Turkeygirl Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I thought it'd be fun if we told a favorite or memorable piece of our spring 2007 turkey seasons. Let's hear em'. For me, it would be May 4, the day after I missed a big tom. I set up on the edge of a corn field about 7am. I called periodically. I thought I heard a distant gobble. Around 8am a hen came through by herself. Then shortly after I heard a gobble for sure. I yelped on my mouth call and he answered. I can clearly remember after hearing him gobbling and coming closer, he finally appeared around this bend in the field and when he saw my decoy, started strutting down to it. The feeling from seeing that beautiful bird strutting down to me was a wonderful way to end 3-4 years of not tagging a bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need2hunt Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 With the girls back in school I decided to sneak away for a couple of days to try to fill one of my tags. Tuesday night brought severe weather across a good portion of the country, from tornadoes in Texas to a reported two inches of rain in fifteen minutes in Springfield, Missouri. As the rain stopped Wednesday morning I was sitting on a wooded fence line, watching a flock of hens with a tom in the field in front of me. After a rough, wet night they were out trying to dry off and in no hurry to go anywhere. I decided to call to the hens and try to get them moving in my direction. Trying to sound like another small flock of birds on the other side of the tree line, I sat back and started rotating calls, giving a few soft clucks and purrs with one, waiting then going to the next and doing the same. Over an hour later they were slowly moving my way. Once they made it into shooting range I waited for the tom to give enough separation from the hens then I sent a load of #6's at him and he took a dirt nap. He was a great Missouri bird at 22 pounds, 11" beard and 1-1/8” spurs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I've had some memorable moments with young hunters and this past season was no exception. I had Kody with me for 3 days this year. Kody said his dad was bad luck so he hung around the camp or fished in our lake while we turkey hunted. We had close encounters every day but one thing or another kept us from flippin one over until the 3rd day. It was late morning when we set to hunt this old boy that was corting 3 hens. We saw him from 150 yards away strutting for the hens. I could hear him drumming at 100 yards. He strutted and drummed his way to us slowly following the hens. They were taking their time feeding and dusting as they slowly worked toward us. Finally he came in and Kody flipped him over at 28 steps. This was Kody's 2nd gobbler and I've had the pleasure of being with him for both of his kills. Kody and his dad took a trip to the taxidermist with this old limb hanger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted June 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Nice birds! Wow that gobbler Kody got has some beard, congrats to him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bachflock Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Oh that's an easy one! My first year turkey hunting - it would be the day I bagged my jake. I got into the blind at 5:30a - it was a chilly 35 degrees after having a very unusal 80 degree windy day openning day. I was calling softly every now and then wondering if I was doing anything right. I heard something with heavy wing beats fly in over top of the blind at about 7:30a but couldn't see it. I'd purr, scratch, cluck, yelp, purr some more but hadn't heard a gobble in awhile. I had scouted 2 days prior to season and hadn't heard any hen noise so I was absolutely LOST to where I was calling to much or not enough. Then, at about 8:20 a hen started cutting about 150 yards away. "COOOL!!", I thought so I popped in a diaphram call and matched her pace and urgency. The woods EXPLODED with gobbles - at least 4 birds. The hen shut up but I'd cut up and down, yelp, then go silent and the birds were coming! I'd let them gobble then I'd yelp back with more urgency and they'd go nuts gobbling. It was cool beyond belief! 30 min later three jakes came into view on my left marching shoulder to shoulder right at my decoy set up 25 yards straight out from my blind. A forth bird was less than 30 yards behind me but I didn't have that window open and the velcro would scare them all away for sure. I beaded one of the jakes but they were literally shoving eachother shoulder to shoulder to impress my decoy. They marched in then past my faux hen - where they going to keep going?! Nope, the center jake stopped an piroetted about 2 yards and came back in line with the decoy. I was shaking like a new puppy in a cool breeze. He spotted the blind (I assume) and stuck his head straight up and that was all I needed. He flopped a few times while is buddies bounded away. My brother was hunting about 150 yards behind me so I waited 10 min hoping the 4th bird I had called in would head his way - no luck. I was SO excited and chilled I couldn't stop shaking - it was hilarious. So, I'd live that moment over and over again. Oh! And a porcupine at the outhouse! My only "business" there was for the camera... