AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
Had a pretty good season this year. My dad and I both got 1st season tags. We scouted the Wednesday before the season and had a nice bird roosted in the exact tree we wanted him in. Opening day rolled around and with the wind and cold, we didn't hear a single gobble. We did have about four hens roosted nearby. The second day, we sat at that same roost area and heard one gobbling up river a 1/4 mile or so. We hurried up to get set up on him before fly down, and he hit the ground about the time we got set up. That bird came to about 60 yards and then ended up leaving with some hens. Day three rolled around and we decided to split up. I sat at the same tree we started the first two days (I've killed at least one bird there every year) and dad sat at the spot where we saw the tom the day before. Finally, a big tom was roosted right where I wanted him and he flew down in the first 6 min of shooting light at 0559 and he took some #6's to his head within 5 seconds of hitting the ground. A half hour or so later, dad got his bird. I was lucky I got mine, because somehow I clipped a tree in between the turkey and I.
Second season rolled around and it was time to try and get my fiance' a bird. Opening morning, we had one fly down right over top of our heads and land out in the field at 40 yards. She didn't get turned quick enough and ended up never getting a shot at that one. 4th season then rolled around and I took her back to the exact tree I shot my first season bird from and lucky for us, there was another nice gobbler roosted in the same sycamore tree. However, this time the bird flew down to our left toward a hen that was already on the ground. The hen walked right in front of us but when the tom followed, he saw something he didn't like and got a little nervous and started getting out of there. I could have shot him from where I was and I asked her if she wanted me to shoot. She said no, and then when the bird got a little further away she tried a shot and missed. A couple days later, I went back to the spot where we had the bird fly over us in 2nd season and I got one there in the first 10 minutes of shooting time as soon as he hit the ground at 0540. He had real nice light colored tips on his fan. The lightest colored eastern I have shot.
A few days after that, my fiancé and I both had a Wednesday off of work. We went back down to the spot where my dad had killed his tom. There were 4 or 5 birds gobbling but we just couldn't get them to commit. We went and checked a spot for mushrooms and didn't find any. On our way back out to the field edge, I had her lay down and practice crawling with the shotgun and aiming from the prone position in case there were birds out in the field that we could try and REAP. I have carried a tail fan with me for probably 3+ years and never had an opportunity to try crawling up to them.. She thought it was a stupid idea, but, 5 minutes later, we got to the edge of the field and there was a tom 100yds away strutting. I got pretty excited and told her what we were going to do and exactly what was going to happen (thanks to everyones success stories on here). We crawled maybe 5 yds and then a hen popped out of the picked corn and came running at us. She stopped at maybe 10 yards and just stood there watching us. The tom couldn't see us yet but was following her. As soon as he saw our tail fan, he went to half strut and sprinted the whole way right freakin' at us. I told her to shoot whenever she could and when the bird got to 7 yds, she defended our position and rolled him into a back flip... IT WAS AWESOME! Probably one of my favorite experiences turkey hunting now!
My 1st season bird was: 26.5 pounds, 11.25" beard, and 1.25" spurs (score: 74)
Dads bird was: 23 pounds, 1 inch spurs and a 10" beard
My 4th season bird was: 23 pounds, 9.5" beard, 1 1/6" spur and 1 3/8" spur.
My fiancés bird was: 20 pounds, 11" beard, and 1" spurs
Second season rolled around and it was time to try and get my fiance' a bird. Opening morning, we had one fly down right over top of our heads and land out in the field at 40 yards. She didn't get turned quick enough and ended up never getting a shot at that one. 4th season then rolled around and I took her back to the exact tree I shot my first season bird from and lucky for us, there was another nice gobbler roosted in the same sycamore tree. However, this time the bird flew down to our left toward a hen that was already on the ground. The hen walked right in front of us but when the tom followed, he saw something he didn't like and got a little nervous and started getting out of there. I could have shot him from where I was and I asked her if she wanted me to shoot. She said no, and then when the bird got a little further away she tried a shot and missed. A couple days later, I went back to the spot where we had the bird fly over us in 2nd season and I got one there in the first 10 minutes of shooting time as soon as he hit the ground at 0540. He had real nice light colored tips on his fan. The lightest colored eastern I have shot.
A few days after that, my fiancé and I both had a Wednesday off of work. We went back down to the spot where my dad had killed his tom. There were 4 or 5 birds gobbling but we just couldn't get them to commit. We went and checked a spot for mushrooms and didn't find any. On our way back out to the field edge, I had her lay down and practice crawling with the shotgun and aiming from the prone position in case there were birds out in the field that we could try and REAP. I have carried a tail fan with me for probably 3+ years and never had an opportunity to try crawling up to them.. She thought it was a stupid idea, but, 5 minutes later, we got to the edge of the field and there was a tom 100yds away strutting. I got pretty excited and told her what we were going to do and exactly what was going to happen (thanks to everyones success stories on here). We crawled maybe 5 yds and then a hen popped out of the picked corn and came running at us. She stopped at maybe 10 yards and just stood there watching us. The tom couldn't see us yet but was following her. As soon as he saw our tail fan, he went to half strut and sprinted the whole way right freakin' at us. I told her to shoot whenever she could and when the bird got to 7 yds, she defended our position and rolled him into a back flip... IT WAS AWESOME! Probably one of my favorite experiences turkey hunting now!
My 1st season bird was: 26.5 pounds, 11.25" beard, and 1.25" spurs (score: 74)
Dads bird was: 23 pounds, 1 inch spurs and a 10" beard
My 4th season bird was: 23 pounds, 9.5" beard, 1 1/6" spur and 1 3/8" spur.
My fiancés bird was: 20 pounds, 11" beard, and 1" spurs
It is pretty wild when a tom comes to you like that and so close too! Congrats on all the success.
