megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Got back this evening from my first trip to South Central Florida. I have a friend who has been a couple times down there and has made friends with a local lineman turkey hunter whose family owns several private orange groves. He's killed several Osceolas in the past couple of years, and told his Florida friend how much I love turkey hunting and convinced him I would be worth giving up one of his precious Osceolas to.
My friends friend already had commitments opening weekend from 2 other fellows from out of state who needed an Osceola to compete a grand slam, but was available to take us a few days after opening weekend (March 20th). I took off work, and my friend and I left Wednesady after work. We drove 11 hours and arrived at the house our local had arranged for us at 5am. Unloaded our gear, then he met is at 615 to head out to his private grounds. On the way there, I learned he had roosted a nice tom for me the night before. In fact, this tom had roosted with 2 hens in the exact same tree for the past 5 days. He only had 20 acres of orange groves at this location, but it borders a quota WMA spot that is impossible to reach due to swamp water from those on the WMA on foot. He guided one of the earlier hunters to a 19 lb 1.5in spurred giant off that property earlier in the week.
We parked his truck, I was the only one carrying a gun, as my friend and his local friends sole purpose was getting me my first Osceola. We set up 80ys from the line in the dark on the property line he had been roosting in under a huge orange tree. As daylight broke, no gobbles. He told me I could tree yelp... no response. We waited another 30 minutes, and only managed to call up a single hen from where we parked the truck... "they never come from that direction in the morning" my local said... we figured something busted the group out of the roost after dark. But it was my first time trying to call birds off public and onto private
Loaded up to a different grove that had a regular tom on camera in the afternoons and worked our way in, but bumped several hens and a red headed male. We looped around but were not able to strike a gobble. My friend and I were spent and needed a nap, so he took us back to the house at noon, and picked us back up at 3pm to get set up.
The birds in this grove spend the day in the grove, then transition back to the tall pines off the property at the end of the day. Pretty simple, just ambush them on the way to the roost. Not my favorite way to hunt them, but I needed an Osceola. My friends friend set us up under an orange tree, brushed us in with palmetto fronds, stuck out a funky chicken decoy and hen decoy and we waited and snacked on oranges right off the tree. I didn't want to be bossy on his land, but I did ask him if I could do the calling. He obliged reluctantly, but insisted I only call sparingly and light, as he felt this particular bird was going to come in silent. After 45 minutes of light calling, 7 jakes came out and worked to the decoys. I told him I would eat tag soup before shooting a jake, and not 45 seconds later a longbeard came out at 45 yards. The tom was shying off the decoys and both my friend and his friend whispered harshly to shoot. I was anxious about shooting that far, but followed their urgings and pulled the trigger and crumpled him.
High fives all around, collected the bird, then he got a text from the manager the next grove over that 3 toms were working our way. My friend got set up with my gun, I called more aggressively, but no response. We waited another 45 minutes, saw a couple hens work by, then got out from under the tree to take pictures. As we were doing so, a tom free gobbled 250 yds away... the first gobble we had heard the entire day. I immediately cutted back at him, and he cut me off. We struck out after him with him gobbling nonstop headed to roost, and we got to 100y, when a hen cut us off and the game was over.
My bird was 14.5 lbs, 9in beard, and 1in spurs. My smallest bird ever, but I haven't ever felt so much pressure lifted off my shoulders.
Day 2...Since all the pressure was off... mission accomplished, time to have fun... with the turkey insanity over the past few years, outfitters are now paying $1000 per bird to landowners to take clients on their land for true Osceolas... not the ones from up around Gainesville. We didn't feel right about trying to take another bird off my friends friend private land, so we were going to focus on public for my friend. I had picked out a half dozen spots I wanted to check on public nonquota areas, but they were going to require an airboat to access (thanks Catman, I totally learned this trick from you!). My friends friend had never hunted like this, but was up for the adventure. He borrowed an airboat from a good friend (a freaking racing airboat with a 300lb hull and an 540hp aircraft motor capable of doing 97mph) and we headed out on day 2.
