Team 5 - THE BEARDED HENS

[bluehat28]

Hey all scored 7/8&3/4 spurs 9in beard 24lbs will post later lots of work to do.

[fishermusk]

I was out scouting for a hunt this Saturday with my niece, she is 14 years old. I saw a tom cross the road, I pulled up parked and watched him for a while. I eventually saw two hens with him, one of the hens had a beard, probably 7 or 8 inches long. That was the first time I have ever seen a hen with a beard.

While I was there a person on the other side of the road shot a tom. Looking forward to the weekend.

[paintbrush]

Congrats Bluehat!!! Way to get us started. Let's see those pics and hear your story!

[bety0108]

That a partner! One on the board for the bearded hens! I can not wait for my turn to post some good news! Nice job!

[sticknstring]

That's great news blue! Congrats on a fine opening day hunt! I got the truck packed and we'll be driving back down to NE tonight. Supposed to be windy and rainy all day Friday but clearing for the weekend. Hopefully we can put a few down!

[bluehat28]

Go String Go!!

[fishermusk]

My niece and I were greeted with snow Saturday mourning. It didn't seem to matter,we set up near a roosted gobbler about 70 yards away. We did,t know he was there till after we were set up. He flew down and was nearly running to us, Dezirea had to move to reposition the shotgun and the tom seen us and headed out. We moved to the other end of the field and watched the tom just inside the woods 50 yards away.I tried everything to get him to come closer scratching leaves ect. finally a hen walked out I thought the tom would fallow but the hen saw Dezirea's white face and took off into the woods.

We went home for a bit of rest and were back at it by 11:30 am. There was a mid day major. We went back to the same place a got lucky and spotted the tom a couple hundred yards away. We got set up and within twenty minutes we had that gobbler coming closer. The tom ended up circling all the way around us presenting two or three twenty yard shots, but she was unable to get lined up for a shot before the tom started moving again. We were setting by an old cedar tree that had branches around the base that had a circumference of thirty feet or at one point that tom was on the other side of the tree about ten yards away just looking for that hen. I thought Dezirae did an excellent job staying still and not figiting. She did't get that tom but she enjoyed the hunt, and I was happy to take her out. Maybe next year.

[bety0108]

hey guys, just have a question about using a bow. I hear stories about people shooting birds with bows and never heard of one not dying from the shot. How precise do you have to be? I hear to shoot them from the rear to avoid the wings, but does it matter with the new bows people shoot now? i use a mathews pulling 68lbs. will any mid body hit do the trick?

Thanks

[Archerysniper]

hey guys, just have a question about using a bow. I hear stories about people shooting birds with bows and never heard of one not dying from the shot. How precise do you have to be? I hear to shoot them from the rear to avoid the wings, but does it matter with the new bows people shoot now? i use a mathews pulling 68lbs. will any mid body hit do the trick?

Thanks

They die really fast when shot through the vitals with a quality sharp broadhead. I have shot my birds the last 3 years with the rage 3 blade, I recommend a large cutting diameter retractable broadhead like the rage,Nap spitfires or any of the rocket broadheads. If you stick a broadhead through the were the wings connect to the boady you will kill that bird also from the front just above the beard and the back through the vent if he is strutting or halfway up between the wings if he is not.

[Archerysniper]

The vitals are around the size of a softball or just a bit smaller.

PS heres some proof.

[sticknstring]

Back from NE. We battled some adventuresome weather but managed to put one bird on the ground. BIL#2 scored on his first turkey. No bow shots though and I wasn't able to put a tag on one. I'm down to MN E season now. I might be buying a butterball this year!

[bety0108]

Baught some new rage extractable broadheads today. I picked up both the 2 blade with a 2+ cutting dia and the 3 blade with a 1.5+ cutting dia. What one of the two is recomended for Turkey hunting this spring?

[DonBo]

Baught some new rage extractable broadheads today. I picked up both the 2 blade with a 2+ cutting dia and the 3 blade with a 1.5+ cutting dia. What one of the two is recomended for Turkey hunting this spring?

Hit 'em good and either one of those heads will work just fine. Whichever you're most comfortable with is the one to shoot.

[Archerysniper]

Yeah what Don said, I have been useing the 3 blade but thats just me I like the extra blade a little more surface area of cutting.

[sticknstring]

Extra cutting diameter on a bobbing softball is a good thing! Those old Rocket 2" 4 blade heads were turkey nightmares. 3's still work pretty darn good though.

Who's hunting next? We've got one bird so far right? I head out again May 3rd.

[bety0108]

Well team, birds started gobbling all around me at 5:30 they kept gobbling til about 7 and a few here and there til 8ish. They were all around me so i knew there were several which made the hunt exciting. Dont think the calls were working. They came out of the woods into the field at 11 (6 toms 1 jake). i purred/clucked some and they just looked and walked back in woods. at 12(noon) 3 toms including the trophy of them all came out again and i didnt call this time. they ran right to me! he was in the back. so i let the first bird a 6-8inch check out the decoy 15 yds from me and he didnt like the situation and walked off. the other two stoped and turned around at 40yds behind some grass. So i could have easily had my first turkey with a bow this morning. Hard to shoot a smaller bird when a monster is right behind! It was day 1 and there is still time left. Still yet to get in the good woods!

[bety0108]

well didnt get the big bird today. got a gift from the easter bunny! an old shed to the buck i shot this year! I had the buck aged and he was 7.5 so we think this shed is his 2.5 or 3.5! It has everything identical to the other 6 sheds i have and the 2 another guy has, but wont sell. it was half buried in the dirt. The DNR did a controlled burn in some CRP which is where we found it. Got the roost found so should get him tomorrow. I have seen him two days in a row from 11:00 to 1:00 in the CRP. That is when i'll get him!

[Borch]

Good luck Tyler.

Hopefully the big one comes in on a string for you.

[sticknstring]

Sweet! Sounds like a great strategy to me. A bonus antler to boot. I'd love to see that buck - post a picture of him!

[bety0108]

He was 7.5years old, but his antlers are slightly larger than his last two sets of sheds only by probly 2inches last year and 4 the year before. He was goona go down hill next year i would guess. I will try and get a picture of all the sheds together when i get back home from hunting. 21 inside 144 3/8 8pt

[Archerysniper]

Hey this is the turkey forum get those antlers out of here.

bety that is a giant 8 congrats on that trophy.

[paintbrush]

After a delay because of needing to go to a funeral, I'm finally off tomorrow to SD for my first much anticipated turkey hunt of the year. The guy who was suppose to go isn't going with because of that funeral, so the gas cost is going to be something nasty since I'm now going by myself. My 3/4 ton Ram 2500 with a camper on it and pulling a wheeler on a trailer doesn't get very good gas mileage to say the least! This is my favorite hunting trip of the year tho, so I'm going!

I've got 4 tags to wrap around those longbeards legs, 2 tribal and 2 state, so I hope the weather and the birds will corporate.

[sticknstring]

Beautiful buck - pretty neat to have all the history with him. Congrats!

Hopefully that big tom will cross paths with you as well!

[bety0108]

had to put the antler pick on since i found it while turkey hunting, then someone asked to see the buck. hopefully be putting the turkey pic up tomorrow! The other day my bird was in roost he and went south/away when he came down, tonight i was set up south of where he gobbled and roost so i left my blind out. so i hope he comes south again! last chance for me, cant hunt tomorrow night.

[sticknstring]

Git 'r done!