Dennis
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2019
- Messages
- 832
Was out of town over the weekend so my first chance to hunt was yesterday. Have permission to hunt the property behind my house. It is mostly woods, but there is spot where woods opens to a cut corn field. The birds congregate there mid mornings usually.
Sat there yesterday and had a couple jakes and a hen come to me. Then 3 mature toms looked to be heading my way in the field , but they went to the woods and I lost sight of them. I have seen this group several times while scouting and they like to hang out on the field edge in one spot. I figured they were gonna go into the woods and come up behind me.
About that time my wife texted me that some guys installing a fence at our house had hit a water line. So I had to hurry back to the house and all the birds scattered when I got up,
This morning I dropped off my son at school and went to the hardware store to get some plumbing supplies to fix the water line.
I got home mid morning and thought I would hunt till lunch time. Was still wearing blue shorts and a blue shirt but too lazy to change clothes. Grabbed the gun and a mouth call and headed out,
The trail back through the woods to that spot runs inside the woods anywhere from around 30 yds from the corn field edge to 5 yds (separated by large ditch). It is fairly thick long the edge so not real easy to see into the field when coming up the trail, I figured birds might be in the field when I got there.
When I got near the field I could see some turkeys in it. I also knew I was near the spot where the 3 toms like to hang out on the field edge, so I stopped and watched. Sure enough a few seconds later I spotted 2 toms on the edge getting closer to me.
I noticed a small opening ahead of them and calculated the distance at about 30 yds to the field. I was debating whether to try and shoot one through that opening from where I was standing. 30 yds is ok, but I prefer 20 yds. I watched the first tom get to that opening and just stand there. Then he continued on. I raised my gun and thought if the next one stops there I'm gonna shoot. And he did, and so I did. He dropped there and didn't flop.
When I got to him he started to flop so I laid him on his side and pinned his wings with his body and with my knee. I do that a lot of times to kept them from ripping out feathers when they flop.
He weighed 23.7 lb on my scale with 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. His tail was pretty messed up, not sure what happened to him. Maybe something tried to grab him from behind.
Anyway, not sure the traditionalists would approve of my methods on this hunt. No decoys , no blind , no camo, no calling. Just a shotgun and a dead bird.
Sat there yesterday and had a couple jakes and a hen come to me. Then 3 mature toms looked to be heading my way in the field , but they went to the woods and I lost sight of them. I have seen this group several times while scouting and they like to hang out on the field edge in one spot. I figured they were gonna go into the woods and come up behind me.
About that time my wife texted me that some guys installing a fence at our house had hit a water line. So I had to hurry back to the house and all the birds scattered when I got up,
This morning I dropped off my son at school and went to the hardware store to get some plumbing supplies to fix the water line.
I got home mid morning and thought I would hunt till lunch time. Was still wearing blue shorts and a blue shirt but too lazy to change clothes. Grabbed the gun and a mouth call and headed out,
The trail back through the woods to that spot runs inside the woods anywhere from around 30 yds from the corn field edge to 5 yds (separated by large ditch). It is fairly thick long the edge so not real easy to see into the field when coming up the trail, I figured birds might be in the field when I got there.
When I got near the field I could see some turkeys in it. I also knew I was near the spot where the 3 toms like to hang out on the field edge, so I stopped and watched. Sure enough a few seconds later I spotted 2 toms on the edge getting closer to me.
I noticed a small opening ahead of them and calculated the distance at about 30 yds to the field. I was debating whether to try and shoot one through that opening from where I was standing. 30 yds is ok, but I prefer 20 yds. I watched the first tom get to that opening and just stand there. Then he continued on. I raised my gun and thought if the next one stops there I'm gonna shoot. And he did, and so I did. He dropped there and didn't flop.
When I got to him he started to flop so I laid him on his side and pinned his wings with his body and with my knee. I do that a lot of times to kept them from ripping out feathers when they flop.
He weighed 23.7 lb on my scale with 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. His tail was pretty messed up, not sure what happened to him. Maybe something tried to grab him from behind.
Anyway, not sure the traditionalists would approve of my methods on this hunt. No decoys , no blind , no camo, no calling. Just a shotgun and a dead bird.
