Post by HighCotton on May 6, 2011 20:02:23 GMT -5
Finally connected on a nice Gobbler...
And I owe a ton to Woody and many of you on this site! I'll explain a bit down the thread.
Every morning I got out this week was total frustration in the turkey woods. Y'all know the story. Up at 3 am. Slam down some coffee and head for the woods. All pumped up and excited. And no birds
.
How many times? Not a single gobble. No sight of a bird except songbirds (which is cool, but not the reason for the day). Verrry frustrating.
So this morning, the woods is the last thing on my mind as I'm heading to an appt at DePauw University. Then I get a call and find out I'm postponed.
? In a short bit I can make it to the woods and maybe get about 1 hour in the woods. But 10 o'clock? What the heck - away I go. I get to the site, shut the door, and hear a gobbler immediately sound off about 100 yards to my south on the neighbors property. But that's cool. Most I've heard in a while.
I don the camo, grab my main slate call and range finder and head for our woods. I stop and yelp like a mad hen and get another gobbler talkin about 200 yds to my east. I make my way over and it sounds like the bird is moving away from me. I don't have much time so I decide to head back to our clearing. I stop and yelp again and get 2 more sounding off in different directions. I can't believe this. I've never had this much action at this time of the day. Moving on toward the closest gobbler which is a couple hundred yards to my west, I stop just before our clearing which is actually a power line right of way.
Whoa! A Big Ole Gobbler in full strut! Never heard a single gobble out of him. I drop to my knees and start putting aggressively on my call. I'm not in much cover - just a bunch of scrub trees. I range him at 80 ish yards and I have his attention. He has a hen with him who starts moving into the woods. I call back at him and I think I ticked the hen off because she came back out into the clearing. Oh yeah, I'm thinking - bring the Big Boy to me. I decide he might be close enough for a shot, but I need to stand up to get above the weeds. I carefully stand up and range him at 63 yards (pretty easy since he was in full strut the whole time). Pretty crazy since this gobbler was strutting on the very ground I had just walked over approx. 10 minutes earlier!
I put the rangefinder in my pocket and whispered, "C'mon big boy. Pop that big blue head out and give me a target."
KAPOWEE!
Dropped him in his tracks! I jumped out into the clearing while jacking another shell because I was sure the bird was going to try yo fly off. After all 63 yards??!! I get half way to him and he ain't movin'. Within 10 yards, he flirped and jerked a few times and then laid there. Graveyard Dead! 10:17 a.m.!
I still can't believe it
;D ;D
Here's the amazing thing - other than busting a bird in a bit over 15 minutes in broad daylight. I've never taken a bird past 35 yards until now. Many of you know the questions I have asked about reaching out further to get a bird...about the use of Hevi-Shot 13...about what guns/chokes to use. Today I got my answer. Mossberg 500A, 12 ga. with Mossberg XX670 choke using the Hevi-Shot 13, #5, 3", 20z. will absolutely drop a fine gobbler at 63 yards! Thanks guys for the help! And thanks to my buddy DJ for making a great call!
When I got home tonight, I spent a little time with my grandson and son who helped me size up and dress the bird. The bird weighed 23 lb, 14 oz.( with the help of a neighbors digital scale). The beard was 11.625 inches. The left spur measured 1.25" and the right spur measured1.125"
As I said, I'm just elated with this Gobbler!
Now, here's wishin' whitetail1 and his boys even better success tomorrow!
And I owe a ton to Woody and many of you on this site! I'll explain a bit down the thread.
Every morning I got out this week was total frustration in the turkey woods. Y'all know the story. Up at 3 am. Slam down some coffee and head for the woods. All pumped up and excited. And no birds
. How many times? Not a single gobble. No sight of a bird except songbirds (which is cool, but not the reason for the day). Verrry frustrating.
So this morning, the woods is the last thing on my mind as I'm heading to an appt at DePauw University. Then I get a call and find out I'm postponed.
? In a short bit I can make it to the woods and maybe get about 1 hour in the woods. But 10 o'clock? What the heck - away I go. I get to the site, shut the door, and hear a gobbler immediately sound off about 100 yards to my south on the neighbors property. But that's cool. Most I've heard in a while.I don the camo, grab my main slate call and range finder and head for our woods. I stop and yelp like a mad hen and get another gobbler talkin about 200 yds to my east. I make my way over and it sounds like the bird is moving away from me. I don't have much time so I decide to head back to our clearing. I stop and yelp again and get 2 more sounding off in different directions. I can't believe this. I've never had this much action at this time of the day. Moving on toward the closest gobbler which is a couple hundred yards to my west, I stop just before our clearing which is actually a power line right of way.
Whoa! A Big Ole Gobbler in full strut! Never heard a single gobble out of him. I drop to my knees and start putting aggressively on my call. I'm not in much cover - just a bunch of scrub trees. I range him at 80 ish yards and I have his attention. He has a hen with him who starts moving into the woods. I call back at him and I think I ticked the hen off because she came back out into the clearing. Oh yeah, I'm thinking - bring the Big Boy to me. I decide he might be close enough for a shot, but I need to stand up to get above the weeds. I carefully stand up and range him at 63 yards (pretty easy since he was in full strut the whole time). Pretty crazy since this gobbler was strutting on the very ground I had just walked over approx. 10 minutes earlier!
I put the rangefinder in my pocket and whispered, "C'mon big boy. Pop that big blue head out and give me a target."
KAPOWEE!
Dropped him in his tracks! I jumped out into the clearing while jacking another shell because I was sure the bird was going to try yo fly off. After all 63 yards??!! I get half way to him and he ain't movin'. Within 10 yards, he flirped and jerked a few times and then laid there. Graveyard Dead! 10:17 a.m.!
I still can't believe it
;D ;DHere's the amazing thing - other than busting a bird in a bit over 15 minutes in broad daylight. I've never taken a bird past 35 yards until now. Many of you know the questions I have asked about reaching out further to get a bird...about the use of Hevi-Shot 13...about what guns/chokes to use. Today I got my answer. Mossberg 500A, 12 ga. with Mossberg XX670 choke using the Hevi-Shot 13, #5, 3", 20z. will absolutely drop a fine gobbler at 63 yards! Thanks guys for the help! And thanks to my buddy DJ for making a great call!
When I got home tonight, I spent a little time with my grandson and son who helped me size up and dress the bird. The bird weighed 23 lb, 14 oz.( with the help of a neighbors digital scale). The beard was 11.625 inches. The left spur measured 1.25" and the right spur measured1.125"
As I said, I'm just elated with this Gobbler!
Now, here's wishin' whitetail1 and his boys even better success tomorrow!
Thanks, Larry. ;D
....................turkey scout