2011 Turkey Pic's

[Archerysniper]

Congrats guys on great birds.

[goblueM]

Well here's my story and pics

I moved down to Virginia last fall, so I had to find new hunting areas and learn a new ballgame. I lucked into hunting some private land with a few birds on it, the guy I hired to work for me this summer had permission to deer hunt on a 250-acre grass-fed beef operation, and the owner was more than happy to let us turkey hunt.

Opening day we split up, he and his roommate had never gotten a bird, so they took the prime spot. They called in 5 jakes, but missed a shot at 30 yards. He went out a few times on his own and missed another bird, this one a long shot. We went back out last week to where he called the jakes in, and we called a mature bird within 75 yards, but he hung up down the ridge in a little clearing and would not come any closer.

So on Thursday we went out again, perfect conditions. 35 and not a cloud in the sky, with light winds. We got there a little bit late, they were already gobbling when we were walking down the hay field on top of the ridge. There were several birds scattered on the side of the ridge, we didn't dare go closer than 200 yards. We called softly and they shut up and I heard wing flaps. Then nothing for an hour. They must have gone the other way, we thought. Decided to split up, buddy went to the lower hay field, because he'd seen birds in it 2 trips in a row. I went and sat in the clearing where the bird had hung up the last time.

No sooner to I sit down do 3 birds start gobbling on the ridge across the valley where we didn't have permission. They must have pitched off the roost and glided across the valley. I called and they responded, as well as a mature bird a few hundred yards to my left. Judging the direction and distance, I thought he was probably where a dry creek bed met the lower pasture on the neighbor's property. After 20 minutes of calling and the birds responding, I had a decision to make. The 3 (probably jakes) were moving to my left along the opposite ridge, toward the mature bird. He wasn't coming closer. I made decided to make a big move and get in front of the birds and call them up the dry creek bed onto property where I had permission.

I booked it up the ridge back to the upper field, down that ridge, up over the next and into that valley. Once I got there I immediately heard 2 mature-sounding birds. The 3 jakes were nowhere to be heard. Now there's not only the one bird at the mouth of the dry creek bed, but one at the top of the hill, 150 yards away. He's on the right side of the property line. Had another decision to make - call the bird down the creek bed, or stalk the bird on the hill top - there was very little cover up there, and I would have to put on a perfect sneak to get in range.

I decided to go for broke. I ditched everything except my mouth call and gun in the middle of the hay field. The bird was obviously right in a corner of the field on the edge of the woods. No way could I sneak thru the noisy woods, it'd have to be thru the field. I crawled about 75 yards in the knee-high hay, still wet from dew. This better be worth it! I got within 40 yards of the ridge top, and stop to collect my thoughts. He's stopped gobbling by this point, so I'm worried. I army crawl the last 40 yards to an old fence line with a few trees in it. I peek around one of the trees. He's strutting a mere 20 yards from me, but due to the ridge top, I can only see a big old red head and the top of his fan. He struts out of sight immediately, just over the crest of the hill. My heart is pounding, I have to wait what seems like an eternity to collect myself and give a yelp, but it was probably only a minute.

He doesn't respond. A breeze comes, and I use the noise to army crawl 10 yards to my left to a bigger tree with a clearer sight line. I peek around that and have a clear view of his rear end, strutting away from me but only at about 15 yards now. I give another soft yelp and he turns to his right and struts, but is now behind a tuft of taller grass. I can hear him strutting about 15 yards from me but can't see him. I take about 15 seconds to get the gun up and click the safety off. With that click his head shoots up above the grass 10 yards from where I saw him last. I can't remember getting the gun around, but the next thing I know there's a big boom and he goes down like a sack of potatoes!

The whole thing seemed surreal, but it was awesome to make a string of correct decisions and have everything work out, especially after my buddy had missed 2 birds and I had heard so many birds yet not seen one. And to top it off, it was just a gorgeous day, about 60 with a light breeze and nice sun.

The cows didn't know what to make of it...

[123fish]

Congratulations on a nice bird and a real good story. That certainly is some beautiful cuntry you are hunting in.

[dag_1980]

Well my season started off slow. Took my 4yr old daughter out yesterday afternoon. Got the blind setup, two chairs , two decoys and the hunt begins. Sat there for about 30 mins and decided to call and call and call not hearing anything my daughter (Bailey) said let me try dad, this is how you use this call(box call). She went to town on it and it was decent next thing you know we look out the blind and....... Here comes a John Deere tractor through the field. I told her nice job calling in the "deere" she didn't think it was funny and said " this tractor needs to go , I'm bored, Lets go home". So that was the end of day one.

Went out his morning got set up wind was blowing 25-30 and could hear anything. So I turned around and spotted a tom at 125-150 yds and on the move. I hurried up to get in front of him so I started walking up a wash out and was half way to the woods when I saw movement in front of me just my luck its 3 toms and 5-6 hens. Jig was up and they moved into the woods and then the thunderstorm rolled in so I went home and took a nap.