We were all now on unfamiliar ground ... although my friends friend had fished this area many times, he had never turkey hunted it (no need to, his private ground is that good). He was willing to let me lead the hunt the way I wanted to do it. He wanted to tote decoys, but I said, no need, they will just slow us down. We went to my first pin in the dark and disembarked the boat. Moved to my listening spot and.... nothing. As grey light faded to blue, I tree yelped and a hen answered 100yds away on the next hammock over. We had a nice conversation over the next 20 minutes, until she pitched out of her tree and landed 20yds away. She clucked a few times, then started feeding. No gobbles and no other birds despite all the talking. Once she fed off, we pulled out and got back on to the airboat and headed to spot #2... nothing... on to spot #3.
Nothing responded to quiet talk, then started hiking. After a quarter mile or so, I struck a bird 300 yds away across the marsh. I told my friends we needed to loop around him, as I felt if we moved right to him in the tall flooded grass he would pick us off. They agreed, and we made a 500y loop to get on the same hammock he was in. My friends moved up 25 yds and I stayed back to call for them. The bird responded to my 2nd sequence, about 200yds away, in the exact same spot I struck him 20 min before. Another 10 minutes, and I called again, and he had cut the distance in half with a thunderous gobble. My friends looked back at me, waved me up to them, and I shook my head no and pointed toward the gobble. They waved me up, so I carefully picked my way toward them as they also got up and started headed toward the gobble??? I rushed up to them and urged them to stop, that he was coming! We sat down together, I called again, and he hammered back 60yds away. I cut his gobble off with an excited cutt, then he quadruple gobbled! I told my friend this bird was already dead, he just didn't know it. A couple minutes of me scratching in the leaves, and he popped out from behind a palmetto 40 yds away. I told my friend to shoot, but he couldn't see him. The bird must have seen something amiss, as he started easing parallel to us without coming in. My friend still couldn't see him, so I gave him 2 jake yelps, and he gobbled again, allowing my friend to see him in at the edge of the grass and shoot him (left handed no less as he was working parallel by us). Turned out my friends didn't hear the first gobble after we repositioned.
Massive celebration, and my friends friend was the most excited... he had never hunted a bird run and gun style, and said it was the most fun turkey hunt he had ever been on. Moved back to the airboat and took pics, then headed to my other spots i picked out to strike a bird for my friends friend without avail.
We were all exhausted that afternoon, and I was actually willing to surrender at 3pm and begin social hours. 5 or 6 of my friends friend who are also turkey hunters came over and we shared stories, and a couple of them brought their birds by to show off (we know of 4 that were killed Thurs, and another 5 on Friday). The best was a slammer 18lb, 11in, 5in double beard with 1 3/8 in spurs and jet black primaries (I was JEALOUS!). Maybe had a tad too much fun at dinner, and now ALL the pressure was off, as both I and my friend had killed.
Yesterday morn we repeated the day before on public, but without ever finding a hot bird. We did find 3 toms with a single hen, but bumped the hen as we looped around them to get into position. I did call in a lone hen that afternoon in between watching my friends friend fill the boat with bedded shellcrackers.
Overall an incredible experience, saw 20 or so toms (mostly on private or limited quota WMAs) and a handful of hens. Florida has set the season right just north of SR 70 with a season opening of March 20... most hens have been bred, and toms were either grouped up or with just a hen or two. Population seems unreal in the area we were hunting, esp compared to South MS. Kudos to FL fish and wildlife for a well managed resource!
If anyone of you have a desire to kill an Osceola, I'd highly recommend you do so ASAP. All the local hunters have been amazed with the increase in pressure on their local birds in the past 3 years, and how valuable they have become. Private landowners were getting $500 per bird 3 years ago, now $1000 is the norm.
