AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
To start things off, this has been THE most interesting season I have had in 13 years of turkey hunting.
Wednesday morning, the opener for fourth season, was a perfect cool, calm morning. I knew the turkeys would be be gobbling good, so, I elected to head for the same tree I killed my 28 lb'er out of during first season. With an owl hoot to break the tranquil morning's silence, a gobble shattered back at less than 100 yards. I was elated, knowing that he would fly down in a well known 'Drop-Zone' when the turkey's pitched off the roost. He did about exaclty what I thought he would do, but, he was about 70 yards away. He strutted, and strutted, and strutted. He slowly worked his way toward me, approaching the opposite side of a downed tree, still presenting no shot. I'm not patient when I have a gut feeling that I can make something happen. There was a little dip in the ground between the brush pile and I and I thought maybe I could crawl closer to him and pop up by the brush pile and get a shot. As soon as I started to lean forward, a group of hens that I didn't notice spooked and started flying across water to my right.. At first I thought 'CRAP', but then I realized the tom was still there and all of his ladies were on the other side of the water, possibly making it easier for me to call him in. I yelped and he came in on a string... 25 yards............I sqeeeeezed the trigger and....CLICK (#1).. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! He heard the click and stuck his head up and came in to 20 yards and finally moved off.
The night before, I completely disassembled my 870 supermag to clean it, and in the process, bent some spring loaded piece of metal that slides against the bolt and when the bolt was forward, it curved around the back and wouldn't allow the hammer to hit the firing pin. I popped the pins out of the trigger assembly with a stick while still sitting agaist the tree and "thought" I had the problem cured.
That evening after work, I decided to do a little shroomin'. I popped up over a hill, and low and behold stood a tom and a few hens in a field. I knew exactly where they were going to go, so, I ran a 1/4 mile back to my pickup and grabbed my hunting gear and gun and ran back to where I had seen the turkeys. They were still out in the field, so I dropped down below the ridge and ran to where they would be pinched between a narrow gap from a pond and stream. I sat there for a while and finally here they came. A hen flew across the water and the tom was about to, and then I yelped. He turned and headed straight for me. He never quite presented the shot I wanted, even though he was no further than 30 yards and then he spooked and flew away. I was disappointed, but, that's hunting. I went home to test fire my shotgun with a target load because I hadn't had the chance to do so yet since the mornings mishap. CLICK (#2).... I was a little angered but was glad I didn't get a shot on that second tom because right now, I'm pretty sure that gun would have been wrapped around the nearest tree if it happened to two turkeys in one day. I finally realized the problem with the gun and jimmy'd a screw driver up into the receiver and bent the spring hootinanny back into it's original position.....sort of.
Yesterday morning, I decided to take my best friend (Andy) to the spot I killed my first-season bird and had the encounter with on wednesday morning. We found a tom, but he was roosted in a different area. We snuck to with-in 100 yards or so of his roost and set up against a big tree. Re-wind....The night before, we had a couple brewskis together, and after I went home, my friend decided he would have a few too many more..... Fast-forward.. The tom flew down and I was able to call him to about 65-70 yards and he hung up. A jake made his way into about 30 yards. We sat there and watched him for an eternity, and then Andy started saying he felt like he had to puke. I kept saying "don't do it", "you'll spook the turkeys"... The jake started heading away, and that's when all hell broke loose.. Andy quick leaned to his right and lifted his facemask and started projectile vomitting everywhere. I was laughing at first... BUT, then realized he barfed right on his heated Thermacell. I'm the type of person that, if I smell puke, I'm going to be ralfing also. So, I can start to smell it, I then realize it's cooking on his Thermacell and I started to gag. The only thing keeping me from puking was that this whole time, the tom was still 80 yards out and strutting.. Well, yesterday morning turned into an unsuccessful barf-a-rama.
This morning, the 4th, I decided to try the same place again. I heard the first gobble at 0450.. and it was right where I wanted him to be, where I was wednesday morning. When I got there, I could hear one tom gobbling, but then could hear a different one just spitting up in the tree. He was close. Turns out, he was roosted on the same exact branch as my first season bird. I was 30 yards from him while he was in the tree. I never had to call and he pitched down and I blasted him at 0535. I ran up to him and it was still very low light. I checked out his spurs and beard and then called my dad. I was facing away from my turkey and then started to hear something flop around. All of a sudden, there is a turkey literally 2 feet to my right running and jumped up on a log and took off running again.. I yelled in the phone to my dad "SH$%!!" " My turkey is running away!!" I un-slung my shotgun and tried to lift it to my shoulder, with my phone still tucked between my ear and other shoulder and then 'My' turkey flew away!!! I yelled "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" My dad could hear the commotion, and he said "What the hell was that!" I told him what happened, but then I turned around and the turkey I shot was still laying there three feet away.. Turns out, the other one was a tom or jake, flew down from his roost and almost landed on top of me and must have pooped himself when he realized what I was... I also almost pooped myself..
This is my 16th turkey, 3rd limb-hanger, 2nd limb-hanger this year!
