2014 HSO Wild Turkey Photo Contest

[DonBo]

In the interest of encouraging turkey hunters to take better hunting photos and in sharing them, I would like to start a 2014 HSO turkey hunting photo contest. This contest will be judged on the quality of the photo submited, not the size of the bird. Such things as composition, tastefulness, focus, background, lack of blood, smile on the face, etc. will weigh heavily in the judging.

Photos will be submitted simply by posting in this thread.

It will be open to any HSOer, as long as the photo/photos they submit were taken while turkey hunting during the 2014 spring season. This will be open to bow and gun hunters in any state you are fortunate enough to be able to legally hunt.

We will have three catagories.

(1) "HERO" shot. Any photo showing a smiling hunter and his or her trophy. Only one photo of EACH legally taken turkey will be allowed in this catagory. So, if you legally take three birds (or 4 or 5 or...) in three states, you may enter one photo of each bird. Please add a short info piece including how, where, what weapon was used etc.

(2) "NON-HERO" shot. Anything else related to your spring hunt, this could include sunrises, landscapes, wildlife, moral picking, etc. Anything at all as long as it was taken while turkey hunting during the 2013 spring season. Trail Cam photos will be accepted in this catagory. Up to three photos from each HSO member can be submitted in this catagory.

(3) "VIDEO CLIPS" Just that, any short video clip shot during your spring hunt, be it a kill shot, wildlife footage, or just something funny that happened during your hunt. Again, anything at all as long it was shot during the 2013 spring season. Please keep the clips under 2 minutes. Up to two videos can be submitted by each hunter.

Not sure there will be any prizes this year, it may just end up being for bragging rights. (If anyone has something nice they would like to donate for prizes, please PM me)

June 2nd will be the last day photos will be accepted. An impartial judge will select the winners shortly after that date.

[DonBo]

Seasons are already open in many parts of the country, don't forget to take some quality photos and post them here.

[theghost_03]

Love this DonBo! Great little contest for fun and the quality of pictures is always great! We're inching closer to the seasons!

[Scoot]

I'll do my best to contribute a few pics. Thanks for putting this together, Don!

[sticknstring]

I got a new camera to play with in the blind when action is slow and trail cameras will be going full-time as well. Thanks Don!

[DonBo]

Lot's of folks already hunting (yes, I'm jealous of you) don't forget to post your better photos here.

[FrontenacPike]

Taken 04/17/14 @ 06:20, just minutes after I shot. I noticed the abnormality when I got home and viewed the picture on the computer.

"Go towards the light my friend...all turkeys go to heaven!!!"

[DonBo]

Nice start Pike, congrats on your bird!.

[cherokee]

Thought I would share a pic of the turkey I took opening day in Minnesota. Had action right from the start with two toms strutting and gobbling 60 yards from me. The four hens with the toms would not play and eventually dragged the toms off with them. . The wind was so strong that the stakes in my double bull kept getting pulled out. At 1 pm I took the blind and bow back to the car and grabbed the gun.

With gun in hand I did some crow calling and got one to respond. Far away and up on the biggest hill around. I made my way to the corner of the farm I hunt and set up a jake and hen 50 yards inside the woods. After 20 minutes of calling off and on I heard a twig snap. Two toms made their appearance and once they went behind a big tree I positioned my gun at them. Five more yards and they were on the farm I hunt. I let them come in a bit more as it is always fun to watch such a beautiful bird. One shot to the head and my tag was filled.

[cherokee]

[123fish]

Very nice. Do you have the stats on that bird? He looks big.

[theghost_03]

Shot this bird in the Black Hills last weekend. Stats on the bird were registered on the submission forum. Could not beat the scenery and amount of birds. Took it with my shotgun and got it all on camera on the Go Pro. Best part of all was sharing it with my little boy, he couldn't have been more proud of his dad. Counting down the days until he can lift a gun up and start putting down some beards with me! Enjoy my hero submission.

[harvey lee]

Very nice gobbler!!

[archerystud]

Third year out with my son and we finally had some success. This is his first ever kill. 8.5 inch beard and 1 inch spurs.

SUCCESS!!!!

Tagging Out!!!

The PROPER way to walk out of the woods!!

[leech~~]

Way to go guys, nice to see kids out there sticking it out for 3 years and it paying off.

[leech~~]

Well finally scored day 4 on a nice 10" beard, you can see the beard better in the one picture with the gun and the spurs were not to bad either.

Tough hunt down by Houston Mn. They were not coming to calling or decoys for all 3 of us. One buddy did have two hens come in one morning and a Tom run-by but that was it, the wind was crazy ever day but the day I got him. I finally had, had enough of nothing going on in the valley and hiked straight up the hill where we heard gobbling every day and tracked that SOB down!

I was still hunting an old logging road on the top of the hill and his tail deceived him. As I was coming over a little rise I seen a fan about 80 yards down the road. I went down, striped off my vest and pack and did the belly crawl about 20 yards closer to the rise and waited gun up. I wasn't sure which way he was going down or up the road and I did not try to call since they have not responded the first 3 days so when the top of the fan kept getting closer I knew the little white head was popping up over the rise next. I waited until the beard showed which was not hard to miss then had to carried him down the hill about a mile! I would say it was as exciting to get him that way then having them come in to a decoy. But, it's tough to be in the right place at the right time and not get busted.

That was a lot of work, but FUN!

P.S Donbo, I know my photo suzk's because of the sun angle blocking the face so you can move this to some Turkey hunting results report if there is one I just didn't know where else to throw it?

[archerystud]

Leech,

Those are some monster spurs....Congrats!!!!

[gahlD]

Shot on Friday 4/18/14

Arrived at our piece of property and as soon as we opened our door we could hear him gobbling away!

Snook out to the big field where we thought he was and sure enough he standing out there, all fanned out! We were able to sneak around the corner from him and we put up a hen decoy! Got set up against a log and within 10 minutes of calling, he came busting around the corner! Shot was about 30 yards, weapon of choice was a Stoeger P350 pump!

[leech~~]

Leech,

Those are some monster spurs....Congrats!!!!

Lol, you should see my ripped up gloves and the hole in my hand from carrying him out a mile!

[harvey lee]

Congrats to all, some nice gobbler's.

[totally_addicted]

Hero: Taken 4/20, Shotgun, Wright County, Nate's first turkey!

[woody1975]

Hero Shot - 4-18-14 South Central Minnesota 18.5#, 8.5" beard, 1" Spurs

[DonBo]

Good stuff everyone, keep 'em coming!

[ANYFISH2]

Really love seeing all the youngin's in the pics. Nice to see thier smiles after doing what we here all love.

[Greybeard53]

Here's my Season A, MN Gobbler.

April 18, 2014

10" Beard and 1" spurs.