My Sons Turkey Season

June 2, 2008

Well, during the special youth hunt here in New York, My 13 year old son and his 75 year old opa didn't see one turkey the week before the regular season.

My weekend with my 13 year old was a little better. We had an old tom answering our calls as well as a young one to our left and right. After about fourty five minutes of active calling, the one to our right was makeing it UPHILL to us at a quick pace. While preparing for his arrival to our decoy, I moved my walking stick and my bandaged leg (arthroscopic surgery 4 days earlier on torn miniscus) to a better position and WHAM!!!!!!!! five toms running right past our decoys, single file, BIG guy first dragging his beard, followed by four jakes! They didn't say a word! We were both shocked as we have never seen that before. Five minutes later we hear them cutting but thay are not comeing back.

Not to worry I think......Theres still the old guy at the bottom and the other one to our left. We start a few cuts once again. Try a yelp here and there ....nothing for about an hour except, they keep gobblin' but they ain't comeing uphill.

Then the unexpected happened once again. At the bottom of the hill, mans best friend starts going to town! Oh boy this is it. Old Yeller is gonna chase that old tom up to us. Being Injured, I didn't want to move but alas, nature called. I go up from my post ,took a few steps uphill with my gun and hiking stick and did my thing. When I turned around, that old tom was running past the decoys yet again!!!!! And them jakes were following. Looked at my son and he was still doing his business. I had to do it. I picked up my Remington model 1100 and got a bead on the last jake before he made the tree line.when he went tumbling down, i looked at my son and he said "what happened?" I said what do you mean what happened? go get the turkey! He grabbed the jake and he jumped as far as the jake did! I called him back, and we said a Prayer to the lord thanking him for a good hunt while the jake was giving up his ghost . My son thought we were leaving, thats why he got up. I got up to pee, I wasn't going anywhere since ole yeller was helping with our hunt. Moral of the story....Whan an animal makes noise in the woods, EVEN IF IT IS A DOG, be prepared...somethings about to happen!

Gonna start part two in a minute. My son Dylan did in fact get his tom with opa at 1145hrs. on the last day. The season ends at 1200hrs here in New York.stay tuned

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH I don't know how to resize the pics.....they are too big....

"WAIDMANNS HEIL"

Peter

June 2, 2008

Part two.

Dylan is now fourteen years old. Good in school so I let him play hookie On Thursday and Friday. He'll learn more with opa anyway. Two days hunting and nada..nothin..zilch..only a sow with her cub.

On the third day They finally hear a gobble in the tree line off of the meadow. Opa is not an aggressive caller. All he'll do is a couple of clucks and wait. So theres opa and dylan just making a few clucks. After some time they see ole' tom making his way to where they are. Down goes opa's slate and dylan's call box' up comes the shotguns and in goes opa's mouthpiece...Thay come just within shooting range, don't see any hens, and off they go back into the woods.

Up goes opa and dylan and they're off double time trying to head them off in the woods. It was raining by this time so the woods were quiet. Head them off they did! Their calls are now wet. All they got is opa's mouthpiece. It worked! They see the tom and he's in range. Opa's gonna shoot his double barrel. Dylan whispers "Wait opa! Wait! I see another one comeing! Opa say's I can't wait he's comeing right to us! Dylan says wait one minute opa! They both have their gus up at this time when Dylan hears.............."CLICK" A misfire!

Dylan said to himself.....OH BOY.....It's only me now....Wham!!!!!!!!!! the tom goes down! They see a bunch of toms run off that they didn't see earlier. Thought there were only two but in fact, it was a MOTHER LOAD! Further more, another tom has no idea what just happened! Still standing there so Dylan hands Opa his CHARLES DALY with two more magnum loads ready to take the other tom but alas, he awoke from his stupor and got out of there. (I explained to Dylan when he got home, A fireman never gives up his hose or tools and a hunter never gives up his weapon)

The tom was fifteen pounds dressed, with one inch spurs. His first beard is nine and a half inches and his other beard is seven inches! TWO BEARDS! What a JAGERMEISTER that Dylan is.....

Back at camp, Opa realizes that he had another barrel! lol It can happen........

"WAIDMANNS HEIL"

Peter (a proud dad)