Sorry for the long/weird story.... Must be something in the water in this small town that makes Thomas and I produce these non-traditional stories.. :drink1:
Anywho, here are the STATS:
21 lb 9 oz
10 7/8" beard
LSPUR 1 1/2"
RSPUR 1 1/4"
Wednesday morning, the opener for fourth season, was a perfect cool, calm morning. I knew the turkeys would be be gobbling good, so, I elected to head for the same tree I killed my 28 lb'er out of during first season. With an owl hoot to break the tranquil morning's silence, a gobble shattered back at less than 100 yards. I was elated, knowing that he would fly down in a well known 'Drop-Zone' when the turkey's pitched off the roost. He did about exaclty what I thought he would do, but, he was about 70 yards away. He strutted, and strutted, and strutted. He slowly worked his way toward me, approaching the opposite side of a downed tree, still presenting no shot. I'm not patient when I have a gut feeling that I can make something happen. There was a little dip in the ground between the brush pile and I and I thought maybe I could crawl closer to him and pop up by the brush pile and get a shot. As soon as I started to lean forward, a group of hens that I didn't notice spooked and started flying across water to my right.. At first I thought 'CRAP', but then I realized the tom was still there and all of his ladies were on the other side of the water, possibly making it easier for me to call him in. I yelped and he came in on a string... 25 yards............I sqeeeeezed the trigger and....CLICK (#1).. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! He heard the click and stuck his head up and came in to 20 yards and finally moved off.
The night before, I completely disassembled my 870 supermag to clean it, and in the process, bent some spring loaded piece of metal that slides against the bolt and when the bolt was forward, it curved around the back and wouldn't allow the hammer to hit the firing pin. I popped the pins out of the trigger assembly with a stick while still sitting agaist the tree and "thought" I had the problem cured.
That evening after work, I decided to do a little shroomin'. I popped up over a hill, and low and behold stood a tom and a few hens in a field. I knew exactly where they were going to go, so, I ran a 1/4 mile back to my pickup and grabbed my hunting gear and gun and ran back to where I had seen the turkeys. They were still out in the field, so I dropped down below the ridge and ran to where they would be pinched between a narrow gap from a pond and stream. I sat there for a while and finally here they came. A hen flew across the water and the tom was about to, and then I yelped. He turned and headed straight for me. He never quite presented the shot I wanted, even though he was no further than 30 yards and then he spooked and flew away. I was disappointed, but, that's hunting. I went home to test fire my shotgun with a target load because I hadn't had the chance to do so yet since the mornings mishap. CLICK (#2).... I was a little angered but was glad I didn't get a shot on that second tom because right now, I'm pretty sure that gun would have been wrapped around the nearest tree if it happened to two turkeys in one day. I finally realized the problem with the gun and jimmy'd a screw driver up into the receiver and bent the spring hootinanny back into it's original position.....sort of.
Yesterday morning, I decided to take my best friend (Andy) to the spot I killed my first-season bird and had the encounter with on wednesday morning. We found a tom, but he was roosted in a different area. We snuck to with-in 100 yards or so of his roost and set up against a big tree. Re-wind....The night before, we had a couple brewskis together, and after I went home, my friend decided he would have a few too many more..... Fast-forward.. The tom flew down and I was able to call him to about 65-70 yards and he hung up. A jake made his way into about 30 yards. We sat there and watched him for an eternity, and then Andy started saying he felt like he had to puke. I kept saying "don't do it", "you'll spook the turkeys"... The jake started heading away, and that's when all hell broke loose.. Andy quick leaned to his right and lifted his facemask and started projectile vomitting everywhere. I was laughing at first... BUT, then realized he barfed right on his heated Thermacell. I'm the type of person that, if I smell puke, I'm going to be ralfing also. So, I can start to smell it, I then realize it's cooking on his Thermacell and I started to gag. The only thing keeping me from puking was that this whole time, the tom was still 80 yards out and strutting.. Well, yesterday morning turned into an unsuccessful barf-a-rama.
This morning, the 4th, I decided to try the same place again. I heard the first gobble at 0450.. and it was right where I wanted him to be, where I was wednesday morning. When I got there, I could hear one tom gobbling, but then could hear a different one just spitting up in the tree. He was close. Turns out, he was roosted on the same exact branch as my first season bird. I was 30 yards from him while he was in the tree. I never had to call and he pitched down and I blasted him at 0535. I ran up to him and it was still very low light. I checked out his spurs and beard and then called my dad. I was facing away from my turkey and then started to hear something flop around. All of a sudden, there is a turkey literally 2 feet to my right running and jumped up on a log and took off running again.. I yelled in the phone to my dad "SH$%!!" " My turkey is running away!!" I un-slung my shotgun and tried to lift it to my shoulder, with my phone still tucked between my ear and other shoulder and then 'My' turkey flew away!!! I yelled "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" My dad could hear the commotion, and he said "What the hell was that!" I told him what happened, but then I turned around and the turkey I shot was still laying there three feet away.. Turns out, the other one was a tom or jake, flew down from his roost and almost landed on top of me and must have pooped himself when he realized what I was... I also almost pooped myself..
This is my 16th turkey, 3rd limb-hanger, 2nd limb-hanger this year!
Sorry for the long/weird story.... Must be something in the water in this small town that makes Thomas and I produce these non-traditional stories.. :drink1:
Anywho, here are the STATS:
21 lb 9 oz
10 7/8" beard
LSPUR 1 1/2"
RSPUR 1 1/4"
Great job!!
