Squirrelhunter91 Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Finally, I managed to end my 3 year drought! Until this season, I hadn't shot a gobbler since 2007, but have called birds in for others, which is cool but actually dropping the hammer yourself is so much more satisfying. I've been hititng the turkeys hard this year. I think I've only missed 4 or 5 days this season and this past weekend, it all finally came together. Saturday morning, my dad, my brother, my girlfriend and I went up on a ridge where we knew birds have been roosting and tried working them. Turned out there were 2 toms, a jake and a hen roosted up there. Well, flydown time came and the hen took all 3 of them away from us. They shut up around 7:30am. So at that point, breakfast was sounding really good so when Melissa and I went to town for coffee, we passed a field in the general direction of where those birds were headed and not 200 yards from where we worked them over an hour ago, we found 2 toms strutting with a jake and a hen. We tried getting on them but they wouldn't gobble. So on Sunday we figured we could get between them and the strutting zone, thinking that if we cut them off we'd get a shot. Well guess what happens, flydown time comes on Sunday and they're roosted with that hen again. She flys down and takes them the opposite direction! Time to run & gun. Melissa, Michael and I went after them. We worked 4 different gobblers on this one ridge and spooked 2 hens so it kind of worked out in our favor. The gobblers never knew we were there but were hellbent on hanging up at 80 yards, field or woods. On the way back to the house, we happened across a porcupine. She took a 3 1/2" #5 out of my 835 at about 15 yards. Found out afterwards that they actually aren't turkey nest raiders, but are strictly herbivores. Not that it mattered because the neighbors have dogs and a dog getting quilled is the last thing they want so now there's one less porcupine out there! So after breakfast we were sitting around and Melissa was itching to get back out there. I decided it was time to burn my best spot that I had been saving. This spot always holds birds and I had left it untouched all season. In 2006, I killed my biggest tom in this field and in 2007 my dad killed a good tom in the same field, against the same tree around the same day. So we went walking into the fields and hit the call. After a few sets of yelps, a hen started cranking up so I figured we could set up and hopefully she had a gobbler with her and he would come in following. Set my swingin' hen out around 20 yards and started calling. We sat up against the same tree that we had killed the other 2 gobblers from in previous years. A few minutes into the setup and it sounded like the hen was coming. Then she shut up. So I started kee kee ing on my mouth call. I have heard that kee kee's in the spring can be deadly. After the second sequence of yelps mixed with kee kee's, GOBBBLEEEEE!!!! A bird let loose in field, well inside the 100 yard mark. I told Melissa to get her gun ready, as getting her a bird has been my #1 priority this year. Let out some cutts and excited yelps and what sounded like 3 or 4 birds lit up. Under 2 min later, we had 4 jakes in front of us locked on the decoy. I got my gun up as well. After a minute, they started to get weary of the situation and 2 went to leave. I told Melissa it was now or never and started to count down, 3...2...1... B-BOOM!! She shot first and I followed it right up. Both birds crumple, we start high fiving and get up. Her bird got back up and ran off. Mine stayed down. She is shooting my Mossberg 500 20ga with 3" Federal Loads. The same load/choke combo that I killed my first turkey with and so did my brother. We searched for an hour and found nothing but feathers and some blood. After thinking about it, She shot the farthest bird. Mine was at 28 yards and hers was probably around 34-35 yards. It was just the way the circumstances worked out. Two were too close together to shoot, and the other two were separated. I had the one on the left and she had the one on the right. Man was she upset over the whole thing. I felt so bad because I know what it's like. But she's a trooper. She got right back in the saddle and wanted to hunt Monday morning. My jake wasn't a bad bird. 16lbs, 5" beard and 1/2" spurs. Very healthy jake. Anyway, just wanted to share that story.. Now for the pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 conrats on the jake Joe! My Gobbler got up and ran too after I thought he was down..always be ready for a follow up shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goinghuntin Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Congrats! My dad's buddy had the very same thing happen to him two years ago. We tracked that bird for an hour and found nothing. We gave him a hard enough time about it Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muleyman Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Congrats on the bird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintlock1776 Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 Congrats! Nothing like ending a hunting drought! Good pics! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Very nice Jake. Pretty long beard on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Good goin' on the jake, Joe! Great account of the hunt, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntnMa Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 woohooooooo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobwhite Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 congrats on the bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted May 21, 2010 Report Share Posted May 21, 2010 Congrats Joe! that is one healthy jake! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Archer 01 Posted May 22, 2010 Report Share Posted May 22, 2010 Congrats on the bird!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted June 3, 2010 Report Share Posted June 3, 2010 Atta boy son . You have called in so many for others, I am glad you finally got one for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted June 4, 2010 Report Share Posted June 4, 2010 Congrats Joe!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA_Spike_King Posted June 5, 2010 Report Share Posted June 5, 2010 Nothing wrong with that bird Joe!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiepredator Posted June 5, 2010 Report Share Posted June 5, 2010 Congrats on an awesome bird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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