The Follow Up Gobbler

Rhino

By Rhino
in Turkey Hunting

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Rhino Monster Buck

Rhino

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A star lit sky before dawn turned to an overcast sky at first light yesterday morning. With loggers still working in the area I’ve been hunting I went to the other side of the area my buddy, Robert has been hunting while he hunted the part he'd been hunting. The only gobbler I heard was off in the distance on the neighbor’s property. Some hens roosted east of me sounded off in the tree but no gobbler responded to them. crazy.gif At 7:15 I heard Robert shoot twice a second or two apart so I’m thinking “this ain’t good”. After waiting about 15 minutes I clicked for him to answer on the radio but he didn’t. ooo.gif This definitely isn’t good. I got up to take off in seach of a gobbling bird when at 8:50 Robert shot again. After waiting a minute I clicked and he answered. Turns out Robert missed the 1st bird at 28 steps (1st shot) that was traveling with another gobbler. His 2nd shot was more of a salute to the missed bird's winged departure. The last shot was the killing shot on another gobbler he got on about 1/4 mile from where he missed. He picked the biggest bird out of 3 gobblers that he tricked and when he shot, some 20 or so birds hit the air. shocked.gif

When I got back to my cart about 8:00 Robert called telling me another gobbler had just gobbled near where he missed the 1st bird so I took off in my cart to hunt him thanks to Robert’s offer. When I got about 1/2 mile from where he said he had heard the bird I started walking that way. I heard him gobble the 1st time a couple of minutes later. He gobbled again when I was about 300 yards away. I 1st set up near an old cistern at about 20 yards off the road, broke out my gobble call and gobbled. No answer. About a minute later I gobbled again. Still no answer. After a couple of minutes passed I decided , if this bird wasn’t going to put on a vocal show I was going to move where I could see a long way so I might at least have a visual show. I usually don’t do that, preferring to set up so that when I can see him (with the chance he can see me), he’s in range for a shot. I moved down the side of the ridge I was on about 75 yards and crawled over the top of the ridge (checking for turkeys as I did) setting up on a big pine to look down into and across a big, wide bottom. I broke out the gobble call again along with Don’s (Strut10) custom slate call continuing to gobble every few minutes and adding in some clucks and purrs for about 20 minutes. Shortly after the 8th gobble a gobbler appeared near the bottom below the ridge I was on about 125 yards southeast of me, slowly working my way. Hey this is starting to look good. smile.gif As he approached he started up the side of the ridge and was going to pass way out of range so I clucked and purred on Don’s slate call trying to turn him my way. It worked!! He turned to the right and came right toward me. cool.gif As he went down and disappeared into a drain on the side of the ridge I zeroed in with my Holosight where I expected him to reappear. He stepped up in the clear in an alert position, turned his head to the side to give me the eye and I delivered a load of Remington 4x6’s that flipped him over at 36 steps. As it turned out I killed this bird within 50 yards of where Robert had missed earlier. Good chance it was the bird traveling with the bird Robert missed. My bird has a 7 ¼” (melaninistic) beard sporting 1 1/16” and 1 1/8” spurs.

Field_Pic_of_1st_2007_Gobbler_a.JPG

BTW, In case you're wondering why I decided to use a gobble call remember, Robert had busted some 20 birds not too far away when he killed his bird. He also had 2 birds bust out of there when he missed. I figured there was a chance some of those birds would try to gather back up so hence out came my gobble call. wink.gif

Also, for those that don't know what a melaninisstic beard is.....Melanin is the dark pigment that colors the beard. When melanin deposition stops, which may occur if a turkey is sick, the new beard growth becomes blonde, reddish, or bronze in color until deposition starts again. Once deposition of melanin starts again this section of the beard remains brittle and easily breaks off resulting in mature gobblers with short beards.

This is only the 3rd bird I've killed before with a melaninistic beard. One of the others was a mature bird sporting 1 1/4" spurs with an 8" beard that looked like it was cut off like this birds beard.

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Rhino Monster Buck

Rhino

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Re: The Follow Up Gobbler

Thanks everyone. wink.gif

I've had some memorable hunts near that old cistern hunting turkeys and deer. The 1st buck I killed in MS this past deer season was only about 100 yards from that same cistern where I killed this gobbler.

Seemed a fitting place for the pic since he was headed that way before he made the fatal turn toward me.

BTW, Strut...I figured out which way to point the slate call. grin.gif

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