Finally filled a tag

[southwind]

It has been kind of a strange year of turkey hunting in terms of weather, gas prices, and my overall drive. I just had not been totally obsessed like years past and here it is a month into the season.

I decided to go out yesterday a.m. and try a new spot I discovered about a week ago where I had seen a few birds. I had noticed a good little choke down spot on this field that was about fifty yards wide with a point that had good tall grass and a few little scrub trees. Across from this point was hard wood lined creek with great roosting trees so I thought I would take a gamble and set up there and see if they had roosted anywhere close.

I set out a feeding hen decoy for confidence and waited for light. The wind had been howling pretty good when I left the house but it was now calm and as the sky began to lighten the birds began to sing but there were no gobbles or tree yelps to be heard. I was starting to think I had read the area wrong when a crow sounded off and not more than 80 yards to my right across the field a tom hammers off. That crow must of woke him up because he started a gobble-fest that seemed like it lasted a half hour. His gobble didn't have that deep strong bellow like a seasoned tom and it had me wondering if I had found a jake treed up alone. With two tags in my pocket and half a month left a good ole jake was sounding alright to me.

O.K. it has to be getting close to flydown and now to complicate matters two whitetail does have worked their way the field from my left side and are headed right at me. The deer stop and raise their tails and I know they have scented me and I'm thinking this can't be happening. As I'm watching the deer I hear the sounds of big wings flapping and it's not where the tom is roosted. Right across from my set up half a dozen hens were roosted and have now flown down and are heading left away from me. I look back and the tom has now flown down and hits the ground gobbles and goes to full strut.

The tom starts my way to follow his hens working his way along in half strut bellowing a gobble every few steps. Now the deer are still nervous and are on going right towards the tom and I'm thinking they had better not blow this for me. The does pass the tom without incident and with another 15 yards the tom will be clear of bush in front of me and in range. As he clears the bush he stops and looks at my hen decoy and gobbles as if to say get a long now girl. That was his last gobble as I settled the bead on his head and let a load of #5's from my 3 1/2" mag fly he dropped in his tracks at 45 yards. Not the biggest tom I have taken by any means but a good solid two year old and a very fun Saturday morning.

[killerbee]

that sounds like agreat hunt! coongrats on a great bird. is that a browning invector 2 your shooting?

[Buck Fever]

Thanks for the nice pic!! And congrats on the kill...

[southwind]

KB,
It is actually my well worn Special Purpose Super Magnum Remington 870. It has been a good gun, I have dragged it all over the place.

[MuleyMadness]

Very cool, I like the photo!

[alpinbowman]

Great story. That is a lot of critters attracted to that area. nice call on the location and nice bird.

[Hiker]

Great job Southwind, great story and photos. What kind of turkey is that, eastern?

[southwind]

This is a eastern/rio mix more than likely. Almost all the birds in this area are that mix and I say more than likely because I asked a KDWP biologist once how to determine the difference and he said the only way is with a dna test.

Most of these birds will show charateristics of both species.

I about closed the deal on a big tom last night...the birds are just now really starting to cooperate, which is at least two to three weeks later than norm. Most of the hunters have given up now.

[Bustin Bucks]

Not your biggest by any means huh sounds like some of you are drawing tags i am still yet to kill one six years runnin. still a good looking bird nice job