Team #10 "Beardaholics Anonymous"

[DanOmite19]

Nice work IlliniWalli!!!!

[IlliniWalli]

i finally figured out how to attach photos. guess thats what the FAQs is for.

[CFD200]

Nice looking bird IlliniWalli. I think you have to fill out the form and post it at the top under the title submission thread. There is a copy of the form in the rules thread. Gregg

[Archerysniper]

You got to get this filled out Illi and submit the picks and form in the contest area at the top of the main turkey hunting page.

HSO Forum Member

Turkey Contest 2011

Complete this form with your turkey’s measurements. Include photos of your turkey’s spurs and beard with a ruler or tape measure. Include in one of the photos your turkeys filled out tag or slip of paper with the date of the harvest. The turkey’s weight must be witnessed and signed by you and the witness below on this form.

Forum Member:____________________ Date:_____________

Team Name: _________________________________

Youth Hunter(17 or younger):Yes _______ No ________

Turkey Subspecies: _____________________

State/Province Bird was Harvested In: ____________________

Turkey’s Stats

Beard Length ____________inches

Spur Length ® _________inches (L)_________inches

Weight ___________ pounds

The certify that the measurements listed above are accurate to the best of my ability.

Forum Member: ________________________ Date:_________

[IlliniWalli]

thanks, fellow 10ers

yeah, i emailed the form to the SO at work since we dont have a printer and i dont want to go into the office while i am still on vacation.

should get the form filled out and bird registered tonight or tomorrow morning.

looks like guys are filling out a printed form and taking a pic of it, which is what i plan to do.

[FrontenacPike]

Very Nice IlliniWalli, that will give us a ton of points.

[IlliniWalli]

OK, dudes, my bird is finally, officially entered.

lets keep it goin and win this thing.

[IlliniWalli]

so who's up next for the BA's?

let's get No. 2 on the board!!

my second permit begins friday and i am rarin to go.

different county than the first, but its a good-sized tract along a big bluff a couple miles from the big river. have scored several nice toms there.

wish we could upgrade our entries if we happen to get a bigger bird.

[duckhuntr21]

I am anxiously awaiting my trip to the Black Hills in T-7 days.

[CFD200]

I hunted Monday and Tuesday. Monday right away while waiting for two gobblers to fly down about 100 yards away (heard them fly down) I had a Jake with a 2" beard strutting around my decoys. For the team and the win I let him walk. The two gobblers flew down responded to my calls and passed through the field 70 yards away paying no attention to the decoys or the Jake that then followed them. After everything (including a late following hen) left my area I started to do some run and bow (similar to run and gun but with a bow). First stop I had a gobbler answer. They came up through the woods at about 100 yards away. I believe he had other birds with him. Moved and tried again. I had a gobbler answer and a Jake that yelped constantly. I sat at a tree and almost immediately they came up the hill. Unfortunately they appeared before I could get ready to shoot. We had a stare down and I tried to draw, busted I let fly and missed. Tuesday I tried to sneak close to one gobbling and apparently got too close. I had planned on hunting today but it snowed 5" last night. Last time I hunting in 5” of snow it was not worth getting up. I have off Friday so I had planned on going for the last day of my season. Now it is supposed to rain on Friday. I guess I might have to take an additional vacation day tomorrow as it is supposed to be better weather. Hunting with the gun and taking no prisoners. Monday’s gobbler had a nice long beard. Too bad I missed. Maybe tomorrow.

[IlliniWalli]

sounds like you had good action, regardless, cfd

i cant imagine turkey hunting in snow. i have never had to deal with that in 20 seasons of turkey hunting.

go get em, guys !!!

[CFD200]

I had my hopes up for today. It was a beautiful morning, and I was set up 100 yards away from at least one gobbler in the roost. He came close several times gobbling his head off but would not come up the final rise. I had a hen come and argue with me at the decoy. Birds kept gobbling every now and then until 10:15. At about 10:30 I spotted two strutting about 200 yards away. I tried to sneak up on them but I think they made me. I called above them and got one to respond once but I never heard or seen them again. Last chance tomorrow, unfortunately it is a 80% chance of rain and windy prediction. Hope the weather man is wrong.

[FrontenacPike]

Went out yesterday with dad to do some calling for him. It snowed all morning and our deeks collected snow and were completely white. Hopes and morale were pretty low with the decoys looking like decoys. We had 3 longbeards in our field with about 15 hens about 300 yards out. I ended up breaking a Jake away from the flock and Dad decided he had enough of the misery. We only had 2 days we could hunt his season, so we figured he made a good decision. Can't complain with turkey in the freezer!!!

