2 Gobblers in 3 days

[Rhino]

Finally...some birds are starting to have to search for hens. I had 3 good mornings starting with this past Friday morning.

Started Friday morning at a spot between where I heard 2 birds gobbling on the roost & where they went the prior weekend. Gobbling time came & went with nothing but the sound of song birds & crows. High tailed it to another spot to listen...nothing. About 8:00 I arrived at a large field bordering the Big Black river to check to see if the flood waters had fallen out of the field. Yep...it had and at ~600 yards I could see with my binocs a mature gobbler strutting with a hen flanked by 5 jakes. I attempted to set up and work them but that turned out to be a futile effort. The hen flew across a creek to the north followed by the gobbler & jakes. With water still backed up in it, no way to cross it so I opted to back away until the next morning.

Saturday morning I decided to get to the spot where they were before the crack of dawn. After all, they wanted to be there Friday. I set up 2 DSD hen decoys & sat on a huge tree waiting for gobbling time. As dawn arrived, 2 birds sounded off to the N across the creek. Another 5 birds were going crazy across the river on the neighboring property. Another bird gobbled about 3 times to the SE & shut up. 4 birds started going nuts gobbling to the S ~600 yards way..,.yep close to where I had been glassing the field Friday morning. Oh well...can't risk moving off the edge of this 70 ac. field now. At flydown I got aggressive with my calling...mainly cutting. Eventually I could hear 2 of the birds had gone to the field now ~700 yards away. Couldn't see them with the slope of the field though. They were answering my cuts thanks to a still morning but wouldn't budge. Figuring the knew where I was, I opted to switch to the silent treatment. After a few more gobbles on their own, nothing but quiet. After 30 minutes I was getting antsy. Who wouldn't, but I couldn't risk moving. Then I see movement at ~400 yards. Easing up my binocs, 2 gobblers are trotting toward me. Game on! At the 50 yard line they stop & start easing in while I purring. Like most hunters I pick out the one I want with the longer beard...the trailing bird. It was a tense minute or so before they separated where I could make a clean shot without killing both birds. My bird was now in full strut at 25 yards. The nitro load knocked him down for the count at 8:10 a.m.. His buddy took flight across the river. My 2nd MS gobbler for the season has a 9 5/8" beard & 3/4" spurs.

Now...back at camp while relaxing with a cup of coffee and texting friends & family with pics, etc.; a bird cranks up gobbling in a bottom N of the camp. He gobbles for ~30 minutes before moving out of hearing range. Obviously, this will become important for the next morning's hunt.

Since 2 of the 4 birds I heard Saturday S of where I killed my bird had headed into the timber, I opted to try for them 1st Sunday morning. I arrived in plenty of time to sit and listen. Gobbling time came & went without a peep. At 6:35 I high tailed it back to the bottom where I'd heard the bird from the porch Saturday in my Ranger EV. At the 2nd spot where I stopped to crow call, he answered. That kicked off what's easily one of the best tactical war games I've had with a gobbler in Mississippi in a long time. To make a very long story short...he answered just about every call I dished out and gobbled close to 100 times but he sure didn't like where I was to come in at the 1st 4 spots I set up. I started working him on a ridge off the N side of the bottom. On the 5th setup I was working him on a shelf on the side of the ridge on the S side of the bottom. About 1 1/2 hours into the hunt I could hear a hen leave him passing through me on that shelf. 45 minutes later I catch movement and see him through a small gap in the brush at ~50 yards. He's moving to flank me on my S side on the edge of the shelf. At 40 yards he steps though a small opening before I can get on him...dang it! I cut at him again with my Woodhaven Stinger mouth call...he answers right back. Yea...I know...risky but I couldn't help myself. At the next pie plate size opening just inside the 40 yard line he pauses and stretches out his neck in search of that anxious hen he'd heard. His bad...I was already aiming at the opening...Nitro load flips him over there. My 3rd MS bird has a 10 3/4" beard & 7/8" spurs. That limits me out in MS but I'll be on the road soon for more gobbler action.

[Ravin R10 man]

Sounds like some fun hunts Al...got a couple that are vocal now, should be able to get on em Wed a.m.

[wtnhunt]

Congratulations Al. Some real nice birds there and good story too.

[maytom]

Sounds like an awesome hunt. Great beard on that bird in the picture!!!

[billkay]

Congrats!

[3seasons]

Huge congrats Al this 2016 MS season has been a strange one. Some people are stacking them up like cord wood and others are grasping at straws just to hear one. I've got plenty of straws if anyone needs any. LOL .

[Rhino]

Huge congrats Al this 2016 MS season has been a strange one. Some people are stacking them up like cord wood and others are grasping at straws just to hear one. I've got plenty of straws if anyone needs any. LOL .

We were having a real tough season Scot. Birds were henned up bad. Lots of grasping at straws as you call it. Hens seemed to be starting to get away from the gobblers the weekend I killed these 2 gobblers. Prior to that, gobbling was spotty at best and usually ended at flydown. No real pattern to where a bird would be roosted from one morning to the next either. Got a text from another turkey hunter on our place yesterday. He killed a nice bird Sunday morning...10 3/4" beard, 1 1/8" spurs.

[Strut10]

Couple of great birds, Al !!!

CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!