FullStrutter Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 What a heck of an experience this trip was! We arrived into camp on Sunday afternoon March 18th, around 4:30PM. I met the outfitter of the camp, Ratso as he was called, and he showed us the camp trailor where my Dad and I were going to stay. It was the same one my Dad and his friends stayed in last time they came two years ago. It was named the Hog-a-day Inn... ...and it was one of several that were located in camp. Here is a shot of where we stayed. After unpacking and getting settled in, we asked Ratso for some targets and where we could throw a few patterns through the shotguns since this was our first hunt of the season and I always like to make sure it was where I left it last spring. I also had picked up some new Xtended Range Hi-Density 3.5" #4's at the local Bass Pro Shops superstore the day before and wanted to see how they shot through my gun. After a 30 minute patterning session, both my Dad and I were sighted in and ready to go. We met up with Ratso, Charlie, and Brad who were all across camp in the outdoor cooking area. They were also guides in camp employeed by Ratso. We all went on a ride to roost some birds and do some looking around the area. The scenery was really beautiful and nothing like I had ever hunted in before. The local wildlife was different and really cool to see... some cranes: We ended up seeing over 30 turkeys including 15+ jakes, 10 in one bachelor group, and 4 or 5 mature gobblers in different areas. Talk about being over-run with turkey action! With the afternoon temps still in the low 70's, we watched the southern sun set out across a cow pasture and then headed back to camp for some grub. Back at camp, fried turkey nuggets... and fried frog legs were on the menu!! They were awesome! I have had them once or twice before, but these were wicked good. They had a big pot sized, gas-fired deep fryer and it did the job nicely. After dinner, we all hung around the big campfire right near the outdoor kitchen/dining area drinking ice cold brews and strategizing. Ratso had the gameplan set, and he was fixing to bring both my Dad and I to this blind that they called "Ace in the hole". It hadn't been hunted at all this year and he said there were 5 or 6 mature longbeards in the general vincinity. He said that it was a blind that produced time and time again, and the goal was for us to shoot a double on the same hunt... something my Dad and I had never attempted before. With that, we headed off to bed around 11:00PM and I slept like crap. I kept waking up every hour, restless, and excited like crazy. At one point around 3:00AM I remember getting up to get a bottle of water out of the cooler across the room and my Dad was awake too. He said "Cant sleep?" and I said "Nope, too excited", to which he replied "when this kind of pre-hunt anxiety ends, it's time to give this stuff up". Amen to that! Morning finally came, and Ratso barged into our trailor hooting perfect notes of a barred owl as our wake up call! It was excellent. I was already awake anyways so I was out of bed super quick. Within 20 minutes we were all geared up and met Ratso by the kitchen for a quick bite to eat, some hot tea, and we were off. Fiteen minutes later found us a few miles away down some dusty dirt roads on one of his leased ranches. We parked the truck and only had about a 200 yard walk around a big hammock of trees and across a 10 acre mowed field to get to the blind. One of the things I was really excited to see in action was Ratso's homemade decoy that I nicknamed bubba. It was a fully mounted gobbler with a jake tailfan that attached to fishing line that he could raise and lower at anytime. He set the deek spread out and we got settled in the blind. It wasn't long before I heard my first gobble of 2007 hammered off from a couple hundred yards away. Pretty soon hens were chiming in, clucking, yelping, cutting, and gobblers were sounding off from all around. There must have been at least 4 toms gobbling all from within a 1/4 mile of our setup. Hopes were high as we listened to the predawn woods ring with the sound of nature's king. It was indeed a great chorus with all the local songbirds contributing equally. I just sat there and smiled taking it all in. Dawn broke and shortly after more muffled gobbles indicated birds were on the ground. We called loud and aggressively as Ratso suggested and battled several hens that couldn't have been 100 yards away behind us. A short time passed and some hens entered the field down the field edge to our left about 80 yards away and fed slowly, comfortably. We were hoping a gobbler was tagging along, but it was still early in the season and not all hens were accounted for yet. They meandered through our spread eventually and continued on to our right, through the field. About that time we were surprised with a booming gobble that sounded directly in front of us across the meadow which was only about 75 yards wide. We glassed and glassed but couldn't see anything in the tall grass the our mowed portion backed up to. Then alas a fan pops up from somewhere in the grass and we could only see the tips of the feathers... but it was a strutter! He moved from right to left and dissappeared, all the while we were calling softly and Ratso was working that moving tail like a champ! It was only a matter of minutes before not one but TWO gobblers materialized out of the tall straw grass. At first glimpse they looked like jakes potentially, but soon we verified they both had long beards and were both shooters! As they moved in towards the spread I started shaking and hundreds of thought were going through my mind. Such things as are they both takers, which one do I want, are they going to get close enough, are they going to present shots to both of us, are they going to separate to offer two clean shots, when do I shoot, is this going to work!?!?!? etc etc my mind was flooded with adrenaline and anticipation as they determindedly worked right towards us, 70 yards, 60 yards, 50 yards, 40 yards... they are in range! About that time Ratso started whispering how he was going to say when to shoot and give us a count down. As they closed the distance, walking slowly the whole way, to 30 yards, then 20 YARDS, he kept saying ok anytime now, are you guys ready, and I kept saying no no no! Their heads are too close together, mine on the right is too close and lined up with the decoy (bubba), I must have said no wait! 3 times, and before you knoew it they were at 15 yards right in the decoys. Finally they separated and offered clean shots and I said ok I got it! and Ratso said ok on the count of 3 shoot... 