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhunter91 Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 Hmm.. I don't think I can relive just a piece of my season. This whole season was great. I learned something every single time I went out. Opening day I learned that turkeys can walk up completely vertical cliff rock faces. The day my dad shot his tom, I learned that turkeys will come over 300 yards and cross fences to come to you and they will gobble from behind when they are right on top of you. Here was the result of that hunt: The Tale of Cantilever Tom 20lb 8 3/4" beard 3/4" spurs And then on 5/20, I learned that turkeys will come across rock walls and leave strutting zones in the middle of fields to come to your calling. I called a tom out of his strutting zone over to me. Here was the result of that hunt: Don't need no permission!!! 22lb 9" beard 3/4" & 7/8" spurs I also learned that for this one particular area we hunt, Mother's Day weekend is the weekend to hunt it. There are birds in there every year at that time and they are HOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntinguide Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 hands down when i had the georgia boys come too oklahoma to chase some rios. Needless too say that covehunter and poncho went back happy. I had a good season as well. THE END Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slyvixen Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 Wow, those are some fantastic pictures and stories so far. For me my most memorable moment this season was sitting with my Dad when those 5 longbeards came in and we both harvested one. Getting a double anytime is cool, but slamming 2 nice gobblers, with the person who taught me just about everything I know about hunting....was my most memorable moment of the season. When my Dad taught me how to hunt, he gave me something that will forever be meaningful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted June 10, 2007 Report Share Posted June 10, 2007 Mine would be my wife getting her first bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbeard Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 For me it was two hunts with good friends. Neither ended in the dead bird rodeo but did end with cherished memories and tightened the bonds of friendship. One was in Kentucky with Kelly Rose of Mountain Man calls........we had Woodrow breathin' down our neck at 10 yds, right off the roost, but couldn't see him due to the terrain. He finally appeared 46 yards out and we deemed it uncertain of a kill so we let him walk off gobblin' the whole way. The other was with Jerry White of Dad's Custom Calls in Wisconsin. As we sat watching 1 longbeard and 3 jakes come to Dad's kee kee's on the trumpet, we hatched the perfect plan. We'd both shoot the longbeard and split the spurs, signing our names to the spurs for memories. 'Bout the time we got our turkeys counted (before they hatched - I might add ), the longbeard decided to fly across the Chippewa. We sat dumbfounded. Called the jakes in the whole way but let them walk. Geniunely grand times, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaw Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 youth hunt Although my season ended without tagging a bird, my sons youth hunt made my season successfull when he got his first bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntnMa Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Every mile a memory comes to mind, lol...i hunted so hard this year, just like every year but for reason i was tested every hunt because i knew the birds were there, they just didn't gobble.....i spent the season chasing them anyway, lol.....and i'll do it again....without regret...wow, other than the day i got my bird, i dont have good memories, lol...it's weird but one of my favorite memories was going to a w.m.a. that i have hunted in the past but always the same area, this year i just went out and hunted new areas....the solitude, the excitement of whats around the corner, the gobbling on the private land, lol....it was great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covehnter Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 Ah man. . . picking a single best is impossible!! I've had another great year and was able to create new friendships with all credit going to gobbling turkeys. How would i choose between . . . . another incredible DIY osceola showdown in the Glades. Gobbling birds around every public land cypress head and like always the 'one of a kind' terrian. End result - feathers ruffled! Finally connecting with archery equipment and the introduction of Scrappy to the turkey world! And of course the trip to OK where i got my first taste of Rios and made a friendship with a fellow RT forum member, huntinguide. Hope to share many more hunts! Was also able to round the season out with poncho exposing 2 more Ga easterns to lead poison and myself adding one more to the collection thanks to the scattergun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 No way to pick just one this year. ....My daughter (Lilmissdangerous) getting her introduction to spring gobbler hunting by missing 2 different longbeards in 10 minutes. ....My buddy seeing his first-ever gobbler called to the gun on his very first spring gobbler hunt. ....Hearing my first Gould's gobbler. ....Seeing my first Gould's gobbler. ....Shooting my first Gould's gobbler. ....Shooting my second Gould's gobbler after a 1 hour 20 minute battle ....killing him at 11 yards as he finally followed his hen in the 3rd time I called her off him. Waaaaaaaay too incredible of a season to pick just one memory to re-live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 For the first time ever I was able to hunt EVERY monring I wanted. Morning two I called in a nice long beard to a mere 10 - 15 FEET only to watch him strut on by, as I'm thinking this is awesome the second day I got his guy this close and I get to do it every morning..... WRONG WRONG WRONG. Well that week