wapsiguy
PMA Member
The urge to go out and do some listening hit me about a month ago and I did find some birds but they had changed their roosting spot from the last two years and that really screwed up my plans. For the last month I have been out every weekend morning listening and scouting but I still couldn’t get a good handle on any sort of pattern so I went to plan B and scouted another spot where I took a friend last 4th season to fill his tag.
The birds were there but this spot has a river run thru it and there was always the chance that they would be roosted on the other side. There were gobblers there Saturday morning and Sunday morning on my side so I felt pretty good about my chances.
My plan was to set up Limb Chicken’s hand me down DB Sunday after noon but that changed with the high winds because in my mind those turkeys would be down in the bottoms and I didn’t want to bump them across the river so I decided to take the gun instead.
I was set up a few minutes after 5:00 and sat down and leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a bit when I heard a what I thought was the drumming of a gobbler. Thinking that I was just hearing things I closed my eyes again. Phhhhiiiittt!!! What the??? I heard it again and this time confirmed it was a bird and soon there after I was hearing them all around me and CLOSE.
I strained my neck the find the bird to my left but it was just too dark. I spotted him as soon as an owl sounded off and the woods around me lit up with booming gobbles. He was just over 20 yards to my left not to mention the one was less than 20 yards directly in front of me.
There was at least 5 gobblers all within 40-50 yards of my tree and I could help but smile and take it all in. This is by far the closest I have ever set up on a roosted bird, it was one of the best experiences I have had in the spring turkey woods and I was just soaking it up. I even said to myself that even if I find a way to screw this up it will have been something I won’t soon forget.
I watched the bird to my left hit the ground at 6:07 and another tom landed with him and strutted off of my left shoulder and behind me at 10 yards. I made the decision to let them go and hope that the others would give me a better shot so that I would have to move the gun that far to my left. Another tom hit the ground along with the one in front of me but the tom in front flew to about 40 yards and the other was off of my left shoulder again and closing fast. I slowly repositioned my gun and it was over at 6:09, Bird a floppin at 10 yards.
23.5 pounds, 10.75” beard, one spur 1.25” and the other 1.31”
The birds were there but this spot has a river run thru it and there was always the chance that they would be roosted on the other side. There were gobblers there Saturday morning and Sunday morning on my side so I felt pretty good about my chances.
My plan was to set up Limb Chicken’s hand me down DB Sunday after noon but that changed with the high winds because in my mind those turkeys would be down in the bottoms and I didn’t want to bump them across the river so I decided to take the gun instead.
I was set up a few minutes after 5:00 and sat down and leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a bit when I heard a what I thought was the drumming of a gobbler. Thinking that I was just hearing things I closed my eyes again. Phhhhiiiittt!!! What the??? I heard it again and this time confirmed it was a bird and soon there after I was hearing them all around me and CLOSE.
I strained my neck the find the bird to my left but it was just too dark. I spotted him as soon as an owl sounded off and the woods around me lit up with booming gobbles. He was just over 20 yards to my left not to mention the one was less than 20 yards directly in front of me.
There was at least 5 gobblers all within 40-50 yards of my tree and I could help but smile and take it all in. This is by far the closest I have ever set up on a roosted bird, it was one of the best experiences I have had in the spring turkey woods and I was just soaking it up. I even said to myself that even if I find a way to screw this up it will have been something I won’t soon forget.
I watched the bird to my left hit the ground at 6:07 and another tom landed with him and strutted off of my left shoulder and behind me at 10 yards. I made the decision to let them go and hope that the others would give me a better shot so that I would have to move the gun that far to my left. Another tom hit the ground along with the one in front of me but the tom in front flew to about 40 yards and the other was off of my left shoulder again and closing fast. I slowly repositioned my gun and it was over at 6:09, Bird a floppin at 10 yards.
23.5 pounds, 10.75” beard, one spur 1.25” and the other 1.31”
That would really have been a start! :way:
