Team #7 "GOBBLE KINGS" Official Site

[Hodgy17]

Man those birds are some hawgs!

[ANYFISH2]

way to go guys, nice birds for sure.

look to be a nice start to the season.

[Archerysniper]

Well here's a recap of yesterdays hunt. I had been out to this property twice scouting and had not heard a gobble but the sign was everywhere on the hill in this picked corn field with one spot that showed it was the preferred strutting zone on the melted off hill side. From past hunts I have learned it is easier to call a bird to where they want to go so I set my blind right in the strut zone.

Wed morning I climbed into the blind at 5:15 and fired up the heater to wait for some gobbles on the roost which never happened. This had me kind of worried that the birds my have moved onto a different property,they normally roost about 75 to 100 yards behind me on a big ridge. At 6:15 I have 4 deer come out and feed around me in the corn for a half hour and still not a gobble anywhere.

I had already decided with the way this spring has been and the birds not broke up yet that I wasn't going to use a decoy or hardly call at all. With the toms more then likely hanging with the hens I didn't want to have them pull the toms away from a decoy or the calls of a strange hen. By 7:15 I had only called one time without a response so I just sat back in the blind and closed the windows on the windy side to keep more heat in. I was starting to get hungry and pulled out the salt shaker and hard boiled eggs from my pack for breakfast when I was caught off guard by 2 yelps down the corn field. I pulled my face mask down and peeked out to see 9 hens walk out into the corn and start picking around. Figuring that one of the toms would be following behind the ladies I get moved around in the blind and the shotgun poked out the window and let out 5 soft yelps on the slate call,nothing not a gobble and the hens look my way and feed away from me. I hit the slate call hard then trying for a gobble with the same result nothing. So I put my calls down and just watched them feed around waiting for a tom to come up the logging road and into the field. Those hens stuck around till 7:45 before the headed west to the neighbors corn field.

From 7:45 till before 9 I just sat back watching all the squirrels running around the corn field with one all black one chasing a bunch of the grays around. Not a gobble or turkey noise to be heard. At 9 I decided I had drank to many mountain dews and it was time for a bathroom break. So I dig a slight depression under the side of the blind so I don't need to get out of it. With that task completed I looked over to my turkey vest and decided to pull out the box call and hit it hard and see what happens,to my surprise a tom hammers a triple gobble about a 100 yards away on the ridge top.

I guessed he was strutting on that sunny ridge and hened up so I wait a few minutes and switch to the slate and mouth call giving him some soft purrs and clucks trying to sound like a group of hens picking through the corn,no response from him. I wanted to call the hens he was probably with. From past mistakes I have learned that aggressive calling can sometimes make the hens head the other way. I gave him about about 10 minutes and hammered the box call again and he cut me right off this time he sounded farther away. Then it dawned on me their is a 4 wheeler trail on the ridge top and he was probably strutting back and forth on it so I shut up and left him wanting more. At 9:25 he gobbles on his own and he is close just over the hillside in the woods so I give him some purrs on the slate and a series of yelps on the mouth call as I'm turning to face him in the blind. At 9:27 I can here something running in the leaves and I grab the Win SX2 and slid it out the window and get behind the gun just as that big white head pops through a brush pile and out into the field at at dead run only 20 yards. Once he's in the field he slows down and I can see the beard,he closes to 18 yards and is ready to strut so I give him 2 big yelps and as he stretches his neck out and looks directly at the blind I send a 3-1/2" Federal fight control load filled with 2 ounces of copper plated 6's right between his eye's. Game over he didn't even wiggle.

[IlliniWalli]

big congrats danO and jack.

thats great, even though its points for the bad guys

[Borch]

Way to go Jack!

Looks like you have a great guided and know how to close the deal.

[Borch]

Archerysniper,

I bet that spot looks a little different today. Better bring a snowblower or shovel.

Way to stick with the plan and figure out what they want.

[123fish]

Way to go Jack! You and archerysniper are taking the pressure off of the rest of the Gobble Kings. The bar is being set pretty high thanks to you guys. Go Gobble Kings!

[mws4dux]

Great pics and stories guys.....Congrats

[hugonian1]

That's a great looking fan on that Tom, Archerysniper.

Now we need Featherslayer to make it an A season trifecta for the Gobble Kings. With a name like that we can't go wrong.

I think Jack is going to need a name like that.

[Archerysniper]

Yeah where is featherslayer? He's been quiet since season started,I hope the weather isn't kicking his butt and the the gobblers are cooperating.

[Gordie]

Hey sniper Congrats on the Tom nice looking bird and that is a tight pattern your gun shoots.

[Archerysniper]

Gordie it throws a pattern the size of a small basket ball at 45 yards and good to 60

[hugonian1]

It looks like 123fish is up next for the Gobble Kings.

Good luck with your hunt.

I will be heading over to Sconny Thursday afternoon staying until Sunday afternoon.

