ChrisSeb53 Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Well, the Pennsylvania season started the first of May this year and the birds have been tough to get on. I have had to compete with other hunters hunting on the small parcel of private land I hunt for some white-headed gobbling action. Well, I finally closed the deal on Monday, May 10th. My Alarm clock went off at about 4:45 AM that morning. I got up, put some clothes on and brushed my teeth. "No breakfast this morning" I thought to myself as I rechecked the time. I had gotten a late start, as I had a 40 minute drive ahead of me. I grabbed the gear I had organized the night before and tossed in the back of my car. It was an unusually cold morning for this time of year. If I remember correctly the temperature was about 34 degrees F. COLD. As I drove I couldn't help but think about if I was wasting my time or not. The birds hadn't been gobbling for the last few days I had been hunting because the hens were on the nests and they knew it. Hunting was TOUGH. Finally, I got to where I would park my vehicle. I got out of the car and loaded my Remington model 870 Express magnum and sprayed myself down with 100% deet to discourage any ticks or mosquitoes from coming near me. After only 30 or so steps into the woods I heard a bird gobble on the roost. He was close! My heart began to race from the sudden change in luck. Again, the bird gobbled. I closed the distance and set up against a large oak tree. The woods were very open, so I didn't have the option of hiding in the brush. All I could do was hide in the shadows and hope the giant tree I was sitting against would break up my outline.About an hour passed when finally the ole tom cam flying down from his roost landing 30 yards away from me! I was so excited and in the moment that I moved a small amount to try and get my gun up to my cheek. The big ole tom saw this and bolted away. I was stunned."Another let down" I said to myself as I quietly backed out of the area. "Maybe if i back out it will give him time to calm down and I will be able to set up on him later". As I walked to the edge of one of the land owner's crop fields I remembered another bird gobbling to the bird I was set up on. It sounded as though this other bird was just across the river. So I headed down to the river and made a few calls hoping for something to call in return. After sitting by the river and calling for about 45 minutes I saw what looked like some birds flying down into the field to my right. I stood up and looked out into the field which was about 100 yards away. Sure enough, there stood 5-6 birds feeding in the field. "I'll bet there is a gobbler in that group" I thought to myself. So I belly crawled 100 yards over to the edge of the field. SLOWLY sitting up to see what was in the field I saw all 6 birds feeding. Every so often one of the birds would lift their heads, taking turns being the lookout. I sat there on my knees, watching them as they fed and slowly made their way toward me. I looked at each one and noticed that every bird in that flock had a beard! The birds were done breeding for the most part and were now hanging out in bachelor groups once more. Slowly I lifted my gun, freezing every time a head would pop up and look around. I picked one of the birds out, and let the gun bark. A rush of relief and thankfulness came over me as I looked toward the sky and thanked God for my harvest.... This was the end result The bird had two beards.. A 9" main beard and a smaller 4" beard above the 9" one that you can't see in the pictures. The bird weighed 16.5 lbs.. not a huge bird but a good two year old gobbler. i haven't measured the spurs but i would say they are 3/4" at the very least on either side... I am a happy turkey hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pointing_dogs_rule Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 congrats good luck to all the dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake3113 Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHISKEYSWAMP Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 way to stick with it... nice bird. congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Archer 01 Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 Congrats on a nice bird!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Congrats...thats a good bird in anyones book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goinghuntin Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Cool read, sweet lookin' bird Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Congrats, nice bird!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobwhite Posted May 19, 2010 Report Share Posted May 19, 2010 Way to go,good job!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Congrats!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Sounds like a cool hunt! Congrats on the bird! I think the early warm weather kicked things off sooner around here. This month of May has been a quiet one for sure. I've been seeing all hens and most nesting. Mid-April they were hammering all over the country side here, but not now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisSeb53 Posted May 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Sounds like a cool hunt! Congrats on the bird! I think the early warm weather kicked things off sooner around here. This month of May has been a quiet one for sure. I've been seeing all hens and most nesting. Mid-April they were hammering all over the country side here, but not now. yeah i think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one... i drive past a large cornfield every day on my way to and from home and i have seen birds in that field just about every day... i have seen 3 gobblers in that field strutting still so i still have hope.. i have a second tag, but i really would like to get my little brother on a bird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Congrats on the double beard...way to hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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