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2024 Killer B's Story Thread

Started by Delmar ODonnell, March 19, 2024, 03:23:37 PM

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a_jabbo

Such a great story, Mossy! Congratulations, and hopefully you two get back in the woods together soon.

POk3s

I've been away doing spring things around here and took a fishing trip. It's good to check back in and see that you guys are stacking em up and creating memories! Already over 200 points on the year! I leave in a week and a half and am getting quite itchy...

Delmar ODonnell

I've been so fortunate enough to have some great hunts in the last couple weeks.

On Saturday the 23rd, my best friend and I hunted together. He is expecting his first child any day now, so we were very excited to hunt together before his son is born. It was relatively chilly with a stout 15+ mph wind. We heard a turkey as far as you could possibly hear one, and I told my buddy I believe I knew where he was. By the time we made it to the general area, it was past flydown, and per usual this time of year, he had gone silent. Before we crested the first ridge, I yelped and cut on my trumpet and was soon responded to by a hen in the bottom. We sat down on a cedar tree and I played back and forth with the hen for 10 minutes, until finally she broke. We see 2 hens running towards us with a gobbler and jake in tow. As the hens approached, they turned to go up the opposite ridge. When the gobbler went behind a tree in the bottom, not having started up the opposite ridge with his hens, I lightly yelped and clucked. He froze, blew into strut, and turned to us, where he closed the distance to 22 yards. It was a special hunt with my best friend.





Last week, during a meeting with a client, I mentioned being a turkey hunter, and he graciously offered me access to his property. On Wednesday, March 27, I went to his property before work. Hearing a gobbler on the roost, I tried to work his direction to no avail. I decided to make a lap of the property before going to work. At the bottom of a large hill, I heard a distant gobble which sounded like he was on a road "T"-ing the trail I was on about 500 yards ahead. I progressed 300 or so yards up the hill on the trail and stopped to check him before a slight bend in the trail. I had barely made my second yelp when 3 gobblers blew my hat off right around the bend. I took my time to find the right tree and sat down. I soon saw glimpses of 2 strutters and a looker right around the bend. They responded to the slightest cluck or whine I gave them. They came from 60 to within 30 yards, and for 10 minutes they gobbled and drummed there while obstructed by the bend in the road until finally the looker stepped out in the road and gave me an opportunity. He was a small one-spurred turkey, but I couldn't be more thankful for the experience he and the strutters gave me.








This Easter weekend, my family was going out of town to visit my sister, so I took the opportunity to go to a family friend's property I had never been to. The property was immaculate, but I found myself hunting the same gobbler every day as I couldn't find another. He beat me handily for three straight days, including having him at 50 yards, with his hen at 10, before they moved away without presenting a shot, and me spooking him on two separate occasions. Monday morning, he gobbled in a tree line in between 2 fields. I positioned myself on the treeline, facing him, where I could shoot into both fields when he pitched down. Unfortunately, he had different plans. He sailed over the field and into the creek bottom. He never gobbled after flying down. After some hen talk, I guessed they were moving away and made a move, to no avail. Realizing I had made a mistake, I eased my way back to my original location, to find the gobbler and his 2 hens in the middle of the field. Using the terrain and folliage, I was able to get on a cedar tree on the field edge. From there, I was fortunate enough to watch this gobbler display for his hens for an hour while at 55-75 yards before finally his hens made a move to my hard right. Seeing this, he quarter strutted to 38 yards before I ended our 4 day long battle. Finally killing a turkey that beats you is so rewarding, but is also bittersweet, and brings back the old adage that when you lose, you go home and go to bed, when he loses, he's gone for good.





JeffC

Great read and pictures!! Congratulations! I always remembered to get a hero shot with my dog also, she hated Turkeys, where we upland hunted there were many chases with Turkeys and she got pissed we never shot them.
Print by Madison Cline, on Flickr

POk3s

Fantastic Delmar!!! As usual I absolutely love the stories and pics!

Tom007

"Solo hunter"

Yoder409

DANG, son !!!!!!!!!!    You on FIRE already !!!!!!!     :you_rock:

GREAT stories !!!!    CONGRATS !!!!!!
PA elitist since 1979

The good Lord ain't made a gobbler I can't kill.  I just gotta be there at the right time.....  on the day he wants to die.

harleytom

Congrats Delmar! Great stories.


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Vintage


twyatt

Loving the stories and pictures!!!  You're on fire as usual!  Congratulations

zsully

Congrats Delmar!!!! Freaking Seabiscuit couldn't come out of the gate faster!!!!Love the stories and pictures.

a_jabbo

Talk about a bangout few weeks you had. Always crushing it. Congrats, Del. Awesome stories.

GobbleNut

Great stories and pictures...especially the pictures.  I really appreciate someone who takes the time to take quality pictures of their hunts and birds.  Well done!   :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:

Hoosier2

Man love to see it Delmar. That's a hell of a season and we haven't started. Seems like you got some great memories and those pics are killer. Keep rollin killer b's


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Mossyguy

I have a little bit of an upgrade this morning and one heck of a story. I'll update y'all after church.  All I can say is that the competition better be glad they won't let us count multiple beards ????