Zona Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 (edited) Ever since the first time I saw my first transplanted Goulds turkey in the Chiricauha Mountains, I always hoped that some day I would be able to hunt one of these beautiful birds. This past November when spring draw results release, I found out I had drawn one of the five tags for the second hunt in Unit 29. My dream had come true and I was on cloud nine. Knowing the unit real well, and have seen lots of turkeys over the years I figured I had an idea of where to start looking for turkeys. My brother and I traveled 5.5 hours the day before the season started to get to our camping spot. After setting up, we had a few hours before dark to try and located some gobblers and hopefully roost a few birds. The country was extremely dry and we knew that the turkeys had to be around water. We started working some of the creeks checking for sign and there was no problem of finding where the goulds were. Anywhere there was water there was turkeys. I was walking into one spring late in the afternoon and I walked right up on a strutting tom not twenty-five yards away from me. I just eased out of the area without spooking him. About a half hour before dark we got another tom to gobble. Then right at dark we drove up on another tom heading to roost. We sat there till dark till he roosted and we knew exactly how we were going to work him the next morning. We were up at 4 am the next morning and then headed to out to set up on the tom we roosted the night before. We waited in the dark, wanting to him to start gobbling on his own. He finally started and we headed up the draw to get in position to start calling. We set up and started calling to him, and he would just hammer back at every call we made. Sometimes even double and triple gobbling. There was also another gobbler gobbling further up and to the east of us. Finally the tom gobbling six times in a row and flew out of his roost. Problem was he flew off in the opposite direction and to the bottom of the opposite canyon. His gobbles kept getting farther and farther away unil we couldn'thear him any more. To our supprise thoug the other gobbler who was quite far away to begin with was now getting closer and closer until I could finally see him up the draw. He was with a hen and in full strut. coming right for us. He never stopped and continued straight at me until he was 20 yards away. He finally stretched his neck out and I let him have it with a load of #5's from my twelve gauge. He was down and I had my first ever Gould's turkey. My hunt was over at 5:40 a.m. on opening morning. What an experience. One of the greatest experiences of my hunting career.. The tom had an 8 1/4" beard and spurs just over 1". I hope I will one day get another chance to hunt the Goulds turkey again. Thanks for reading and looking and I hope you enjoy the pictures. Brian Edited May 3, 2009 by Zona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse8953 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 nice bird:D:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Welcome to the forums Brian. Beautiful bird there. Congratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 AWESOME!!!! Many congrats!!! You are one of a very select few that have ever gotten to take a Gould's stateside. I sat at auction and watched the very first Arizona Gould's tag sell for, I believe, $37,000 about 6 years ago. I got my chance at Gould's in 2007 and took a pair of very nice longbeards. But I had to go south of the border for them. Love to see them big white tips blow up into strut. It's like somebody's turning on a flourescent light bulb. Way to go.....................and welcome to the RT Forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booner1331 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Nice looking bird...congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Thats an awesome looking bird... Congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Wow!!! Beautiful bird Brian, welcome to the forums! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Real nice bird:). Congrats! Sure is colorful. Oh Yeah...Welcome to the forums too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 Welcome Brian. Job well done! Great looking bird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAFbowhunter Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Congrats on a great bird!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Congrats on the bird! Sounds like a great trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missed160 Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Beautiful Bird! That is awesome, it has to add so much to hunt in country like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAMABUCKS Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Congrats on a beautiful bird & a lifetime memory. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zona Posted May 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Thanks everyone for the welcome and the congrats.It truely was a great experience to be able to finally get to hunt these birds. I really hope to get to do it again someday. The odds of drawing a tag ever again is not in my favor but you never know. Thanks again. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covehnter Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Unbelievable! You are so so fortunate to have had such an opportunity!! I can only dream. Congratulations on capitalizing on the once in a lifetime draw, what a gorgeous bird. And thank you for taking the time for some good pictures to honor such a beautiful bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 awesome looking bird... congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zona Posted May 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 Thanks again for all the congrats. Ever since I killed my bird I have had a lot of people ask me what the difference is between and Gould's and all the other turkeys. A lot of you may already know but I thought I would post a little info on them for those who don't. So here you go. Gould's Turkey The fifth recognized, but least known, wild turkey subspecies is the Gould's (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) found in portions of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as northern Mexico. It was first described by J. Gould in 1856 during his travels in Mexico. Like the Merriam's, the Gould's is a bird of the mountains. It exists in very small numbers along the U.S./Mexico borders in Arizona and New Mexico, but is abundant in the northwestern portions of Mexico. The Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Forest Service, the Centro Ecologico de Sonora, the National Wild Turkey Federation and other agencies are working cooperatively to reintroduce a strong Gould's population into Arizona and eventually other states where suitable range exists. The Gould's turkey is the largest of the 5 subspecies and resembles the Merriam's turkey. They have longer legs, larger feet and larger center tail feathers than any of the other wild turkey subspecies in North America. Gould's differ by having distinctive white tips on the tail feathers and tail rump coverts which usually separate to show an "eyelash" appearance. Lower back and rump feathers have copper and greenish-golden reflections, not like the faintly iridescent velvety black found on the Merriam's. Gould's body plumage is said to be somewhat blue-green in coloration. Adult females have a less pronounced metallic greenish and reddish sheen and are more purplish. The Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains in Mexico are the center of the Gould's turkey Mexican range, extending south from the U.S./Mexico border. Populations exist in Chihuahua, Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco and Coahuila. In the United States, Gould's turkeys are found in the Animas and San Luis mountains of New Mexico and in the Peloncillo Mountains of New Mexico and Arizona. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointing_dogs_rule Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 Welcome to the forums. Congrats!!! good luck to all the dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 Welcome to the forums and congrats on an awesome Goulds! Dakota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3seasons Posted May 5, 2009 Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 Congrats on a beautiful bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorden Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Big looking bird, congrats;). Also welcome to the forums:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaseasl Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 awesome, congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Beautiful bird! Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Awesome...a big congrats on your Arizona Gould's dream bird coming true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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