Just knocked one down. Pics and measurements to come later. And one heck of a crazy story. The A team is on the board. Walking out of woods now.
Edited update:
Well I'm back and got him all cleaned up and pics taken
Looks like a good 2 yr old bird. 17lbs 8 oz 10" beard and L-spur 3/4" R-spur 7/8"
This story will be long, so just throwing that out there.
Well this morning I went to our cattle gap to listen where I always do on the high ground of our property. No gobblers wanted to talk until right before they flew down. I heard 2 gobbles of what sounded like 2 birds together in the back of our property so away I went. I set down to listen some more once I got in the area and heard 'em gobble again on the ground above me about 500 yds or so and headed through the woods to them. I knew they should be near a very large open ridge/field and when I got there I dropped my gear and eased up to glass the field.
When I got there I spotted one lone hen about 200 yds from me and just figured I'd wait it out and let the birds dictate my next move. At this point I see no gobblers and am wary to move with no leaves on the trees. About 10 min goes by and I see some movement off the next ridge coming the hens way and sure enough, 6 more hens and 3 big ol' fans coming up to meet the lone hen.
I ease down back into the woods grab my B-mobile "jonathan", slap that baby together, and the she-mobile and belly crawl out 15 yds to my right just below a rise and set them up. Slither back into the woods because at this time the birds are getting on top of the ridge where they can almost see me.
I put in my hooks devastator, and get set up with the decoys to my right, turkeys to left about 150 yds over a rise and all i can see is the tips of their 3 fans. I throw a few soft yelps and no response. One more hard yelp and one of the hens yelps back. I cut her off and fall in line with what she was doing. The 3 birds gobbled twice all together and I shut up. I figured they were coming after I couldn't see them below the rise in front of me.
After about 5 minutes of silence I hear "turkey talk" just on the other side of the ridge. A few hens lead the way and then 3 red heads come over the rise with the sun at their back....and they aint happy when they see "jonathan" standing there waving at them.
After a few loud gobbles at 25 yds I figure it's time to shoot the lead strutter. He breaks off from the 3 and sprints towards "jonathan decoy" and stops 12 steps in front of me, I put the red dot on him.....pull the trigger.....and....CLICK!
Well a few cuss words go through my head in a split second. I had the gun loaded but it had MISFIRED! (figured this out later) Well ol big boy sprints by my barrel at 4 steps...so !$@# close I could hear his feathers bouncing as he ran by me in the field! I'm pinned down at this point and can't move. Big boy proceeds to knock the ever living !@#$ out of 'jonathan', Patrick Willis style, like a linebacker hitting a running back. And my dumb self is sitting here with a useless weapon.
After 30 seconds go by I put a bead down on the other 2 birds that are watching the one sided fight and pull the trigger again.....click!
The whole flock stays there for 5 minutes and then walks back over the ridge away. I'm pissed, sad, mad, and everything you can imagine but aint giving up. I know the general direction they are headed and load up, make about 1 mile round trip to get WAY around them on the next ridge. They aren't spooked.
I come up 2 ridges from where they were last seen and start to close in on where I THINK they should be. But often, and this was the case, they weren't where I thought they were. I get up to the ridge adjacent to where they went and am easing down a tree/fence line and look left.....the whole flock just appears out of the draw I just rounded. Same 3 strutters and 7 hens.
I'm standing frozen with mossberg in one hand, 2 dekes in the other in a bag unassembled in the other, and nothing but air between us. By the grace of God they didn't spot me and I stand there for 5 minutes as the feed about 100 yds from me and when the flock is eating and all 3 gobblers strutting faces away I hit the deck slowly.
I procede to assembly b-mobile jonathan and the she mobile while laying on my back (I'm sure I looked like a dang fool). I raise jonathan up and am sure they have seen me but as soon as his fan stands up right over the little knoll in the field facing them....GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE! They spotted him. So my dumb self is laying on my back, one decoy up, 3 gobblers 100 yds away and pinned down.
I put she mobile up while still laying on my back and proceed to do a redneck backstroke back towards the fence/tree line 10 yds away. To my amazement when I get half way situated the birds are still there unmolested. I put in my hooks devastator, threw a soft yelp, and GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBBLE!
The big boys slowly strut my way and one sticks his head straight up and sees jonathan sitting there for a second time, beyond all odds and physics he has "walked around them" and he is waving again. Well that was just too much for the dominate bird and here they come again.
This time I have a NEW shell in, locked and loaded again. He gets 20 yds away lets out a roaring GOBBLE and I knock the ever living feathers out of him!!!! I honestly couldn't believe I got a 2nd shot at them (literally a second shot) and didn't get busted in the process. Proudest I've been maybe ever on a bird due to the first circumstance.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the incredibly long post. Hope you enjoyed.
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!! :happy0064: :happy0064: :happy0064: :happy0064:
:z-guntootsmiley:
Congratulations, at first I thought that it had flown to Alabama.
:z-guntootsmiley: :z-guntootsmiley: :z-guntootsmiley: :you_rock: :you_rock: :you_rock:
Congrats! Can't wait for pics and a story!
Congrats.
Congrats!!
:icon_thumright:
Congrats on earning your gobbler. You are to be congratulated on keeping your cool with a misfire and continuing to keep hunting and getting your bird.
What shell was it that misfired and how long have you had it?
Congrats! :icon_thumright:
Sounds like a fun hunt. Congrats.
Man..... What a hunt... Got it done with a very nice bird....
WTG! Congrats!
:icon_thumright:
Nice bird, congrats :icon_thumright:
WOOHOO!!
Way to keep plugging along against the odds.
Definitely one hunt that will stick out in your mind, in your old age!!
Congrats to ya!!
God Bless,
David B.
Congrats, persistence pays off!
Congrats!! Way to stay with it!! :icon_thumright:
Congrats on the nice bird. Sounds like you had a whirlwind of emotions, this morning..Way to stinkin' go!!
Thats the way to stay after them.
amazing story congrats!
:icon_thumright:
Congrats! What shell were you using?
You made smart decisions. Congratulations on a great hunt.
:icon_thumright:
Great story ! Congrats ! :you_rock:
Man, great job on keeping your cool.
:gobble: :OGani: :fud: :newmascot:
Awesome way to stay with it
Way to hang in there, Congratulations!!!
:fud: :funnyturkey: :z-winnersmiley:
:icon_thumright:
Congrats! :z-guntootsmiley:
Congrats
:fud: :newmascot:
What a hunt! Wow!
Sent via mobile
congrats on your bird
I bet that's a hunt you'll never forget. Congratulations!
That's a funny story!!! congratulations!!!
Next time, just duct tape that fan to your cap!! When you lower you head it will mimic that B-mobile with no assembly required!!!! :z-winnersmiley:
:z-guntootsmiley:
Very nice going,congrats!
Congrats!!
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
congrats way to go
Congrats on the awesome hunt, and the great bird!!!
Congrats , I lost it after a misfire last year ( actually forgot to load the gun) and made a mistake scaring the bird off when it was still close, way to show me how its done