Hoping featherslayer scored during his season.

[123fish]

Getting ready to head out. Thinking I'm going to make a turkey out of the snow we have here. They say you should mix things up. I'm thinking an albino hen decoy should do the trick!

[123fish]

Score! Used the regular decoys and had a nice two year old taking a snow nap by 6:40 this morning. Vitals are: 21 lbs. 10oz., 9.25" beard, and 7/8" spurs. Story and pics to follow.

[Archerysniper]

Sweet congrats,that's #3 down for us.

[hugonian1]

Way to go 123fish.

Sounds like a great bird.

Good to get this done before the storm hits.

I can't wait to see the pics and hear the story.

[123fish]

O.K. here's the story. Went to a public area I've never hunted before. This was my number two spot as I was saving my number one spot for later this week when it was supposed to be nicer. During scouting this spot I saw one hen track and a piece of gobbler poo. So I set up on the edge of some trees and a food plot. Don't hear anything at all at first light which was no surprise as the weather was cold,gray, and breezy. Around 6:30 the wind was kicking up and threatning to blow my blind over so I started to stake it down from the inside and was rustling around when I thought I possibly had heard a gobble. I had called on the slate at 6:00 and nothing and thought I should probably hit the Heartbreaker box call because of the wind and did that at probably around 6:25 and it was shortly after that when I thought possibly I heard a gobble. I was watching the direction from which I thought I head heard the gobble when through the trees I could see a black blob that I couldn't remember seeing before. I'm thinking this has to be a strutting gobbler but I'm not sure because of the trees. Pretty soon I see the blob downsize and stay put. I get my gun through the window and wait. He's at about 80 yards and staying put. He takes a few steps my way and I grab the slate and give him a couple of soft yelps. That gets him coming again slowly and my heart to start beating faster. The closer he gets the faster he comes. My heart is going pretty good now and I'm telling myself "keep your head down, keep your head down on that stock". He is definitely heading for my jake and in strut and 27 yards out when I give him a No.5 lead headache and he takes the permanent snow nap. Awesome! Just in time as they are predicting another three to six inches of snow for us today and it is snowing heavily right now. I'll get some pics and submit the form in the near future.

[bigbucks]

Cool, great job, congrats.

[hugonian1]

You guys are putting the pressure on me now.

3 hunts, around 4 total hours of hunting, and 3 nice Tom's down.

Talk about efficiency.

It must be all the scouting and preparation.

Curious how featherslayer,s hunt went?

[featherslayer 1]

I'm here, alittle fustrated with myself. You guys got some nice birds, way to go wish i could of got the one I was watching opening morning instead of the one i ended up with. Heres the story: I had birds gobbling 10 minutes before lite and I was right in close say maybe 50 yards. after lite when i started to call the morning lite up with toms all around me and the hens was right in there too. To make a long story short the birds started to get closer and closer and i still couldnt see any because of the thick pines and such. I finally seen a sring of hens to my right and as i was watching them file by i seen the tom i wanted, right beforew he went behind the brush he standing there strutting for a minute or so but then headed behind cover where i couldnt see anything. There was one spot I could see thru like a 2" spot where the hens was walking thru so i just waited for him to come in the opening. It seamed like for ever but when the bird come to that spot he went right into a full strut, 1/4 away slightly, full tail so I figured it was him so when he come out of strut down he went. It was only 25 minutes into opening morning and I was feeling great until i walked over and picked him up, He only had a 5.5 " but was a hefty bird. You ever get that feeling of dissapointment rush over you, well i did that morning.Dont get me wrong i had a fantastic hunt but I just wish i could of helped the team out better. The way its going up north here it sounds like I did pretty good with the way the wheather was. I told my buddies well i guess you cant always judge something by the tail cause you might be dissapointed with whats on the chest. Heres the picture of the bird. The only thing i can think of is that when he went behind the cover and i was watching that little 2" opening he went into strut again and this bird moved in.

Heresto the one that will be bigger next year

[hugonian1]

Nothing wrong with that bird featherslayer.

Congrats.

Jack set the bar pretty high for us.

That is 4 for 4 for the Gobble Kings.

Way to go.

[DonBo]

Beard length has very little to do with how nice a tom is. (my Dad's yesterday, 24+ lbs, 1 1/2" hooks, beard was only 2" long. Spur length is the only way to determine how old a bird is.

How much did that bad boy weigh? How long were the spurs? Looks like a pretty nice one to me.

[123fish]

Way to go featherslayer!. Nothing wrong with that bird at all. He looks pretty hefty. Go Gobble Kings!

[hugonian1]

I will be heading over Sconny tomorrow afternoon and get set up.

Ellsworth Rod & Gun chicken feed for dinner- it doesn't get much better than that.

Hunt Friday thru Sunday.

This will be my 3rd time over there and have yet to score a bird.

Hopefully I can add to the Gobble King's bounty.