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Post by tjshunter13 on May 13, 2023 9:07:46 GMT -5
My son and I decided to give it a go this morning and do it speed dating style. We had to be back this afternoon for some family gatherings, so we planned to hunt until about 930 and spend very little time hunting if we weren’t getting responses/seeing birds. We struck out at the first place with nothing gobbling anywhere close. Second place we went, we saw a hen and a Jake and tried to get around in front of them and they never showed. Went to the third location, sat down and called a single series of yelps on this old box call that I rarely use and one gobbled. Waited ten minutes, yelped and then threw a cut at him followed by me gobbling at him and two birds double gobbled back at us. Five minutes later and they popped out at 100 yards and came to us on a string. Well, my son missed the first shot at 25 yards!! I couldn’t believe it - I whispered loudly and said shoot again! He composed himself and made a second shot that was perfect, the bird hit the dirt and flopped a few times and that was it! From the time the truck door closed to the time he shot was 30 minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that. I said what happened on that first shot- he said well dad I always like to make it exciting! Lol. He has his fathers sense of humor I guess. Anyways. Thankful for the good lord (and my wife) to allow me to chase these birds, thankful for a good hunt with my son, and feeling very blessed to end this season on such a high note! Also, I think I’ll start speed hunting a little more often! Lol. Thanks for reading and good luck to y’all still out chasing. It can all change in 30 minutes or less!
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 29, 2023 12:42:33 GMT -5
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 29, 2023 12:38:21 GMT -5
Ten turkey seasons have come and gone since our last hunt together. In your honor, I decided to sport a mustache for turkey season this year. It’s been a long ten years without you. I started this season like I do every year, excited to chase these wonderful birds that drive me so crazy but also with a piece of me wishing you were here too. It’s been ten seasons of highs and lows. Some good days in the turkey woods and some not so good days. This morning though, this was very much one of those highs that we all live for and dream about in the turkey woods. Birds were gobbling good and the perfect roost hunt took place. It was a whole lot of good fortune and with a little bit of love sick hen calling, a fine gobbler came strutting right in. As he walked his final steps straight into our setup, I heard your voice saying “take your time tj. Aim small miss small. Slow and steady squeeze.” Even though you’re not here next to me, I know you’re still here with me. Thank you for the pep talk and wish you were here for the celebration. Looking forward to the next time. This one’s for you dad. Love you
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Post by tjshunter13 on Sept 9, 2022 14:29:38 GMT -5
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Post by tjshunter13 on Sept 7, 2022 11:08:37 GMT -5
Hello all. With the opening day quickly approaching, I wanted to give you all a heads up about the Buck Creek Trophy Club. Buck Creek Trophy Club is based out of Yorktown, IN and was founded in 1987. Our annual meeting is held at the American Legion every Super Bowl Sunday. Members carry-in food and drinks. The meeting starts at 1:00 p.m., but you're welcome to come earlier to swap stories. We award 4 different categories, Largest Scoring Turkey, Largest Scoring Buck with Bow, Largest Scoring Buck with Gun and Largest Scoring Buck taken by a Youth. Winners take home $150. ALL youth will go home with a plaque for submitting a deer (buck or doe). We have traveling trophies for each of these categories. Youth are also in the running for our other three trophies. All game must be taken legally in the state of Indiana. Membership fees are $10 this year and will increase to $20 in 2023. Dues must be paid prior to the start of each respective season. You can message me for more info or if you’re wanting to join.
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Post by tjshunter13 on May 15, 2022 16:55:18 GMT -5
So my daughter and I were in the blind at first light this morning & had one spitting and drumming about 50-75 yards up the hill from us on the edge of a cedar thicket. We heard him fly down and then head away from us. I told her we should try to get ahead of him and we quickly got out of the blind, moved up the hill about 40 yards and a hen busted out from under some thick thorn and honeysuckle bushes not 20 yards past where we had set the decoys out. I walked over to where she had been sitting and four or five poults went running every which direction. I didn’t know what else to do so we backed out of there and hens started cutting and yelping all over the cedar thicket and one flew up in a tree not far from us and went on and on, cutting, putting, and cutting at us. Acting really agitated.
