My buddy and I returned to yesterday's setup this morning. In case you missed that story, here's the link.
http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,33877.0.html (http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,33877.0.html)
We got to our spot an hour and fifteen minutes before dawn, and set up in the darkness. Time creeped until dawn broke. I kept waiting, and listening, and finally, a gobble!! :icon_thumright: But, it was over in the next field. :-\ Then more gobbles, but all from the next field over. :( The same field I started out in the previous two days. ;D
When I realized Mr. Big and his ladies didn't roost here last night, I called my friend. He said he was content to stay put for a while and see who shows up. I told him I was going to slip over to the other field and check out where I heard the gobbles from.
I slipped down the treeline on the edge of the field, until I reached the cut through to the next field. I peeked around a tree and spotted a turkey halfway across the field. I brought up my binocs and glassed him. It was a gobbler. And he was all by himself!! :icon_thumright:
I sat down behind a cabbage palm where I could cover the cut through, and watch the gobbler. I let out a series of yelps while glassing the tom. He picked his head up, looked my way, and started walking to me! :icon_thumright: As soon as he passed a point that stuck out into the field, a second, smaller gobbler ran up and joined him. I knew instantly that it was the same two gobblers I'd heard gobbling the last two mornings on the other side of that field. I gave them another series of yelps. They quickened their pace, and the big tom blew up into strut.
As they approached the cut through, they spied my set up in the middle of the field I started out in. It was Bmobile, with a real fan, mounting a hen, with another hen off to the side. This stopped the two gobblers in their tracks. If you clicked on the link, you'd have read that the gobbler that normally is in this field is HUGE!! They had to stop and mull over their next move. The bigger gobbler stayed in strut, and started drumming. Man, I love when they do that!! :you_rock:
DOOOOOOOOM-PHITT!!!!
Finally, the big tom decided he wasn't going to back down. Besides, he had his little buddy as back up!! ;D So he dropped out of strut, turned in to the cut through, and started marching towards Bmobile, ready to kick some butt!! He never got there though, because when he cleared the trees at 10 yards, I gave him a facefull of #4's!! :fud:
His partner flew up in the air and over about 20 feet. He came back to stomp his buddy, but chickened out and walked off putting. Once he was gone, I checked out my bird. He was beautiful!! Tall, dark, iridescent, long beard, red-white & blue head, just a gorgeous bird!! :icon_thumright:
He was a stud, but he didn't compare to yesterday's gobbler. And that's saying a lot, because my gobbler weighed 19 lb's-13 oz's, had an 11-1/2" beard, and sported twin, sharp, curved 1-3/8" spurs!! I watched both birds, and yesterday's bird was dramatically larger. What a stud he must be!!
Anyway, I am thrilled with my bird!! :icon_thumright:
I hope I get drawn for that same WMA for next season!!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_07-51-01_430_zpsfdf41480.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_07-51-35_849_zpsfbc6a1cc.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_08-08-34_27_zps2eb1a455.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_09-00-39_728_zps27d6a11f.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_09-02-07_5_zps0c2ce669.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_08-50-10_701_zpscbefca28.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/IMG_0612_zpsc0bb629d.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_08-32-19_968_zps7451e697.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/IMG_0614_zps7c68428e.jpg)
And last but not least, me, my turkey and my STAV. Stealth Turkey Attack Vehicle!! ;D I've killed a lot of turks over the years stealthily cruising WMA's and large tracts of private land on my STAV. :icon_thumright:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/Resampled_2013-03-24_08-48-21_360_zps166baf68.jpg)
Congrats on your gobbler RutnNStrutn great story with a good ending. Your turkey mobile is cool too keeps you in shape. :firefighter:
Nice one. Congrats!!! Way to get us in the board.
Heck Yeah! Good bird, Rut! If I could get a break from running hoses up that *@!#$&*ing tower, I'd be out chasin birds! Congrats on a fruitful hunt.
Quote from: blackmagic on March 24, 2013, 11:37:28 PM
Heck Yeah! Good bird, Rut! If I could get a break from running hoses up that *@!#$&*ing tower, I'd be out chasin birds!
Hump that hose probie!!! ;D
Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time in the future!!
Quality bird. Those are outstanding spurs. Way to put up a good scoring bird.
Awesome bird brother, looks even better in full sized over cell phone pics. :newmascot:
Sweet, sweet! Way to go! That's a bird if a life time. Nice ride too!
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
Wow what a bird! Congrats brother that's how to get it done!
Thanks guys!! Hope y'all start piling some up soon!!