past with some more close opportunities but no shot opportunitites. Finaly the last week I was able to close the deal on a nice MO gobbler. But boy was it fun chasing birds every morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 I'd have to say I had a great, but short hunt. I tried getting this bird on film and really thought I had him until I got home and watched as his left wing feel to the ground. I missed him by a mere 2 feet. Oh, well. The season was great and I enjoyed watching the birds being put up almost daily on the contest thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow32 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Well once again at the end of the season I came out birdless but with alot more knowledge than I had started the season with. One memory that comes to my mind almost every day when I talk about this is opening morning when me and katy's dad were sitting out right as day started to break and there was a gobbler infront of us and 2 on each side and one behind us. Everytime we would hit a call they'd all blow up. About the most amazing thing I've ever heard. Other than that I did have fun playing hens in the morning when the gobblers didn't want to come out and play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maytom Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Most birds didn't want to play or went silent after flydown. So as you can imagine, it was a very tuff season here in WNY this year. The high light for me was scoring on a double with a good buddy of mine on the second day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntnMa Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 keep the memories coming........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_RIDGE_RUNNER Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 One of my most memorable hunts this spring was about 3 days after I saw a huge longbeard but he just would not come in. I set up my chairblind in a fence row with several inflatable decoys about 15 -20 yds in front of me. I called some and a hen walked out of the woods and made a beeline for my decoys. I almost laughed outloud at her as she walked just like old John Wayne would have as she came in. Well she gets to my decoys and is putting and purring like I have never heard. She then proceeded to attack my hen decoy she hit that decoy so hard she knocked the stake out of the ground and I had earlier pounded that stake into the ground with a rock. I just knew that she was going to puncture and ruin my inflatable. I was temped to yell at her but sure did not want that mad lady in my chairblind with me. She finally left with a very cocky walk. My decoy somehow survived her determined attack. Man what a guy sees when he has no camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elnor Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 Highlights of my season I had three highlights: (1) Found out the week before the season opened that my double with dad from last year will be featured in the August 2007 issue of "Turkey & Turkey Hunting" (I'll post to the forums once it's published) (2) Killed my first ever two-birds-in-one-day (this was the first season one could legally kill more than one bird in the same day in Oklahoma) (3) My team won the Realtree Forums Turkey Contest...go Tom Takers!!! I don't want to get greedy or anything, but it would sure take an amazing season next year to top this one. God willing, I'll get out among 'em and do my best. Here's to a great season for everyone next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 Hmm.. I don't think I can relive just a piece of my season. This whole season was great. I learned something every single time I went out. Opening day I learned that turkeys can walk up completely vertical cliff rock faces. The day my dad shot his tom, I learned that turkeys will come over 300 yards and cross fences to come to you and they will gobble from behind when they are right on top of you. Here was the result of that hunt: The Tale of Cantilever Tom 20lb 8 3/4" beard 3/4" spurs And then on 5/20, I learned that turkeys will come across rock walls and leave strutting zones in the middle of fields to come to your calling. I called a tom out of his strutting zone over to me. Here was the result of that hunt: Don't need no permission!!! 22lb 9" beard 3/4" & 7/8" spurs I also learned that for this one particular area we hunt, Mother's Day weekend is the weekend to hunt it. There are birds in there every year at that time and they are HOT! This is a great thread! Great stories and pics!!! I have gone over our turkey hunts from this spring soo many times in my head since then, told my co workers the stories from this year so many times they can tell the story This year Joe and I had our best year together and bagged some mighty fine birds too. Joe's calling is incredible and the excitement we shared together this season, will be hard to top. Hunting with your son(s) is hard to top. Especially when you bag something big. These times are forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13littleones Posted July 12, 2007 Report Share Posted July 12, 2007 First of all, I got my neighbor hooked on turkey hunting.It's his 6th year and he has one to show for it. To make it short, the last weekend of the Indiana turkey season we where getting ready to leave the truck an hour before daylight. I said, Gorge I found a new spot on the topo map and I will shoot a bird right there on the map early............ Boooom ! a 2 year old down and he heard the shot...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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