Rhino Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Our 2nd trip to MO turned out to be an outstanding hunt. 1st day I was covered up in jakes...4 of them and they all got the pass to grow up. My buddy chased some birds until they crossed onto the neighbor's property so no birds killed that day. 2nd day I tried hunting the timber. Close but no cigar. I had 5 gobblers within 75 yards before they decided to head SE onto our neighbors property. I never heard another bird that morning. My buddy was playing guide for our client that arrived the prior evening. They got greedy & passed a close bird trying to kill 2 birds. They saw 5 gobblers but didn't get a 2nd chance that day. 3rd day was a charm. I set up on a field about 1/2 mile W of where my buddy and our client were. Before flydown I heard 8 birds gobbling. The 1st 4 gobblers entered the field ~200 yards SE of me, got with a hen & headed NE toward my buddy & our client. Another bird was working in from behind me. At one point he was right behind me gobbling ~40 yards but I couldn't risk moving. With shotgun at the ready position & cutting my eyes to my left for the gobbling birds approach, a silent bird came strutting in from my front side. Thick, long beard...gotta take him! When he reached my DSD jake decoy I had to wait until his 1st attack to get a clear shot at his outstretched neck. Heck...I didn't want to blow the beard off! After the 1st peck on the jake decoy a Nitro load put him down flopping on the ground. The bird behind me gobbled at the sound of flopping gobbler as he was leaving...cool! When I checked my bird, I discovered he was a big double beard. Main beard was 11 1/2", 2nd beard 8 1/4' & 1 1/8" spurs. About 45 minutes later I hear a shot...then a pause & 3 more shots. Our client killed his gobbler with the 1st shot...also a double beard...10" main beard, a 5" thin 2nd beard & 1" spurs. When he shot the 4 gobblers I'd seen heading their way were ~100 yards away & leaving after the shot. My buddy cut at them with the bird flopping on the ground. The birds looked back seeing the flopping bird & all 4 came running in. My buddy killed one of those...10 1/4" beard & 1 3/16" spurs. Here's the trio! Next day my buddy slept in while I guided our client. They had seen a real thick bearded bird the past 2 mornings so we set up close to where the bird had entered the field. My client asked...are we just hunting that bird? I answer...nope...1st gobbler to come in looses. We heard 5 birds gobbling on the roost behind us & one to our left. The birds behind us touch down & I hear hens with them. They head away for a while. About an hour passes with us hearing distant birds gobble every now & then when a hen suddenly appears in the brush in front of me to the S at 10 yards. I whisper...hen...she begins yelping...cool! Our client whispers back...gobbler running in from the N. I cut my eyes to look W toward the decoys and see a gobbler strutting in ~3 steps from the DSD jake decoy. He drops that gobbler at 15 yards...10 1/2" beard 1 1/8" spurs. The prior evening my buddy's son drove in. He hunted this same morning with no luck. The next morning my buddy got up and guided him. They set up near where I'd seen the 4 gobblers enter the field the morning we killed 3. Hey...there were still 3 survivors...why not. Shortly after flydown a gobbler enters the field in the same spot and works toward them. For whatever reason the bird decided to flank the N side of their decoys. At 35 yards he wasn't safe though. My buddy's son (Kody) dropped him...another double beard too! 10 1/4" main beard, 4 1/4" 2nd beard & 1 1/4" spurs. Special hunt for my buddy...1st time he'd ever tried to guide his son. In the past I was his guide. My buddy hurt his back so I had to get him up for the pic. Fantastic ending to the MO turkey season!!! Edited May 19, 2014 by Rhino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohiobucks Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 You guys should call that place "The Double Beard Ranch"! Good stuff Al, congrats on a great season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted May 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 You guys should call that place "The Double Beard Ranch"! Good stuff Al, congrats on a great season! Tom...I was telling my buddy after the season that we sure are killing a high percentage of NT birds there. Out of the 16 gobblers we've killed there over the past 3 seasons since we've had the place, 5 were NT birds. Last year our client killed a 6 bearded bird & my buddy killed a 4 bearded bird at the same time. That field was named 10 beards. The 6 bearded bird was mounted & it's hanging in the lodge. 1 of the double beards killed on this last hunt was killed in that field too. One of the others was only a few steps from getting into it through a very narrow tree line where my buddy & his son were set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointing_dogs_rule Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Great story and great hunts!!! Nice to see that all had luck with the birds. Hey Rhino: This is my first year with the DSD's and I can not believe how well the birds respond to the decoys. Almost seems unfair. good luck to all the dog Edited May 19, 2014 by pointing_dogs_rule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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