Shovelbuck
Active Member
Great job R-bow
Horn Hunter
Member
Good shootin Randy. Congrats!!
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
Where is the story????
I thought you folks hated to read and only liked pictures.
There is this one piece of property I have been driving by for years, seems like there is always a flock of turkeys on it. Back in January I drove by, it was covered in turkeys and I vowed I'd find out who owns it and try to gain permission.
I went on-line to the tax assessor website and about screamed with joy when I saw the owners name. I'd asked him to pheasant hunt another property of his (he owns 2,000 acres, all spread out over two counties) about twenty years ago so I figured my odds of gaining permission were good. I chatted with him for 2.5 hours on the evening of February 14, at the end of which he said to hunt whatever/whenever I want on his land.
I hadn't been this pumped about spring turkey season for some time.
A month before season, I headed to buy my spring turkey licenses. I very briefly debated on whether to get two archery tags right away or wait and maybe pick up a fourth season gun/bow tag. It didn’t take long for me to make the decision to get two bow tags, as I had hopes and dreams of getting a double. Only way to do that is to have two tags in hand.
I arrived a little late the morning of April 17 (couldn't take off work on Monday the 16th). There are some grain bins on the west end of the property, thought I would park my car there. I pulled in the drive, decided I should hunt the east end, so backed out of the drive and headed east. I parked the car on the side of the road, got out and heard turkeys gobbling on the west end. So back in the car I go and park among the grain bins. I got set up on the west end and later in the morning, I watched birds run across the east end, figures! I had to take the dog to the vet for shots at 11:30 so I cut the morning hunt short. I decided to go back in the afternoon and set up on the east end.
Looking up from reading a book at 2:30 pm, I had two toms pop into the field off the river bottom, then go back. They reappeared 100 yards further west. About that time a hen ran across the chisel plowed corn field between us and headed for the NE corner of the field. That started them my way. The hen moved off on them so I tried to call them in. With the hen gone, they slowly started working my way from about 200 yards out. I tried to stay calm, but being the first encounter with turkeys this year and the length of time it took them to come in, I started getting jacked up. I rushed the shot and just trimmed feathers on one. They didn't freak out too bad, walked down to the NE corner where the hen had disappeared.
When the first two toms were almost to my decoys, I had heard a tom gobble across the road behind me, so I decided to hang around after the miss. Pretty soon, here comes a hen into the field after crossing the road. The two toms I shot at started strutting (she was between us). Then I see two toms enter the field where the hen just did. I yelped a couple times and they headed my way.
Their path took them past the blind at 10 yards, I arrowed the dominant tom (he'd been strutting more than the other) with a G5 Montec tipped arrow. He only flopped a little, but his buddy took the opportunity to jump on him. This brought the other two toms I'd shot at earlier running. I missed the first tom that mounted the dead one (lots of movement going on with him attacking the down bird and two other toms rushing in), but I arrowed the next tom I shot at (one of the first two) with a Wasp Bullet tipped arrow. When I hit him, the other two toms started attacking him. If I had more tags, I might have been able to fill another. The second tom was able to move yet, so I quickly jumped out of the blind to run him down (which spooked the other two toms off, but I didn’t care as I was tagged out). I did not want him making it out of the corn field, so I ran at him on an angle that made him move towards the center of the field as he tried to flee. I caught him fairly quickly and rung his neck. It was a very fast paced hunt for a minute or two.
Bird#1 (on the right below)
10.5” beard
Right spur = ¾“
Left spur = 7/8”
Weight 24.5 lbs
Bird#2
11” beard
Right spur = nub
Left spur = 1”
Weight 20.5 lbs
JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
This is awesome!! :way: Great job and pictures :grin:
I like the last pic with you hanging on the those CHiPs glasses
Those are readers. I had to have them on to see to program the timer on the camera.
Limb Chicken
Active Member
Nice work Ran-Bo! :way:
