Yea, there was another bird that had a beard that looked bigger but the one I shot was the biggest body and the closest to me. This flock lived all winter on top of a silage pile at the farm where I hunt.
I'd like to tell a big elborate story about how I everything worked like it does on TV. Truth is I've been seeing these birds 125yards off the road feeding around this rock/brushpile for a week. Went out set my strutter and hen decoy out, sat flat on the ground next to the pile. Nothing to lean against, nothing to break my outline, just sat in the grass.
Got setup bout 20min after day break, could hear them talking 500yards away while I was setting my decoys. I sat down, bout 9am I realized I forgot my slate call, jumped up ran to the truck 200 yards away just outta sight, realized I left it at home(crap), ran back sat down, 10min later I spotted them working across the neighbors hayfield, then into my corn field. I let the toms get to about 40yards and then they fed back away from me, meanwhile 4 jakes and 2 hens were feeding infront of my dekes at 10yards. They all fed across the field and then fed back to me again. I couldnt take the pain from holding perfectly still sitting cross legged anymore. When the toms hit 40yards again I pulled up and dumped a 3 1/2 inch 4shot into him and left him upside down. I had a mouth call in which I yelped on a few times and I could get them to gobble but they didnt wanna walk right in. No special calling.
Limb, I was up here in da woods. This is the 3rd year for our area. We dont have turkeys everywhere like you guys do, there are groups here and groups there. You have to hunt a particular group, you cant just go out and call one in. When the group was working across the field towards me a truck stopped to look at them and they just kept strutting 75yards off the road. I think I woulda killed one with out dekes there it mighta just taken longer before they fed close enough.
Shoot2kill, I dont know its just a 3 1/2 in 870...Its not mine I borrowed it becuase I didnt have any decent 3in lead and a buddy had 3 1/2s and a gun for them. The chokes dont say full/mod/Im they say stuff like: over the dekes, pass shooting, full, something else. Alls I know is my buddy hates it, it wont cycle Black Cloud 3 inch BBB and the trigger guard smashes the shooters middle finger. Several of us tried it to make sure it wasnt just someone with a loose grip.
Edited to add: You guys do weigh them with all the guts in right? This bird had 2cups of corn kernels in his throat.
