2016 Road trip Nebraska

[3seasons]

2016 NebraskaAfter the long week in Iowa we had to get back home for work the following week so we decided to make a quick hunt is Nebraska before we headed south.We woke up and drove over into Nebraska and stopped at an old sporting goods shop where we picked up a Nebraska atlas and talked for a while with the owner of the store. He pointed us to a couple spots. We checked his spots but ran into more people that we wanted to, some from Louisiana, so we headed in search of a less crowded piece of land. We drove for a while and found a spot that looked promising and as we got suited up I heard a bird gobble in the distance (2pm) We head out and find him on the adjoining property which was private. We set up about 50yds back on the public land and made a few calls and the bird would gobble but got farther away. He had a hen with him and she took him away. After he walked way off onto the private land we made a loop looking the public land over. Calling every now and then but never got a response. We crossed a small creek

and kept walking and looking. We came up on a huge field and we glassed the field but didn’t see anything so we kept looking. We saw a small opening down in a block of woods below us so we walked down and checked it out. When we got to the small field we looked at each other and said we can kill a bird here. We make a few calls with no response so we continue walking working our way back towards the private land bird. After we fight our way across a small creek an owl hoots and a bird gobbles in the distance then he hoots again and the bird is closer. We take back across the creek slipping and sliding the whole way and when we make to the other side we have 50yds to make up to the field edge. The bird gobbles closer to the edge of the small field so we just ease down in the waist high grass 30yds from the field edge. I make a soft call and the bird answered me and steps out into the field edge and starts strutting at 97yds. Me and Reid start soft calling back and forth and the bird just struts and gobbles then he gets a tree in between me and him and he gets quiet. After a few min he pops out at 40yds walking the closer field edge from my right to left. I pick out an opening and decide when he walks into it I am going to stop him and take the shot, well I’m looking and waiting and nothing. Then I hear a stick pop and I cut my eyes 90deg to my left and there he is walking straight to me and he’s 15yds away. I think to myself this is not good, just stay calm and be smooth. In one motion I slowly swung around and when my red dot hit feathers I pulled the trigger. Reid laughed and said he didn’t see the bird until I made my move and that it was fast. I laughed and said I think I probably shot his beard smooth off. I did, there was a pile of beard under the bird but I didn’t care it was one awesome hunt.Nebraska Hybrid 22lbs 1”beard(9.5”-10”prior) 1” needle sharp daggers for spurs.

We heard our private land bird gobble but never could get him to do anything before dark. Reid was trying to roost a bird on one side of the place and I jumped in the truck and ran to the other side where I met a local rancher and after we talked for a while he gave me permission to hunt his place. The next morning we found ourselves between 5 different gobblers but they only gobble a couple times each. As we made our move to get into position a bird gobbles close one time. We slip through a black locust infested fence row and when we get to the edge of it we can see the field that the birds are using. We decided to make a move and we didn’t get to the edge of the locust trees when Reid says shoot him if you can. I whisper I can’t see anything and I see him slowly shoulder his shotgun and then he shoots. I peak around him to see a bird flopping at 30yds. He was strutting and walking towards us I guess he could hear us in the grass and he was coming to check us out, it was a crazy quick hunt but we’ll take it and it was another fine birdNebraska Eastern 22lbs 9 1\2” beard with 1 1\8” spurs done before 6am

The good Lord really blessed us on this trip, we loaded up and headed south.Till next years road trip. Sure was fun.

[Ravin R10 man]

Great stories looks like a good time, nice birds way to get it done!