[IlliniWalli]

Whats goin on with the BA's?

kind of quiet in this thread and the contest entry thread.

any beardaholics still huntin?

i bagged another tom last week and am waiting for my third and final season may 5-12.

lets go guys and add a couple two or three more for the team!!

[CFD200]

Unfortunately I am done. I hunted hard in not the best of weather. The miss I had was as close as I got. I learn from every season and now add shooting sticks to my arsenal. Too hard to raise a weapon when they are looking at you. I had a lot of fun myself and taking out my 13 year old. Harvest is down 28% this year in MN due to the weather. I guess this year I was part of the 68% that was not successful. Better luck to you other guys on the team. Sorry to let you down.

[FrontenacPike]

I start hunting on Tuesday and have the week off of work. I'm getting pretty pumped, I have 3 different private properties to hunt with birds on all. I'll keep ya all posted.

[DanOmite19]

My season starts on Tuesday as well, and then the following week in Cheeseland...

[IlliniWalli]

I had a lot of fun myself and taking out my 13 year old.

you didnt let anybody down, cfd, thats ^^^^^ what its all about.

turkey huntin aint easy. i think the hunter success rate is around 25% throw in crappy weather and its even tougher.

we are a team and you still might end up on the first place team.

[FrontenacPike]

Unfortunately I am done. I hunted hard in not the best of weather. The miss I had was as close as I got. I learn from every season and now add shooting sticks to my arsenal. Too hard to raise a weapon when they are looking at you. I had a lot of fun myself and taking out my 13 year old. Harvest is down 28% this year in MN due to the weather. I guess this year I was part of the 68% that was not successful. Better luck to you other guys on the team. Sorry to let you down.

Don't worry about it, I'm sure you still had fun and had some good bonding with your child.....That's what hunting is all about!!!

[FrontenacPike]

Well boys I'm struggling.

Tuesday 5-3-11

Met the local no dominate birds. I was sitting there not hearing any thing close and all of a sudden I saw 2 birds who I wasn't expecting (did not gobble at all). I gave them a couple subtle clucks and they dropped their heads and started moving fast towards me (about 100 yards). For some reason they stopped dead in their tracks and started back peddling. I have no explanation other than they realized there was a strutting decoy and didn't want to come in and get their butts whooped. That morning I heard a very loudmouth Tom in the field below the bluff, decided Wed I would go after him.... No other action

Wednesday 5-4-11

Set up in the lower field at 04:45 and around 05:45 old loudmouth was roosted within 75 yard of me. He popped out of the tree around 06:30 and went tight lipped. All of a sudden he gobbled right in front of me (the hello I'm here where are you..gobble?) With all the commotion we were making in the woods we drew some unwanted attention from a local fox. The fox darted across my field directly toward the gobbler who was just inside the wood line. Well old Tom took off and the woods went dead calm. It turns out that out loudmouth survived the encounter and started sounding off in a neighboring field about 1/4 mile from me an hour later. I decided to give loudmouth another try and I was able to sneak within about 100 yards of him. He was gobbling at everything until he heard me make my first series of calls. I then seen him literally boogie atta there. I guess he now associates my calls with danger. Tried a couple other spots but nothing.

Tomorrow is calling for rain so I think I'm going to try a different property where I have seen birds congregate while it's raining before.

[Borch]

The afternoon hunts were actually more productive for us overall lately. Over all less vocal but more willing to come and check things out. Something to think about...

[duckhuntr21]

I hunted last Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday in the Black Hills without any luck. We had a heck of a time trying to get anything to respond to us. On Friday morning, we had a chance at some jakes but didn't want to shoot one on the first day and it turned out that was our only chance. On Saturday we received about 6 inches of snow and had 50mph winds so we stayed in the cabin. On Sunday, the weather was better but nothing wanted to answer calls. On Monday, the weather was beautiful but all we could find were hens. I still had a great time and got to do alot of hiking. My Minnesota season starts on Sunday and will hopefully be more productive.

[duckhuntr21]

Don't worry about it, I'm sure you still had fun and had some good bonding with your child.....That's what hunting is all about!!!

+1

That's why it is called hunting and not killing.

[Borch]

That Black Hills weather can be very unpredictable.

But it's a pretty place to hunt.

[FrontenacPike]

Guys I couldn't help the team. I gave er all I could give, but the birds refused to cooperate. Every Tom that I pursued had a harem of hens and refused to budge. I had a fun season and enjoyed my time in the woods, now its time to grab a fishing rod.