Opening day was a typical madhouse everywhere.
The first Monday i headed to some Public land near my house and caught a strutter out with two hens. I watched them do there thing for about an hour. He bred her and I watched her go in the woods and sit on a nest for about 10 minutes. She came back out and fed around for a while and began walking fast out of the field. That was the first time I decided to make a call to let him know another hen might be around. They disappeared behind a roll in the field and the next time I saw them she was a couple hundred yards to my left and he was straight ahead of me strutting at about 60 yards. When he got to the edge of where the plowed met the grass he ripped out his first 3 gobbles of the morning and I took his head off. Legit 1.5" spurs on that bird.
My buddy killed one that morning too.
The second bird was later in the week and I just got permission that morning to access some public ground by getting permission to hunt a farmer's land. I parked my truck at 9:30 and at 10:30 I had a hen, a jake, and two longbeards working down a hedgerow to my soft calls. Killed my second one at 8 steps when his white cap walked right into my red dot.
May 8th was my Dad's birthday and we always try to hunt together on that day. We had a bird hit the ground within 80 yards and walk back into the woods to get with his hens. It was a small square of woods and I figured eventually they would show up in the field. We didn't hear a peep all morning until I gave a few contentment clucks on my Feathermoon Outdoors Green slate/aluminum Zebrawood pot. I sat the call down and dad said he heard a gobble down over the side that somehow I didn't hear. Within minutes 3 hens worked up over the top followed by a full fan and Dad waffled him.
Those two glass calls were a birthday gift I gave him that morning. They had pictures of previous years birthday birds laminated under the glass.
Congratulations to all.
Very nice! We are having a tough time up to your north in NY. I'll be out the next two mornings till noon and hope to just hear a gobble lol. Congrats
Congrats to you both, great that you can still spend time with your father, keep up the tradition. Some serious hooks on that Tom.
Congrats, Great story and great birds.
Nice work, here in the Western part of the state it has been rough. Hunted every day last week, hearing only two gobbles from the same roosted bird. Have been under long beards and hens that have flown down and not made a sound. Lil sunshine might change things for the better, it can not get much worse.
Fullfan, something just tells me they aren't going to get the best of you and Jr. LOL!
Congrats to you and your Dad. Nice spurs on the gobbler too!
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Congrats on some nice gobblers
:drool:Congrats!
Quote from: Number17 on May 10, 2021, 03:15:03 PM
Fullfan, something just tells me they aren't going to get the best of you and Jr. LOL!
They are, Jr had a swing and a miss on day one. he is trying to get one in front of his Gf, and it has been a tough go.. I'm at work now, but was where I saw a long beard and a hen last night just before dark. Not a sound from either this morning. The woods I was in is just torn up w fresh sign.
We have never gone this long without smashing several here in Pa. Might sell all my stuff and take up golf..... Get to sleep in, ride around in a cart, mopst times it is warm. And get to drink beer while I'm doing it lol
Congrats, and thanks for the story and pics! Having a rough go of it in western P.A. myself. I have heard 0 gobbling on the property I hunt, no sign, and nothing from adjoining land either. I took my Ohio bird on our N.E. zone opener, then started my P.a. hunting. On vacation this week, i might have to head up to the game lands this week and do some walking.
I hope you western guys aren't getting the front end of what we've had in the East the past several years. Population decline and lack of gobbling was brutal.
This year seems to be the year of the Jake. Short beards everywhere
Quote from: Number17 on May 11, 2021, 12:40:29 PM
I hope you western guys aren't getting the front end of what we've had in the East the past several years. Population decline and lack of gobbling was brutal.
This year seems to be the year of the Jake. Short beards everywhere
That's a good sign for the next few years.
Congrats, great birds....