After waking up i went back to where those toms where early and I saw them on the side hill where I just was in the morning. So got my stuff and headed to the edge of the woods got on all fours and started crawling and crawling then I got to a fall in tree sat up looked through binos and nothing. waited about 5-10 minutes scanning and then I spotted a fan about 75 yds in front of me then he disappeared. got on my belly and started slithering like a snake in some grass to a little sapling about 20 yds ahead of me.....No turkey in sight. waited 5-10 minutes looked to my right and here came 3 toms making a b-line right towards me and then i crawled to another sapling 10yds away and I'm about ready to sit up.......BAM 6 hens 20yds away .. never spooked them and then ..churp...churp.churp..then they all started cackling and churping ..Then a gobble to my left look over and here comes those three toms...I slowly pick up the gun ....raise it .... take aim at lead tom..... BANG... turkey dead!!!!! To say i was excited was an understatement.. Been hunting these birds for the last two yrs.

24.5 lbs 7/8 spurs 9.5 inch beard

[bigbucks]

Great job guys, lot of nice birds taken. I weighed & measure my bird Friday night when I hauled him out of the fridge & cleaned him. I was surprised he was bigger than I thought:

24 lbs. 3 oz.

10.5" beard

3/4" & 15/16" spurs

[IlliniWalli]

here's mine from yesterday. posted this in the team 10 thread, too.

finished my 2011 season yesterday - 22 pounds, 10 1/2 beard, 1 1/8 spurs.

not much happened on my first setup so with a storm rolling in i hustled back to the wheeler and grabbed the blind and popped it up along a field.

started calling on a box and tube since it was thundering and the wind was howling. 3 eventually answered. this guy then got fired up by yelps and purrs on a glass call and i watched him strut in across the field to my decoy.

also got a 2-year-old tom - 22-8-1 - during the third season, plus the one entered in the contest.

[mrklean]

great lookin birds guys

[Wanderer]

Turkey sandwiches for you, IlliniWalli! 3 birds. A good season. Nice birds and pics everyone.

[Beast26]

Two Rio's I shot in Texas in early April.

18 lbs 8 1/2" Beard .75 and .85 Spurs

18.5 lbs 3" beard (beard rot) 1.25 & 1.5 Spurs

[sticknstring]

1 1/2" spur - now that's a limbhanger! Congrats!

[mws4dux]

Went out with the neighbor tonight,was able to call this bird across an open field came in over 200 yds out.

He was looking hard and gobbling often.He crossed two fence lines and came strutting into 19 yds. 19.5#

9.5" beard 1" spurs.It was his first bird

[DonBo]

Here's my Wisconsin bird. 23 lbs, 6 oz.

This was my second multi bearded bird and the third we've taken from this farm in the past few years. 10" and 4 1/2" This is my third bird from three states this spring.

This was the highlight of the trip for me.

[OnAFly]

Here's my first ever turkey on my first ever trip. Our boat motor died 20 minutes into opening weekend, luckily I bought a surplus turkey tag the night before, just in case

I don't have the pics yet of the undressed bird, but here's the tail, beard, and spurs.

10.5" Beard

1" Spurs

20lb Undressed

[mrklean]

started your fan mount already? i will hopefully start mine by the end of the month

[Wallydog]

My partner's take on the weekend.

Spectacular weekend in Orofino with Paul. We were blessed with good weather the entire time even though it was wet and windy in many other NW areas. We hunted out of Paul's blind on private land and Paul did the calling. I used my “Larry Lombard” autograph model blackpowder 12 ga. For the first time. My bird came in about 2:00 PM on Saturday and was smoked at 27 paces. Nice 3 year-year old — 9” beard, spurs starting to get sharp and 19 Lbs. after field dressing.

We returned to the blind yesterday morning only to find the birds had roosted literally above the blind. We were a little late getting in. They saw us and flew off while we were getting set up and performing other, uh, necessary morning functions. They evidently forgot about it though because Paul got them gobbling individually, then in unison, less than an hour later. Five longbeards came to the decoys in full strut at 15 yards (!!!) and Paul tipped over a nice 2 year-old with a very bushy beard about 7:00. Things happened a bit too fast and a shotgun instead of a camera occupied the window on that side of the blind… so no photo of the birds except for the ones in our minds’ eye. It was an incredible scene.

[OnAFly]

I just put it on a piece of wood and coated it in borax and salt to dry out. I don't really know what I'm doing, just taking tips from my neighbor who's done it before.

[Borch]

Looks like the birds are still going strong!

Way to go everyone!

[IlliniWalli]

congrats, everybody!!!

lotta nice birds taken this year