First off, will the hen come back to find her poults?
Secondly, will all those poults stay close until she comes back?
Lastly, were those other hens trying to attract a potential predator away from that nest or was it just coincidence that they all cut loose after she putted and flew?
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Post by tjshunter13 on May 14, 2022 5:08:57 GMT -5
Anyone hearing any talking this morning? Our with my daughter and hoping to fill her tag. We’ve been here since 520 and haven’t even heard a hen talking.
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Post by tjshunter13 on May 10, 2022 15:47:00 GMT -5
If that jake is going to act like a man, then treat him like one! Awesome video! Congratulations to Jake! If he wants to talk the talk, then he can walk the walk… with me to the truck! Congratulations to the successful hunter on a fine first bird and an awesome hunt as well.
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Post by tjshunter13 on May 9, 2022 20:13:31 GMT -5
Buddy of mine sent me this picture this morning of his Tom’s spurs...24 lbs..11” beard and 2” HOOKS!! 😳 Dang! Those are some serious hooks! What part of the state? North, south, etc.
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Post by tjshunter13 on May 1, 2022 22:25:18 GMT -5
Didn’t have great service at camp, so here’s the photos to go with the story
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 30, 2022 16:10:09 GMT -5
So this morning, my 18 year old son and I started off the morning at a new property. Had some birds gobbling early but nothing super close. Had a few hens come into our setup but no make birds. About 845, my buddy text me and said he had scored on our camp property and he was probably going to be leaving bc he had to get home for some family commitments. He wanted me to come help him dress his turkey out and etc bc he’d never done it before. So I told my son to sit tight. This property is only about a half mile from our camp, so I figured he could hunt while I helped my buddy out.
Went and helped my buddy out and did it as quickly as possible. Call my son back and he is saying there’s two hens out in front of him and he thought he heard a gobble up the hill. So I hangout a little while and he calls me back and said the hens are gone and he hasn’t heard a gobble in awhile. I then decide to come back and hunt with him.
I get back in the blind about 930 and said alright we’ll hunt until about 1. My other buddies text me and said they were coming down about 1115 and my son says we’ll, I am kinda hungry and I could use a nap. It had been raining off and on and I just had a feelin that we would see birds in the field. I said well, let’s wait until 12pm and then we’ll head back for lunch.
About 1145 I hear a gobble. We’re setup in this woodlot at the end of a 400-500 yard long hay field. I am looking through the binos at this field and I see nothing but I could’ve swore it came from the far end of that field. I call a couple times and nothing answers me.
1150 and my son is like can we go? I said ten more minutes.
1155 and I look towards the edge of the field and there’s two redheads coming our way. I do some soft calling and they start to skirt the edge of us and then they see the decoys and they head right at us. I look at my son and I said there’s two and ones for sure a Tom - do you want to shoot him? He says yes. I said ok. He says actually, let’s just pull a double - I’ll shoot the lead and you shoot the rear. I said ok. Birds come in and close the distance to 30 but they are right next to one another and keep switching from lead to follow.
We get them to separate finally and we touch off and both drop!! My sons bird is a double bearded Jake with a 3.5 inch and 5 inch beard. Mine is a Tom with a 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. My son harvested his bird with my dads gun (his grandfather) who passed away in 2013. We both had some hugs, high fives, and a few tears as well.
Probably one of the best days of my life. I like to think that dad is sitting upstairs somewhere and looking down with a huge smile. Maybe even a congratulatory beer raised as well. Thanks for reading and hope you all have good luck and a great of the season. I am tagged out for 2022 and I am so happy to have done it in the way that I did.
