Bone Collector
Well-Known Member
I have been trying to find the time to make this post. Tons of stuff going on in my world with work and family stuff. I wanted to write it up, as it was probably the most exciting hunt I have had in the turkey woods since I started hunting them. I generally take time off around the first and second weekend of season. this year due to my schedule couldn't make that happen the way I normally do. I took off the 23rd and 24th so I could hunt and take my son to golf matches. Season had definitely quieted down since opening weekend. I went out Thursday on public to a section of Public that I have tried to hunt more than once and even on weekdays others have beaten me to it. I had no competition or so I thought. I was on my boat and I like to sit on the water because you can hear gobbles easier. I heard at least 7 birds in all directions. Issue is some of the land is Corp land, but not huntable. Most the birds were there. I finally heard one on the WMA and headed over. As I do I see 3 hens down the shore about 100 yds drinking. I Pulled my boat out around a corner, tied it off, got my gear and so yahoo comes out the woods waving me off. I get back in the boat and head to another area I heard a bird. Confirmed he was on a non huntable part, then saw another strutting on the shore in a non huntable area. The birds are taking advantage of the low water and using what used to be coves or under water as strut zones where they and the hens can also get a drink. I move on and look into a cove that has WMA land on most of it and there is a bird strutting on the exposed shore with like 5 hens. I pull in keeping my distance and ease into the woods. I used the wood line and a trail to get as close as possible and call. He would gobble, but wouldn't move. Finally, the hens came, he came and he looked like he was 45 yds or so. He was strutting. I made some mouth clucks but he wouldn't come out. I took the shot and jerked and missed 
. I think he was a little further than I guessed. I was not happy. I was going to leave and as I came out of that cove I look across the way and there are 2 more strutting with a hen and a jake off to the side. I pulled my boat out and tried to get where I thought they would go, but I notice a fisherman heading back there and figure he scared them. By the time I got to where I could see they were gone.
Tuesday morning I was back. I set up and heard nothing. I called every so often and saw and heard nothing. Poked around in the dried out cove curious to see what was where water would normally be. I left and the second bird I saw the day before is in the same place, but not huntable. I fished a little and just watched him strut. I decided to leave and as I did... those 2 birds are right in the cove i had left. I pulled over and no one was there to scare them. I snuck up into the woods and circled high so I would not be seen. I got set up to where I could call them to the wood line and it would be ~35 yds. I set up and cannot see them and think they are gone, but then through the trees I see a tail fan. they had moved out and were about 125 yds away. I would call they would gobble but would not leave the hen. She headed to the other side of the dried cove for the other wood line. Then I see the hen lay down, and through my binos I see the two birds posturing, but he one behind her got up there and bred her (never seen that before). The other bird strutted around and I called and the bird breeding her gobble while breeding her.
Then she got up and went into the woods on the other side, and I called and they would gobble and come back out, but they would not cross to my side. I did this twice and decided to get more aggressive and it worked. They started coming across and I was thinking which one I wanted. I decided they both had to be pretty dominant as neither backed down from the other. I had one coming to my 9 o'clock and one coming to my 11 o'clock. The one at 9 got into an opening first and I shot. He dropped, and I got up, but then noticed the other one went into strut and started heading to him. I tried to get my phone out and video but messed it up, He jumped up on him and started flogging him (never seen that before either). I finally ran him off and got to the bird. I noticed the spurs looked big when i got to him. I took him back to my set up and hung him on a limb by the spurs. My first limb hanger. Pretty good way to end a season.
Beard was 10" and spurs were 1 1/4".
. I think he was a little further than I guessed. I was not happy. I was going to leave and as I came out of that cove I look across the way and there are 2 more strutting with a hen and a jake off to the side. I pulled my boat out and tried to get where I thought they would go, but I notice a fisherman heading back there and figure he scared them. By the time I got to where I could see they were gone.Tuesday morning I was back. I set up and heard nothing. I called every so often and saw and heard nothing. Poked around in the dried out cove curious to see what was where water would normally be. I left and the second bird I saw the day before is in the same place, but not huntable. I fished a little and just watched him strut. I decided to leave and as I did... those 2 birds are right in the cove i had left. I pulled over and no one was there to scare them. I snuck up into the woods and circled high so I would not be seen. I got set up to where I could call them to the wood line and it would be ~35 yds. I set up and cannot see them and think they are gone, but then through the trees I see a tail fan. they had moved out and were about 125 yds away. I would call they would gobble but would not leave the hen. She headed to the other side of the dried cove for the other wood line. Then I see the hen lay down, and through my binos I see the two birds posturing, but he one behind her got up there and bred her (never seen that before). The other bird strutted around and I called and the bird breeding her gobble while breeding her.
Then she got up and went into the woods on the other side, and I called and they would gobble and come back out, but they would not cross to my side. I did this twice and decided to get more aggressive and it worked. They started coming across and I was thinking which one I wanted. I decided they both had to be pretty dominant as neither backed down from the other. I had one coming to my 9 o'clock and one coming to my 11 o'clock. The one at 9 got into an opening first and I shot. He dropped, and I got up, but then noticed the other one went into strut and started heading to him. I tried to get my phone out and video but messed it up, He jumped up on him and started flogging him (never seen that before either). I finally ran him off and got to the bird. I noticed the spurs looked big when i got to him. I took him back to my set up and hung him on a limb by the spurs. My first limb hanger. Pretty good way to end a season.Beard was 10" and spurs were 1 1/4".
