No good deed goes unpunished

[megalomaniac]

One of the lease members is a super nice kid (well, he's 26, so not a kid I guess). The bird I killed yesterday was probably the bird he had teed up for himself, as he hunted that area earlier in the morning. If elt bad, so I told him where I found a fresh set of tracks while I was covering ground, and told him I'd leave that bird for him to hunt today while I went to Natl Forest.

Well, that bird gobbled like crazy on the limb for him this morning, pitched down onto the pipeline I found tracks on, and marched right into 15 yards. Then the kid benelli clicked on his head, bird turns to run/ fly, and kid shucks the shell and empties the rest of his magazine at him as he is hauling off in flight. He said he clean missed. But I'd be surprised if he isn't crippled and headed for the grave. He is sick about it, but honestly now I wish I had not told him about the fresh tracks.

Taking a little break in the woods now, so far I've walked 10 miles today on National Forest. Haven't heard a peep. Found one fresh track since the rain yest pm, sat on it for a while, but couldn't strike anything. Found where one tom got caught a couple weeks ago. Owl or coyote, not sure. Will prob hunt till dark today, as the Tstorms are rolling back in for most of the day tomorrow. Haven't heard a shot all day, but lots of folks out on public. More than past several years.

 

[tntrkkllr]

That's definitely frustrating, I got on a bird in the nat forest and had some dimwit come in on top of me calling like a sick dog and making all kind of noise then left after he realized the birds were working away.. he parked 70ish yards from my truck. I'm Trying to roost one now

 

[Gravey]

Dang that is frustrating. Hopefully it brings you some good mojo!

 

[Carlos]

Yeah, I don't blame you- I wouldn't tell him anything else either.

 

[Iglow]

You broke the first rule of turkey hunting, don't tell what you know. I know you wanted to help but that kid had his turn with the first bird and didn't do it. Sometimes the best thing to do is do nothing at all.

 

[megalomaniac]

You broke the first rule of turkey hunting, don't tell what you know. I know you wanted to help but that kid had his turn with the first bird and didn't do it. Sometimes the best thing to do is do nothing at all.

I always have lived by that mantra... but I really didn't want to be greedy and take 2 birds when others are putting time in. Esp since there are so few birds on the lease.

Well, one other I'm pissed at... got a pic of him crossing a plot carrying a bag of chops yesterday. I knew something was up when he signed in at 5am this morn to make sure he beat everyone else to that spot.

 

[Carlos]

A bag of chops?

 

[wmd]

I always have lived by that mantra... but I really didn't want to be greedy and take 2 birds when others are putting time in. Esp since there are so few birds on the lease.

Well, one other I'm pissed at... got a pic of him crossing a plot carrying a bag of chops yesterday. I knew something was up when he signed in at 5am this morn to make sure he beat everyone else to that spot.

You kick him out or turn him in? Or is baiting legal for turkeys in MS?

 

[Jbird22]

You kick him out or turn him in? Or is baiting legal for turkeys in MS?

Heck no it's not legal in MS..

 

[Gravey]

A bag of chops?

Assuming bag of corn.

 

[Jbird22]

Assuming bag of corn.

Chops = cracked corn

 

[megalomaniac]

Assuming bag of corn.

Corn chops. That's what the baiters prefer.

I don't have proof he put it out, didn't see a bait pile. But why else would you be carrying a 50lb sack on your shoulder this time of the year? I suspect he has a hidden personal 'honey hole' off the beaten path.

He has been in the club 6 years, never even killed a turkey, so I'm not to worried about it, except I don't want to be around his bait if he put it out.

MS is a weird hunting culture. Bait is normalized here, although illegal. I always check the crops of the birds I kill, and a third of the public birds I've taken have bait in their crops. I was actually surprised the bird I killed yesterday only had a couple green leaves and a spider in his crop. He was running on empty.

 

[Jbird22]

MS is a weird hunting culture. Bait is normalized here, although illegal.

That's not true. I know it happens but it's not widely accepted like you make it sound to be. Shooting a turkey over feed is something I've never heard someone brag about in my 25+ yrs of hunting em here in MS.

Personally, I'd bring that pic to his attention and let him know it had better stop.

 

[megalomaniac]

That's not true. I know it happens but it's not widely accepted like you make it sound to be. Shooting a turkey over feed is something I've never heard someone brag about in my 25+ yrs of hunting em here in MS.

Personally, I'd bring that pic to his attention and let him know it had better stop.

Reported my suspicions to the lease manager. He will investigate whether there is bait on the area and handle it. I'm not going in there beyond my camera location to look.

 

[megalomaniac]

That's definitely frustrating, I got on a bird in the nat forest and had some dimwit come in on top of me calling like a sick dog and making all kind of noise then left after he realized the birds were working away.. he parked 70ish yards from my truck. I'm Trying to roost one now

How did you do today?

I struck a bird that wanted to die this morning while on National Forest. He gobbled back to every call 13 or 14 times... problem was he was 450y off the forest on private in a plot based on my maps. He abruptly went silent and quit answering calls. I'm assuming he gobbled up a hen, but I waited him out for another hour just in case he was coming in. Would have given him longer, but it started thundering and lightening, so I bailed. He is def killable if I can catch him without hens.

 

[TheLBLman]

I suspect the bird shot at by the boy was dead soon after it landed.
But I have seen many mortally wounded Toms survive several days
before infection and ten thousand ticks finish them off.

 

[megalomaniac]

I suspect the bird shot at by the boy was dead soon after it landed.
But I have seen many mortally wounded Toms survive several days
before infection and ten thousand ticks finish them off.

About one of the worst percentage shots you can take... a bird hauling away taking flight. Almost impossible to hit head, you are just basically hoping to break a wing and pray that slows him down enough to catch up close enough for a head shot running.

I explained to him had he not shot at all and just let the bird ease off after the benelli click, he could have probably called him back in from a different setup in just an hour or two.

 

[tntrkkllr]

How did you do today?

I struck a bird that wanted to die this morning while on National Forest. He gobbled back to every call 13 or 14 times... problem was he was 450y off the forest on private in a plot based on my maps. He abruptly went silent and quit answering calls. I'm assuming he gobbled up a hen, but I waited him out for another hour just in case he was coming in. Would have given him longer, but it started thundering and lightening, so I bailed. He is def killable if I can catch him without hens.

Got on a bird I'm 99.9% sure I got on last year due to roosting location and where he went he was 100% dead this morning I just needed him to come 10 yards more so he could see on top of the ridge and he would've been in range as soon as his head came over the top. I heard him drumming so loud and gobbled a couple times on the ground to get the hen ( me ) to come down the side of the ridge, instead of him coming on I top couldn't move or crawl any to try to peep over the side of the ridge to get a shot it was to open other than the stuff I was sittin in to hide me. He eventually lost interest and I saw him on the opposite facing ridge I watched him walk over the top and that was it. Hunted till 12 and never heard another peep. He was maybe 50 yards tops just didn't want to come on top of the ridge he hung out on the side till he lost interest. It'll be Wednesday or Thursday before I can go again and try to get back on him if he's still around

 

[TheLBLman]

About one of the worst percentage shots you can take... a bird hauling away taking flight.

Not just low odds of collecting the bird, but very high odds one or more pellets penetrates the gut lining. One single pellet in the gut, that bird is probably dying from infection.

Think about gut-shot deer by comparison. How many survive?

 

[Bgoodman30]

On my leases I do about 90% of the work so I share about 10% of my knowledge...