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 28, 2022 5:02:15 GMT -5
Hunting some public land today so we can stretch our legs. Had a pretty exciting couple hunts yesterday, but no dice. Good luck to everyone out this morning and stay safe
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 26, 2022 16:50:42 GMT -5
11 hours away from my favorite day of the year! Good luck to you all and i hope you stay safe!
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 24, 2022 21:38:58 GMT -5
Well my cousins son rylen and I got setup early Saturday on a new property. We were setup in a small wooded creek bottom with about a 500-600 yard long field next to it on the neighbors. The neighbors field usually has anywhere from 2-10 turkeys in it and so we were hoping to pull them off the neighbors field or catch them slipping through the wood lot to the field. We had good gobbling all morning long but nothing got close. About 9, a bearded hen came through and I gave him the choice of shooting or letting her walk and he decided he wanted to shoot. As I was trying to help him get in position, she decided she thought something wasn’t right and started to skirt the edge of us. I was trying to whisper to him to wait and I was too late. He touched off a shot and she took off putting and then flew. Clean miss. I didn’t want to yell to get his attention but I guess I should’ve been a little louder or maybe tapped his shoulder. We talked it over and I let him know it happens but we definitely want to keep it under 35 yards with a 20 gauge. Took a break around 11 for lunch and then came back about 330 and he’s passed out asleep by 345. I made one soft series of calls & nothing. He wakes up for a few mins and asks if he missed anything and I said nope. Back to sleep he goes. I’m just playing solitaire and I hear spitting and drumming. Look up and there’s a Tom heading straight for the decoys. I wake up rylen and grab his gun and tell him we have a Tom in front of us and to put the bead on his head. Bird comes to 20 yards and stops and I cluck at him to raise his head and rylen rolls him. 24 lb Tom with 1.2 in and 1.25 in spurs and 10 inch beard. He is hooked!
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 22, 2022 8:44:59 GMT -5
Congratulations!
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Post by tjshunter13 on Apr 18, 2022 12:17:53 GMT -5
First youth season I’m not taking my twins out as they are 18 now. Luckily my cousins son asked ti to this year, so I’ll still be out there chasing them. Good luck to everyone and stay safe! Weather is fixin to get a little bit on the warm side, but I guess that’s better than 40 degrees and 20 mile an hour winds
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Post by tjshunter13 on Mar 18, 2022 12:26:33 GMT -5
Has anyone read this book? I have been looking for it for months and can’t find a copy anywhere. The ones I DO find are over $100! Must be a pretty good book! If anyone has read Tenth Legion by Tom Kelly, is it worth it? It was referred to as the best turkey hunting book ever written. Thanks for any input! Not sure where you were looking, but his website lists the tenth legion hardcover for 30 bucks and Amazon lists it for $39.50
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Post by tjshunter13 on Mar 18, 2022 11:20:11 GMT -5
I loved it. Colonel Tom Kelly is a great author and has written several other books as well. I would recommend it personally, but I also know not everyone has the same taste. It’s not a book about tips and strategy. There is some of that, but it’s more about the author and his experiences hunting turkey.
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Post by tjshunter13 on Mar 11, 2022 22:20:09 GMT -5
It can’t get here soon enough! Went out a couple days this week to scout a couple different public land spots. Saw a little sign and also saw a few flocks while out driving around. Is anyone else counting down like I am?? I am already dreaming about spitting and drumming Tom’s standing at the end of my gun barrel and I can’t tell you how bad I want to hear one gobble
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Post by tjshunter13 on Feb 24, 2022 23:22:59 GMT -5
It’s a little bit of a drive depending on where you live in the county but, my friend had some luck at Brookville Lake in years past My Uncle has a friend who swears by Brookeville but he said it's swarming with hunters. Brookville can be very hot and it can also be very cold. Birds do see a decent amount of pressure, but some spots are harder to get to and so you can get some good hunts if willing to work.
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