Son of Broadbeard


Leo

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I am not kidding I really feel this way.

God has blessed me with another truly incredible morning of turkey hunting.

Turkeys started gobbling in earnest at 6:00am this morning. Long before sunup I was pretty excited. I could hear at least three different gobblers. Maybe it was the jakes I saw tuesday, maybe not.

At 7:00am, old broadbeard showed up! Nope the winter hadn't done him in as I had feared. True to form he was on the opposite side of the field from me 120yds away. Too far for a picture. This time though while examining this bird through binoculars, I made an amazing discovery. Old broad beard has two beards!! The second though not as long is still close to 8 inches and the diameter of my little finger.

He just wouldn't come in. He had a sole hen with him and bred her once while I was watching. Nope he ain't leaving that, no way. I stuck with my calling tactics and resisted the temptation to get more aggressive.

This effort was rewarded with 12 hens entering on my side of the field. Along with two gobblers side by side! This coulda been a repeat of Tuesday and I legitimately and legally could have taken both gobblers. The shot was there again!

I opted just try for the bigger of the two and when he stepped clear, wham at 25yds. Think that was an easy decision? I still feel it was the right one.

This is Broadbeards son, no doubt about it. The picture speaks for itself. Five years of zero jake harvest is really paying dividends this year. For three years running the landowner has been in the NWTF Woodlands program. Folks this philosophy flat works.

turkeys2e2.JPG

turkeys2e.JPG

1" Spurs 10 3/4" Beard 14lbs (obviously this guy had been running around abit!)

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Re: Son of Broadbeard

The limit here is Five per season. I have two tags left. smile.gif Honestly, it is unlikely I will fill either of them, but you never know wink.gif

These are supposedly eastern gobblers but as close as I am to Florida. (I am in the southeastern most corner of South Carolina) I am very suspicious these birds either have a little Osceola blood in them or are perhaps a new subspecies all together. Heaviest bird I ever killed here weighed 18lbs and had 1 3/8" spurs (so he was plenty old). Plus look at the darkness of the tail feather tips and wing tips. These aren't exactly like the birds I grew up hunting in Alabama. 19 and 20lb birds are common there. You be the judge.

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