Well my season is done....blessed beyond measure!

[quackerkiller]

What can I say? I set here watching everyone post pics and videos for two weeks while I was at work.... Got home for two weeks, and ended my season in a week! Can't thank the good Lord enough for an incredible season! Hope yall enjoy......

#1= After two long looonnngg weeks of work, I started my journey home Tuesday night 4-1-14(750 miles) with nothing but birds on the brain! I made it to my little community around 7 am Wednesday morning, and stopped by a couple of places just to see if I could hear anything gobbling. I finally made it to the bed around 7:30 am. I slept until 9:30 am when the wife got ready to head to work. After a quick shower, I went to the local store for a bite of lunch. I ran into a buddy there that was getting in from a morning hunt at his place. I invited him to tag along to do some afternoon scouting to try and locate a bird for the next morning. We got to where I was wanting to go and departed from the truck around 11:15 am. We walked down an old logging road, and as we rounded the curve, we saw a hen fly off the side of the ridge about 100 yards away. Well we decided that it wouldn't hurt to set out a couple of decoys and make a few calls in case there were some birds within hearing. We found a couple of trees and I let out a few clucks. Nothing. We set there a couple of minutes, and I let out a few loud yelps. Right after I finished calling, I heard something right over the ridge top we were on (walking). I cut my eyes to the left, and there he was! Head up, checking out the scene. He dropped his head out of sight, and started drumming toward the decoys. When he got behind a big pine, I eased my gun up and waited for him to step out. He stepped out at 12 steps and I took the shot. OFF WITH HIS HEAD! Turkey had a full fan, but only sported a 7" beard, and little over 1/2" spurs, but by far a perfect bird to go ahead and get the monkey off my back!!

#2= I got to a spot I like to listen from 4-5-14, and heard a bird gobble as soon as I stepped out of the truck. I got back in the truck and pulled around to a logging road, where I could walk in and be in his travel route to some hardwoods further east of him. I set up on the bird and made my first call. The turkey gobbled about 10 seconds later, and I shut up. After about 5 minutes, I heard a bird crank up gobbling about 400-500 yards back towards the hardwoods. I cranked out a few loud yelps to see if that turkey could hear me...GOOOBBBLLLLLE!! I waited a minute and did it again...GOOOBBBBLLLEE!!..Well that made my mind up real quick, and I picked up and started his way. The whole time I was walking toward him, he gobbled about every 30 seconds. He was walking through the pines between a logging road and the hardwoods I have talked about. Knowing how birds in the past have traveled, I passed him up and cut into the pines between him and where they always go to. I stopped and gave him a couple clucks. GOOOBBBBLLLLEE!! HE WAS 125 YARDS! I dropped my decoy and grabbed the nearest tree. Gun up and ready, I gave him a few yelps. GOOBBBBLLLLLE GOBBLLLLEE!! Noticing he was at the 80-100 yard mark, I jumped up and set my decoy up in a breeding postion, and crawled on my knees about 15 yards further back. I made two series of calls, (he was coming on strong) and it was time to get the ol 11-87 ready! The turkey stepped out into view (I was in the pines, so I was able to get away with the repostion), and either seen something he didn't like or didn't see what he was looking far. He breaks to run and I cut at him, and yelped. He slowed down and stopped just long enough for a 20 yard shot. The 3" magnum blends found their mark, and folded him up! He had I believe a 10-1/2" beard and 1-1/8" spurs. And just like that, a great hunt was over and #2 was on my shoulder headed to the truck!

#3= I have a buddy who I started taking turkey hunting last year in hopes of getting him his first turkey. Having located some birds that were roosting about 75 yards off yet another logging road, and making their way to a field after fly down, we set out for a morning hunt 4-9-14 in hopes that he could get it done. We arrived at the spot, and pulled up the logging road about 50 yards to make our way to the field before the birds got there. (We would have done this well before daylight had he been on time like he was suppose to) We got out and was listening to a couple birds in the distance, when the bird we was looking for fired off! GOBBBLLLLLEEE! There he was, roosted right on the edge of the logging road! Not having any way to get around him before him and his hens flew down, we eased up the road and set up as close as we could. I made the first call and he sure liked it! But as it always seems to go, his ladies started in, and I just couldn't turn him around. I peeked out and looked up the road and seen him and his ladies easing up the road where we wished we could have been. We set there calling to him, and a turkey gobbled to our right. Knowing the turkey was close enough, I poured it to him, and man was he liking it! Here comes the bad part... The turkey stepped out and crossed the road and instead of walking down the middle, he walked right down the edge of the briar thicket we were sitting in! With the turkey 20-25 yards away, all we could do was sit and watch him through a wall of briar mess! We let the turkey ease off, and got up to go check out a few more places before going for a bite of breakfast. When we got to the truck, I told him that I couldn't believe the other turkeys we had heard at daylight, had stopped gobbling when the other bird fired off. I told him to listen and I would make a call to see if we could get a response. GOOBBBBLLLLLE!! Another turkey fired off, and the bell for round three went off. We trotted into the pines about 60 yards from the truck, where a little clearing in the pines had a old fourwheeler trail going from there to a nearby creek. I set him in the clearing with the decoy 15 yards from him, and I dropped off to his right in case the turkey tried to neak up on us from that direction. Everytime I talked to him, he fired back making his way up the road. Well as they usually do, he shut up and came in the rest of the way drumming. I could hear him close, but couldn't see him. I made a few soft clucks, and GOOBBBBLLLEEE!! There he was 20 yards away, and had his hen (me) pinpointed! Well bad luck have it, he turned away from my buddy who didn't have a clear shot, and headed straight for me! At 15 yards, he turned going straight away and it was now or never. My buddy and I had made an agreement that whoever had a shot, take it when you can get it. The turkey raised his head for a look, and I squeezed the trigger. The magnum blends once again found their mark, and just like that I had my third Mississippi Eastern on the ground. I apoligized over and over, that I had shot the bird and felt bad that he hadn't gotten the chance to shoot. All he could say was that he had a heck of a time, and he was glad he could be there to enjoy it with me. Third turkey measured out with a 10-1/4" beard I believe, and had SHARP SHARP 1" spurs....

Out of the week I was able to hunt with him and another buddy, I had called up 8 longbeards in 6 days! That makes for an awesome season in my eyes! 8 turkeys within 40 yards in 6 days, 3 kills, 1 miss, and 4 that didn't give my buddy a shot. I can't thank the man upstairs enough for the fun I had that week! Hope yall enjoy the read! Sorry for being so long winded! Hope everyone has a ball for the next few weeks! Sure wish I was there!

[quackerkiller]

Just for the record, I had to get a pic with the wife with the last turkey! For the record, the count was three not four!!

[DUCKAHOLIC]

thats great

[quackerkiller]

Thanks DUCK!

[Tedl10]

Awesome! I am still after #3.

[quackerkiller]

Thanks Ted! Stick with em and you'll get him! I'm ready to get home and try to get my buddy, dad, or wife one!!