Oh My Goodness…Another One!


Rhino

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The weatherman wasn’t even close with his prediction this morning. With the forecast being partly cloudy, a light wind, with a low around 40, I headed down to camp last night. This morning I was greeted with a totally overcast sky and winds 10 to 15 mph while I enjoyed my eye opener cup of coffee.

Before daylight, using what little moonlight was given up by the cloud cover, I eased into an area where I had previously patterned some birds before the season that hadn’t been messed with yet. I set up on the side of a short ridge in open hardwoods where I expected the birds to be roosted 100 and 150 yards in front of me. Twice previously they were there and gobbled their way though the area I chose to set up after leaving the roost. Sound like a plan? grin.gif

As darkness gave way to daylight I started hearing the distinct sound of a drumming gobbler. ooo.gif JMHO but when you hear a turkey drumming on the roost, especially in the wind, you are way too close. Initially, I tried to convince myself it was just the wind playing tricks with my head but between wind gusts the drumming from this roosted gobbler was just too distinct. Can’t risk moving a muscle now. I couldn’t course the direction of this drumming bird at all (I usually have that problem anyway) so I sat still and waiting for him to pitch down. Finally he gobbled in a tree about 50 yards off my right shoulder. I had literally walked right by his roost tree in the dark. Seconds later he took flight and sailed down from his roost going to my right across a shallow creek and out of sight. That’s when he really cranked up the ol’ gobble but he’s about 150 yards away. I cut at him in response twice with him cutting me off with loud gobbles. He eased closer but made his mark about 100 yards down the creek still to my right on the other side. By now I’m in the south paw position. A little light calling kept him gobbling until 2 hens took flight from the roost, cutting as they left the tree and landing on the other side of the creek about 60 yards directly in front of me in full view. I answered her right back with a cut as they hit the ground. The gobbler has now switched over to just drumming, making his way toward the 2 hens. OK, I slowly ease the butt of my shotgun back to my right shoulder and then start deliver some clucking and purring. The hens liked what they heard so a hen starts walking toward me. When she reached the creek she disappeared into it with the 2nd hen now following her with a strutting and drumming gobbler now about 20 yards behind the 2nd hen. cool.gif The 1st hen pops up on my side and starts angling to my left going out of sight thanks to a high spot on the side of the ridge to the left of my position. The 2nd hen reaches the creek bank, takes flight toward me producing a loud cut at lift off and touches down 30 yards in front of me. Of course the gobbler answered her cut with a real loud gobble as he’s approaching the creek now inside the 50 yard line. He disappears into the creek when the 1st hen suddenly appears only 5 steps to my left with only the upper part of her neck and head in sight. She starts the nervous clucking routine and moves off to my left out of sight again. ooo.gif The 2nd hen moves to join her with the gobbler still out of sight in the creek. He pops up in front of me, takes a few steps toward me, turns and gives me the eye so I dropped the hammer down on him at about 30 yards. He flips over, flops around going downhill, and disappears into the dad gum, muddy creek. tongue.gif This gobbler has a 10 ¼” beard, spurs that are 1” and 1 1/16” and weighed 19lbs., 12 oz.

There aren’t many things that look nastier than a soaking wet, muddy gobbler so I opted for the over the shoulder pic on this one.

My2nd2006springgobbler.jpg

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Re: Oh My Goodness…Another One!

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You better slow down there buddy...you only have one more to go. grin.gif Congrats!

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In Mississippi that is. grin.gif I'm still wide open for the Rios in Texas and Easterns in Missouri. wink.gif

Don't think I don't know what you mean though buddy. I've already made arrangements to either lend some assistance to someone else and try to video their hunt at the same time this weekend; OR

I've also got another young man scratching his head about going turkey hunting with me too. If he is available for this weekend or the following weekend, I'm going all out to try to get him his 1st turkey.

There's not much of a chance I'll carry a weapon for a couple of weeks so you won't see any smiling pics of me holding another dead turkey for a little while. I'll still be out there though trying to trick some, or at least help trick some for someone else. wink.gif

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Re: Oh My Goodness…Another One!

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I've also got another young man scratching his head about going turkey hunting with me too. If he is available for this weekend or the following weekend,

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HEY RHINO..........IS 47 YOUNG ENOUGH FOR THEIR FIRST BIRD.................IN MISSISSIPPI grin.gif

IF IT IS, PLEASE SEND ME YOU GPS COORDINATES grin.gif

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Re: Oh My Goodness…Another One!

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Alan, just got a call from your Outfitter in Missouri, he said that you have to go hunt with me and call in my 2 birds before you can go hunt over there. grin.gif

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I might be able to work that into my schedule too. I understand Dman and Lil Dman are supposed to be there with ya as well. We WILL hook up. wink.gif

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HEY RHINO..........IS 47 YOUNG ENOUGH FOR THEIR FIRST BIRD.................IN MISSISSIPPI

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Young at heat counts for somethin don't it redbeard?

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Where bouts in Texas are you going to be hunting.

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Tonya..I'm going with a group of old turkey hunting buddies to the King Ranch in mid April. I'm really looking forward to that trip. They'll definately be some feathers flyin out of that group of turkey hunters. I think everyone in the group has over 20 years of turkey hunting experience. The guide gets to do 2 things. Drive us to where the turkeys are and use his binocs to glass for long spurred turkeys. He takes out a call and he gets smacked in the back of the head.

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Re: Oh My Goodness…Another One!

[ QUOTE ]

Tonya..I'm going with a group of old turkey hunting buddies to the King Ranch in mid April. I'm really looking forward to that trip. They'll definately be some feathers flyin out of that group of turkey hunters. I think everyone in the group has over 20 years of turkey hunting experience. The guide gets to do 2 things. Drive us to where the turkeys are and use his binocs to glass for long spurred turkeys. He takes out a call and he gets smacked in the back of the head.

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I bet yall have a great time on the King Ranch and I am sure you will find some nice limbhangers running around. Good luck, sure hope your guide doesn't misstep and get smacked smile.gif

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