And my friends friend knows well the primary outfitter in the area... hes up to $3500 for an Osceola on private land... and his group has taken 56 as of Saturday. I'm extremely grateful for him allowing me to shoot one of his birds, and hope he takes me up on my offer to repay him with some fat boy TN birds!
My friends friend already had commitments opening weekend from 2 other fellows from out of state who needed an Osceola to compete a grand slam, but was available to take us a few days after opening weekend (March 20th). I took off work, and my friend and I left Wednesady after work. We drove 11 hours and arrived at the house our local had arranged for us at 5am. Unloaded our gear, then he met is at 615 to head out to his private grounds. On the way there, I learned he had roosted a nice tom for me the night before. In fact, this tom had roosted with 2 hens in the exact same tree for the past 5 days. He only had 20 acres of orange groves at this location, but it borders a quota WMA spot that is impossible to reach due to swamp water from those on the WMA on foot. He guided one of the earlier hunters to a 19 lb 1.5in spurred giant off that property earlier in the week.
We parked his truck, I was the only one carrying a gun, as my friend and his local friends sole purpose was getting me my first Osceola. We set up 80ys from the line in the dark on the property line he had been roosting in under a huge orange tree. As daylight broke, no gobbles. He told me I could tree yelp... no response. We waited another 30 minutes, and only managed to call up a single hen from where we parked the truck... "they never come from that direction in the morning" my local said... we figured something busted the group out of the roost after dark. But it was my first time trying to call birds off public and onto private
Loaded up to a different grove that had a regular tom on camera in the afternoons and worked our way in, but bumped several hens and a red headed male. We looped around but were not able to strike a gobble. My friend and I were spent and needed a nap, so he took us back to the house at noon, and picked us back up at 3pm to get set up.
The birds in this grove spend the day in the grove, then transition back to the tall pines off the property at the end of the day. Pretty simple, just ambush them on the way to the roost. Not my favorite way to hunt them, but I needed an Osceola. My friends friend set us up under an orange tree, brushed us in with palmetto fronds, stuck out a funky chicken decoy and hen decoy and we waited and snacked on oranges right off the tree. I didn't want to be bossy on his land, but I did ask him if I could do the calling. He obliged reluctantly, but insisted I only call sparingly and light, as he felt this particular bird was going to come in silent. After 45 minutes of light calling, 7 jakes came out and worked to the decoys. I told him I would eat tag soup before shooting a jake, and not 45 seconds later a longbeard came out at 45 yards. The tom was shying off the decoys and both my friend and his friend whispered harshly to shoot. I was anxious about shooting that far, but followed their urgings and pulled the trigger and crumpled him.
High fives all around, collected the bird, then he got a text from the manager the next grove over that 3 toms were working our way. My friend got set up with my gun, I called more aggressively, but no response. We waited another 45 minutes, saw a couple hens work by, then got out from under the tree to take pictures. As we were doing so, a tom free gobbled 250 yds away... the first gobble we had heard the entire day. I immediately cutted back at him, and he cut me off. We struck out after him with him gobbling nonstop headed to roost, and we got to 100y, when a hen cut us off and the game was over.
My bird was 14.5 lbs, 9in beard, and 1in spurs. My smallest bird ever, but I haven't ever felt so much pressure lifted off my shoulders.
Day 2...Since all the pressure was off... mission accomplished, time to have fun... with the turkey insanity over the past few years, outfitters are now paying $1000 per bird to landowners to take clients on their land for true Osceolas... not the ones from up around Gainesville. We didn't feel right about trying to take another bird off my friends friend private land, so we were going to focus on public for my friend. I had picked out a half dozen spots I wanted to check on public nonquota areas, but they were going to require an airboat to access (thanks Catman, I totally learned this trick from you!). My friends friend had never hunted like this, but was up for the adventure. He borrowed an airboat from a good friend (a freaking racing airboat with a 300lb hull and an 540hp aircraft motor capable of doing 97mph) and we headed out on day 2.
