moosehunter
PMA Member
Being I seem to have a credibility problem here lately I was hoping I could con Hogie into going with to video a hunt for me but he was busy building new bird pens so I went alone again. I new exactly where I wanted to set up though. I scouted it a week ago and there could just as well been a sign out that says "turkey strutting area". It really looked good.
I made the short trip across a field and onto an old logging path between two woods when I see ahead of me 75 yards or so a tom in full strut. So I crouched down and scooted off to the side and quietly put up the blind and set out a jake and hen decoys. The 1st yelp I made he shot back with a double gobble. I kept trying to talk him in but he wasn't moving so I figured he had some girlfriends with him. After a while I couldn't even get him to gobble. So I moved the blind with me in it another 30 or 40 yards closer, picking up the dekes as I went. I set them again and hit the call hard and got a serious gobble again. This time he came a runnin'. I could tell at 12 yards in full strut he was a dandy bird but a fence was between us and I was sure I was gonna bounce the arrow right off a strand. So at full draw I waited for him to move closer, or farther, or something. He decided to move farther and I was never able to get a good bead on him after that. He moved off out of site and wouldn't answer any call I tried, so I gave up on him. When I had the blind down and everything picked up to move to a different spot I see him again crossing the path in front of me and heading north. I don't think he saw me but I figured there was something on my setup he didn't like.
So I set up in another spot that looked awesome. I put out two hens this time on the field edge next to a cut into the woods. All together I moved maybe 150 yards farther. I hit a pretty note and got a serious gobble in front of me down the hill. He sounded fairly close. I purred a couple more times and he gobbled again, I could tell he was coming fast. So I let a couple more minutes go and soft purred one more time just to coax him in to the dekes. When I set the call down I looked out the side window and had a different bird at 4 or 5 yards. He came in silent from behind me. When he stepped into my shooting lane I had my top pin on him and let lighting fast Bowtech (muddy
)and the thunderhead do the nasty stuff. A perfect vital shot at 12 yards finished him off. 10:45 a.m. and I shot my best bird to date. In all the hunt lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The bird weighed in at 24lbs. It had a 10 1/4' beard and 1 3/16" hooks.
That makes me 3 for 3 on birds with a bow, and I think 11 for 11 on birds all together. I guess I'll go get another tag and wait for my dad to come up next weekend. I know he'll do the video work.
I made the short trip across a field and onto an old logging path between two woods when I see ahead of me 75 yards or so a tom in full strut. So I crouched down and scooted off to the side and quietly put up the blind and set out a jake and hen decoys. The 1st yelp I made he shot back with a double gobble. I kept trying to talk him in but he wasn't moving so I figured he had some girlfriends with him. After a while I couldn't even get him to gobble. So I moved the blind with me in it another 30 or 40 yards closer, picking up the dekes as I went. I set them again and hit the call hard and got a serious gobble again. This time he came a runnin'. I could tell at 12 yards in full strut he was a dandy bird but a fence was between us and I was sure I was gonna bounce the arrow right off a strand. So at full draw I waited for him to move closer, or farther, or something. He decided to move farther and I was never able to get a good bead on him after that. He moved off out of site and wouldn't answer any call I tried, so I gave up on him. When I had the blind down and everything picked up to move to a different spot I see him again crossing the path in front of me and heading north. I don't think he saw me but I figured there was something on my setup he didn't like.
So I set up in another spot that looked awesome. I put out two hens this time on the field edge next to a cut into the woods. All together I moved maybe 150 yards farther. I hit a pretty note and got a serious gobble in front of me down the hill. He sounded fairly close. I purred a couple more times and he gobbled again, I could tell he was coming fast. So I let a couple more minutes go and soft purred one more time just to coax him in to the dekes. When I set the call down I looked out the side window and had a different bird at 4 or 5 yards. He came in silent from behind me. When he stepped into my shooting lane I had my top pin on him and let lighting fast Bowtech (muddy
The bird weighed in at 24lbs. It had a 10 1/4' beard and 1 3/16" hooks.
That makes me 3 for 3 on birds with a bow, and I think 11 for 11 on birds all together. I guess I'll go get another tag and wait for my dad to come up next weekend. I know he'll do the video work.
