a Woodhaven red wasp diaphram. A bird imediately cuts me off ~300 yards due S of me. Oh boy...I'm facing due N and I can't risk moving out of that pile of logs. I rest my shotgun on a log and sit tight facing north. He gobbles again on his own back to the S but now ~200 yards off. No choice but to let them come through me. A little light clucking & purring coaxes another gobble out of him now ~100 yards out. He's coming for sure so no need to call anymore. A couple of minutes pass when I hear...pft...doooooooommmm right behind me. Then leaves crunching...then load leaves crunching. 3 gobblers come running into the jake decoy passing aqbout 10 yards from me. The leader of the pack stops & goes into strut while the other 2 go to the decoy's other side. The battle begins with 2 gobbler pecking the devil out of the jake decoy. The strutter gets hit by the swinging decoy and joins in the pecking order battle. VERY COOL but I've got no shot without killing more than one bird. For ~15 seconds the trio of gobblers are bounding the head of my njake decoy back and forth between them. Finally one of the gobblers decides to go around the tail end giving be a few feet of room to drop the hammer on him at ~25 yards. Turned the Nitro load loose & he slams to the turf. The othern 2 birds go to to sort of an alert puzzled look of "what was that" while my bird starts flopping around. A gave them a few seconds before moving & sending them off. All in all...great show. My 1st MS gobbler has a 9 1/4" beard & 15/16" spurs. All 3 gobblers looked like 2 1/2 year old birds. Here's a couple of pics...the 1st where my gobbler came to rest next to the jake decoy. They knocked the hen decoy out of the way during the pecking order battle. BTW...those DSD decoys are the closest thing to a mounted bird that I've ever seen. 2nd pic is my usual turkey pose. The open area to the left of the bird is where the gobblers came in from. Hope to share some more turkey tales real soon. Till then...Good luck to y'all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitetailfreak55 Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Congrats on the bird and the bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 looks like a real nice bass and then a good gobbler. got a month and a half before we can even hit the woods around here. looks like that nitro almost decapitated him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 looks like that nitro almost decapitated him. Yep...almost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiobucks Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Sweet, a big Congrats Al! Nice haul (both fish and feather!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhine16 Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Opening Weekend Success Very nice Al! Always enjoy your stories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Opening Weekend Success Dang Al it looks like he was shot with a guillotine broadhead! Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 That's great Al! Sounds like a good show you got to see there for sure. Congratulations! Didn't hear squat on our lease this weekend, maybe it will pick up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 The birds just don't have a chance around you ... lol CONGRATS my friend ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3seasons Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Congrats Al, sounds like a heck of a show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Givan Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Congrats on both the bird and the fish. Sounds like it was a real fun weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) Dang Al it looks like he was shot with a guillotine broadhead! Nice work! At that range with my load/choke combo the pattern is REAL small. When I checked my pattern at 35 yards last Thursday afternoon it was ~6". It's probably close to half that at 25. I know at 20 it cuts about a 2" hole in paper. My holosight was still zeroed perfect since last spring though. That's great Al! Sounds like a good show you got to see there for sure. Congratulations! Didn't hear squat on our lease this weekend, maybe it will pick up soon. That's the way it basically was for me Friday & Saturday John. Where I killed that bird was only ~300 yards from where I was sitting & listening opening morning. What a difference a day or 2 made! BTW...talked to our neighbor that had been taking his 2 children hunting last week. He said they weren't hardly gobbling at all. They hunted the opening of youth week but slept in Thursday morning since they weren't gobbling. Edited March 18, 2013 by Rhino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntn4bucks Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Congrats on your opening weekend success Al. Things in Bama were a lot the same. Friday was cold and windy with very little gobbling, Saturday was nice but not much going on then either (except for where my brother-in-law was hunting), and Sunday which was a perfect day turned out to be a dud as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 Good lookin' bird, Al !!! CONGRATS !!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Congrats!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 nice bird... congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhampel82 Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Nice job bits always nice when you work at a good hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Congratulations on the bird and the bass Al. Sounds like a great time. Don't know about where you are hunting, but got to watch around those rotten logs around here, especially this time of the year. For ~15 seconds the trio of gobblers are bounding the head of my njake decoy back and forth between them. Got a chuckle out of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2013 Thanks everyone. Don't know about where you are hunting, but got to watch around those rotten logs around here, especially this time of the year. Got a chuckle out of this. Yep..gotta watch around here too & I did check it out before I sat down in there. Was sort of funny William with the birds making a bobble head out of my jake decoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaw Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Congrats rhino, thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 congrats on a nice fish and a great turkey todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbeard Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 Congrats Rhino, bet that was awesome to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archerjg Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Congratulations to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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