We were all now on unfamiliar ground ... although my friends friend had fished this area many times, he had never turkey hunted it (no need to, his private ground is that good). He was willing to let me lead the hunt the way I wanted to do it. He wanted to tote decoys, but I said, no need, they will just slow us down. We went to my first pin in the dark and disembarked the boat. Moved to my listening spot and.... nothing. As grey light faded to blue, I tree yelped and a hen answered 100yds away on the next hammock over. We had a nice conversation over the next 20 minutes, until she pitched out of her tree and landed 20yds away. She clucked a few times, then started feeding. No gobbles and no other birds despite all the talking. Once she fed off, we pulled out and got back on to the airboat and headed to spot #2... nothing... on to spot #3.
Nothing responded to quiet talk, then started hiking. After a quarter mile or so, I struck a bird 300 yds away across the marsh. I told my friends we needed to loop around him, as I felt if we moved right to him in the tall flooded grass he would pick us off. They agreed, and we made a 500y loop to get on the same hammock he was in. My friends moved up 25 yds and I stayed back to call for them. The bird responded to my 2nd sequence, about 200yds away, in the exact same spot I struck him 20 min before. Another 10 minutes, and I called again, and he had cut the distance in half with a thunderous gobble. My friends looked back at me, waved me up to them, and I shook my head no and pointed toward the gobble. They waved me up, so I carefully picked my way toward them as they also got up and started headed toward the gobble??? I rushed up to them and urged them to stop, that he was coming! We sat down together, I called again, and he hammered back 60yds away. I cut his gobble off with an excited cutt, then he quadruple gobbled! I told my friend this bird was already dead, he just didn't know it. A couple minutes of me scratching in the leaves, and he popped out from behind a palmetto 40 yds away. I told my friend to shoot, but he couldn't see him. The bird must have seen something amiss, as he started easing parallel to us without coming in. My friend still couldn't see him, so I gave him 2 jake yelps, and he gobbled again, allowing my friend to see him in at the edge of the grass and shoot him (left handed no less as he was working parallel by us). Turned out my friends didn't hear the first gobble after we repositioned.
Massive celebration, and my friends friend was the most excited... he had never hunted a bird run and gun style, and said it was the most fun turkey hunt he had ever been on. Moved back to the airboat and took pics, then headed to my other spots i picked out to strike a bird for my friends friend without avail.
We were all exhausted that afternoon, and I was actually willing to surrender at 3pm and begin social hours. 5 or 6 of my friends friend who are also turkey hunters came over and we shared stories, and a couple of them brought their birds by to show off (we know of 4 that were killed Thurs, and another 5 on Friday). The best was a slammer 18lb, 11in, 5in double beard with 1 3/8 in spurs and jet black primaries (I was JEALOUS!). Maybe had a tad too much fun at dinner, and now ALL the pressure was off, as both I and my friend had killed.
Yesterday morn we repeated the day before on public, but without ever finding a hot bird. We did find 3 toms with a single hen, but bumped the hen as we looped around them to get into position. I did call in a lone hen that afternoon in between watching my friends friend fill the boat with bedded shellcrackers.
Overall an incredible experience, saw 20 or so toms (mostly on private or limited quota WMAs) and a handful of hens. Florida has set the season right just north of SR 70 with a season opening of March 20... most hens have been bred, and toms were either grouped up or with just a hen or two. Population seems unreal in the area we were hunting, esp compared to South MS. Kudos to FL fish and wildlife for a well managed resource!
If anyone of you have a desire to kill an Osceola, I'd highly recommend you do so ASAP. All the local hunters have been amazed with the increase in pressure on their local birds in the past 3 years, and how valuable they have become. Private landowners were getting $500 per bird 3 years ago, now $1000 is the norm.
And my friends friend knows well the primary outfitter in the area... hes up to $3500 for an Osceola on private land... and his group has taken 56 as of Saturday. I'm extremely grateful for him allowing me to shoot one of his birds, and hope he takes me up on my offer to repay him with some fat boy TN birds!
