Team # 8

[mnhunter2]

Mnhunter2 reporting in for team 8 This is my first time in a turkey contest and I have been accused of being a turkey fanatic. I will get to hunt if 4 states this yr so I hope I can put a winning bird on the ground. I am having a little problem as my first hunting area just got dumped on with 18" of wet snow and I planning on hunting it in 2 wks.

[wallmounter]

I will be hunting 341C. Haven't been turkey hunting for 3 years but last time I went the bird was a 28.57 lb monster. Hopefully have the same luck this year.

[tcsprtsmn]

tcsprtsmn reporting in for team 8.

349B - Last year got a 25lb tom.

Going to attempt to get one with bow or muzzleloader shotgun early in the week.

Any team name?

I am PUMPED to get out turkey hunting!

[Mo Gator]

Hi guys, Mo Gator here. I'll be in south central Iowa April 17-20 on 1200 private acres. Hopefully I'll be coming home with a nice one. I also have a MN tag for the last season in the Buffalo area.

[Mo Gator]

For a team name, how about Tom Foolery?

[Wallydog]

Wally dog here......Idaho opens 4/15 for adults and I'll be in the fabulous Clearwater River country. I'll be calling for youth hunters this weekend however. This year marks my 26th year hunting the bird in Idaho. I don't absolutely measure sucess by harvest, but is hasn't been a problem for many years. We certainly don't see many birds over 20# in our mountain country, tho periodically we find one with multiple beards!

As to a name, I've always been fond of "jellyheads".

Best of luck to my fellow team mates.

Be safe in the turkey woods.

Cheers,

WD

[mnhunter2]

Wally dog, I think that multiple beards score very well with the NWTF scoring system,a 20 lber with a few beards will beat a 28# with an average beard. As far as a name tomfoolery is fine with me. I get to start in SD then move on to NEB then on to Iowa and finish up in MN during season 425H. The tension mounts!!!

[wallmounter]

Wallydog-

I remember your bird from a couple years ago, didn't it have like 6 beards or something. It was a beautiful freak of nature.

[Wallydog]

cha- ching!

[wallmounter]

That is one mutated beast. Maybe our team name should be the Five Beards

[Wallydog]

Teamers, I knocked the dust of this morning and called in a terrific bird for a 12 year old. Actually it was the 7th longbeard I called into gun range this morning between 7 a.m. & 7:25. Too close, gun malfunction, you name it we had it. Photos to follow of the 3 year old or better. 1 1/8" spurs, thick mostly broken off 9" beard, I'd estimate north of 20#.

Headed for the Clearwater River country tomorrow mid-day. My hunt starts Wednesday.

Cheers & be safe,

WD

[Mo Gator]

Nice job Wally! Good luck on Wednesday!

[Wallydog]

Teamers,

Dead bird!

Details in awhile

WD

[wallmounter]

Nice work, can't wait to see it. My season starts next Saturday.

[Wallydog]

Kind of a wimpy 2 year old

[123fish]

Well I would take him every day of the week. Nice job.

[Wallydog]

Do we have a name?

WD

[Borch]

Wimpy two year olds make many hunters happy.

Congrats!

[Wallydog]

When does everyone else on team X hunt?

WD

[Mo Gator]

I hunted Iowa last weekend and unfortunately I didn't score. I do still have a MN tag for the last season, so hopefully that one will get filled.

[wallmounter]

I'm leaving in a hour and a half for the turkey hunting grounds, I only have the weekend to hunt, it's suppose to rain a lot, and someone already took a big tom off the land this past Tuesday. Here's hoping for a little luck.

[tcsprtsmn]

Got mine!

23lb

9 7/8 beard

1 1/4 spurs

Will post pictures and more later.

[wallmounter]

Got mine at 6:08 am this morning as well.

22lbs, 9" bead, 7/8" spurs. Likewise will post more later.

[DonBo]

WOW! Two great birds. Congrats guys.

[wallmounter]

Here's the story and some pics to my bird.

I left for my Uncle's farm Friday night after work. Had the four wheeler loaded on the trailer and my aunt and cousin and I were going to a fish dinner once I arrived. Dinner was great, my uncle and I shared a few beers and a glass of brandy and I was off to bed.

I woke up at 4:30 am to the sound of rain, it wasn't a real hard rain and no thunder or lightning so I got dressed got out the four wheeler and I was off to my spot. I got out to the field, parked the four wheeler on top of the hill and made the short hike down to my spot. Once I got there I realized I had dropped some of my turkey stakes from my bag and decided to follow my path back to the four wheeler to find them. Sure enough they were laying right by the four-wheeler and back down the hillside I went. I put a hen and a jake in the low grass area just outside the woods, I put B-mobile and a feeding hen in the bean field and I put another set of hen and jake higher up on the field in an opening to the adjacent field which is state park land.

The woods was pin drop silent other than the rain fall. I took out my gobbler shaker call and let a good gobble...nothing. I waited a bit and then hit my box call with some cuts and purrs....nothing. I was getting nervous but knew there were turkeys around and decided to wait it out. At about 5:40 I again gave both the box call and the shaker another shot and again nothing in return. As it got closer to 6 am the rain as gradually letting up and at about 6am, I gave a couple soft yelps....GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE, a tom had come up to the edge of the woods behind me in the state park and was litteraly less than 30 yds from my back side. He worked the opposite side of the woods for a few seconds and I was hidden enough that I reached for my push box call and just gave him a couple soft purrs again. He then decided to make his way through the woods again no more than 20-30 yds from me. once he got to the clear side of the woods, he looked right past the hen and the jake decoy I had in the low grass area, and locked on to B-Mobile. It was on. He went in to full strut right across in front of me and as soon as he showed me his head, BOOM, 6:08am tom turkey down. The shot couldn't have been more than 20 yds. My three year wait to get a tag again was ended with a hunt that lasted less than 2 hours.

This tom was in rough shape when I got to him, I have no doubt he had recently had his lunch handed to him in a tussle and was looking to settle the score with B-mobile. His chest and tail feathers were tattered pretty good.

Here's some photos, 22lbs, 7/8" spurs, 9" beard.

Four Wheeler and B-mobile set up

Hen and Drake Decoys just outside woods

Turkey

Face time