Team FFA (Full Fan Assasins)....Turkey team #12


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Bummer news today:(

Work threw me a curve ball I wasn't expecting. Looks like I'll only get 2 of the last 5 days to hunt. Originally I was only going to miss opening day (a Monday). Now I'll have to cash in on either Thursday or Friday. I'll be praying for good weather.

Have I been clear on how much I hate the restricted Illinois spring turkey season!:mad:

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sorry to hear flyerla. hopefully you can get your bird. I'm starting to pack, leaving next Sunday. the campers almost loaded. turkey vest is packed. I hope this rain stops soon i hate to camp in the rain.

I hear ya, so far looks opening week is going to be pretty wet.

Good luck!

>Frank

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Go get 'em Frank:)

Stay ready to hunt if the storm breaks in some way. They have to eat/drink . They will gobble their heads off with thunder, and give away their location.

I know you 'll do the team proud;) Have a good time.

I have to wait til the 26th and 27th of April to take out my 14 year son, AJ for the youth season. My 16 year old, Joe will be doing the calling, I'll be filming. I am so excited about it.

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My hunting story:

Looks like I won't be posting any pictures this year.:(

My hunting report.

Wednesday night:

We arrived to the Shawnee National Forest around 9:00pm. We camp at the Pine Hills camp gound. However, this year no one will be camping or hunting from the forest roads. Flooding and high winds from recent storms caused massive mud landslides and downed trees on all the access roads. We ended up parking the travel trailer along side a secondary road instead of the usual campsite. In 25 years of hunting I've never seen such devastation.:eek:

Thursday:

Walked about 2 miles to the area I always hunt. I walked in about 5:30am. It was raining hard and lightening was lighting up the sky. I set up at a spot I've had success at in the past (nothing was gobbling in the storm). Finally at 9am the rain turned into sprinkles and I got a couple gobblers to answer my calls. A couple hens were also churping just down the hill. The gobblers flew down (I had luckily set up about 150 yards from their roost) and were fast approaching. I got ready but lost them due a deep ravine they needed to cross prior to reaching my decoys. The hens were in the ravine and kept churping. I called a little more and I could see two turkey heads (only their heads) coming up the ravine towards me. One was bluish white and the other red. I had the bead of my shotgun on the red head (about 35 yards away) and was just waiting to see that beard before pulling the trigger. However, the red headed turkey never came up high enough for me to see the beard. They went back down into the ravine and left. Then the rain picked up again. I hunted until 11am, but didn't hear or see anything else.

Friday:

No rain, but the wind was howling. I set up close to where I had been thursday. At 6:00am I had 2 Tom's gobbling down at the bottom of the hill. Then the hens started in and I never heard those ghobblers again. Then at 6:30 another gobbler started in. He wasn't more than 75 yards up the hill from me. I thought I'd see him, but the minimal tree vegetation was just enough to keep me from spoting him. He felw down and went on the other side of the hill. He gobbled like crazy, but was leaving the whole time.

I saw a couple hens in a green field and snuck up to within 30 yards, but there were no gobblers with them. It was still fun easing in to shooting range.

Sorry team, but no turkey for me this year. I'm 95% sure that large red headed turkey was a gobbler, but since I didn't see it strut, didn't see the beard, wasn't sure if it had been the bird that had gobbled, I couldn't take the shot.

Better luck to all of you!

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Frank.. it still sounds like you had a fun time. I mean it sucks that the weather wasn't the best, but it still sounds like you made the most out of it.

Better safe than sorry with that red headed bird. I probably wouldn't have taken that shot either.

Yea, it was a fun trip. I got to try out some of my equipment for a upcoming bear hunt in Idaho. My new 2000 watt Honda generator powered my travel trailer just fine and was very quiet. I was surprised to see it even powered my AC. I also got to sight it my 300 ultra mag with my new Nikon scope. I'm hitting a quarter every time. Best of all I got to spend a couple days with my dad and create yet another hunting trip memory.:)

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I know this is not the place for non team turkey hunting stories but...I'd like to share something.

I was very proud of my sons Joe(16) and AJ(14) this past weekend on AJ's youth turkey hunt here in NY. It brought a tear to my eye watching my boys get in position and set up on a gobbler. AJ did not shoot a bird, but a Jake came in range but there were too many saplings in the way and he elected not to shoot. Joes calling was superb and was beaming with pride as I watched my boys in action. This is what I have dreamed about when I thought about having kids. I was blessed with 3 sons.

I can't wait to do it again next weekend. It was one of the BEST times I have ever spent afield with my sons.

Next weekend my little guy Michael(11) comes too.

I will be in living a dream hunting with all 3 of my sons.;)

Life is good.

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