3, 2, 1 BOOOM BOOOM!!!!!! Looked up and both birds were flopping around! A DOUBLE!!!!! It was a lot to process during the excitement of the hunt but we pulled it off effectively and we had our Osceola's in the bag. I was so overcome with the tension of the hunt that it took me a minute or two before I realized what had just happened and to get pumped about it! We ran out and grabbed our birds, mine was 3 years old and had SHARP inch+ spurs, 9+" beard, and felt heavy. My Dad's was a real whopper at 4 years old or better with over 1 1/4" spurs and 9.5"+ beard and felt really heavy. Some field pics! The blind: The spread (we had moved our gobblers to the right at this point, but they were right in the decoys when we fired): Back in camp, after measuring/weighing, my bird wore 1 1/8" spurs, 9 3/8" beard, and weighed 18lbs which for an Osceola is big, probably equatable to a 20lb Eastern. Dad's bird was 1 3/8" spurs!! 9 5/8" beard, 20 pounds...what a trophy! Notice how dark the wings are compared to the Eastern's. I thought that was so cool. My spurs: It was a celebration back at camp and we had pile after pile of fresh fried Apalachicola Oysters out of the deep fryer for lunch! (pronounced Ap-uh-lat-che-cola, and are the equivalent of our Maryland oysters up North) They were out of this world if you like fried seafood! Since we got our birds in the first 90 minutes of the first hunt on the first day, we did all kinds of fun stuff including eating, swamp buggy rides, eating, wild hog hunting at night with dogs, and I also stalked and bellycrawled to within chest-shaking distance of a strutter with a bunch of hens later on after the morning hunt and got some INCREDIBLE pics from inside 25 yards. If anyone wants to see them I'll throw them up too. It was an outstanding experience and it really was unique and "olde" style as my Dad's friend had said it was going to be. It will be a hunt that I won't soon forget! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest outdoorgirl Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Outstanding story and hunt....and to top it off you pulled a father / son double . It don't get any better then that Congrats on your turkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Congrats to your and your dad on a great double on Osceolas. Sounds like you might have gained some weight eating those groceries if you didn't burn it off chasing those pigs around at night. [ QUOTE ] I also stalked and bellycrawled to within chest-shaking distance of a strutter with a bunch of hens later on after the morning hunt and got some INCREDIBLE pics from inside 25 yards. If anyone wants to see them I'll throw them up too. [/ QUOTE ] Heck Yea!!! Post those bad boys that ya'll left for seed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! awesome job. Congrats to you and your dad on a memorable experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhunter91 Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Awesome story and congrats to you and your dad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Congrat to you and your dad on the double!! Two great looking birds. Loved the story and the pics nice job!! [ QUOTE ] I also stalked and bellycrawled to within chest-shaking distance of a strutter with a bunch of hens later on after the morning hunt and got some INCREDIBLE pics from inside 25 yards. If anyone wants to see them I'll throw them up too. [/ QUOTE ] You know how we ALL LOVE pictures so HECK YA we want to see them!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Colorado Bob Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Conglads-------great post. CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Congrats to you and your dad!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowhunter56 Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Great pictures and story,,,,great experience for the both of you....quality time...Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beagleboy Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Great story and pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HoppeMan Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! NICE!!!!! Those gobblers look SWEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!! Great job, I'm sure you enjoyed every minute of it!!! And while you were down there, you should have said hi to my Grandma for me Take care, Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentgate Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! What part of the state is ol' Ratso located in? I have a brother in Florida. Sounds like a lot of fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covehnter Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Hunting in that South Florida terrain is quite the experience huh. . . . great story and awesome pics! Congrats to you and your dad on 2 fine birds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5SHOT Posted March 30, 2007 Report Share Posted March 30, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Awesome story!! Your turkey had considerably darker wingtips than your dads. That is very cool. Congrats to you and your dad on your first double together!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullStrutter Posted April 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Thanks for all the congrats guys! It was a sweet hunt and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Can't wait for CT's and NY's seasons, less than a month now!! As promised, here are some more scenery shots that I took. I really loved hunting that terrain! Bald Eagle, there were TONS down there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SE_KSBowhunter Posted April 6, 2007 Report Share Posted April 6, 2007 Re: Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt! Congrats! Looks like a beautiful place to chase turkeys. I hope to someday get the chance to hunt oceolas in Florida. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.