Birds 1 and 2 of 2014

[Southernbuck01]

Friday, the 21st – Mississippi – 1:45pm***Bird 1***

I don't usually get this lucky, but I had a hunt Friday in MS that I dream about. I dropped the kids off that morning then hauled butt to the camp. My buddy was there and was telling me about how the morning went with him hearing about 4 different birds and seeing 2 long beards get henned up from the start.

We decided to go have a scouting look on a side of the lease that we haven't been to yet this season but have seen tracks in the road. He wants to go to the left side and check out a plot surrounded by cutover with some hardwoods along a slough. I went to the right to check a large clover plot surrounded by hardwoods.

I was easing up to the plot and scanning it with my binos when I though I heard a faint gobble. I eased up to where I could see the whole plot and it was empty. The wind died just a bit and I heard him.. Goooobbbbllleeee.... And he wasn't far in the woods. I hurried and got on the edge of the plot and cut our distance in half and stuck a hen decoy out and backed up in the edge of the plot. I threw in a mouth call and let out a yelp as he cut me off. In maybe 2 minutes of him steady gobbling I can see that head bobbing through the woods 75yds out and then he gets in the plot and puts on a show strutting and gobbling while slowly making his way to me. He got what I thought was 50+ yards and ducked back in the woods. I wasn't crazy about my pattern at 50 which is why I didn't shoot him then.

He got in about 25 yds and started hammering again and I decided to try get him real fired up so I got out my gobble tube and shook it and he would gobble and I'd cut him off and he'd cut me off and we went back and forth with that a few minutes then I went silent except for scratchin in the leaves.

A few minutes later I can see him strutting in the woods and here he comes back into the plot from where he left earlier. He gobbles more and then eases my way some and I knew he was in killing range. I let him gobble once more then folded him up. I stepped it off later and he was 50 steps from me when I killed him.

He had a 9" beard and 3/4" and 1" spurs.




Tuesday, the 25th – Louisiana -7:43am***Bird 2***

I got up at 3:30am and made the 2 hour drive to the lease. I figured this morning would be great if the wind held off. It was 41 degrees, no wind and not a cloud in the sky and I just knew the birds would be hammering.

This is the first time I have ever turkey hunted our lease because it is usually underwater from the MS river flooding by now. Not this spring though, and we have some turkeys on the place and my buddy heard a bunch and missed a bird on the opener Saturday.

Well, I get set up in the darkness with a couple decoys out in the open woods and sit by the tree and listen for the gobbles to start....and wait, and wait. Haha. I heard a bird almost out of hearing range and I was in no hurry to get up and see where he was because I just knew the birds were gonna start any minute right there by me.
Well, the only gobbling bird shut up about 10 after 7, so I decided at 730 I would get up and leave the decoys and see if I could rouse him up. I hit the road and made some distance toward where the bird was earlier. I stopped and thought I heard a gobble, but alas it was a woodpecker in the distance that had fooled me. I took a couple steps and stopped again and he sounded off about 150 yds away in a cypress bottom. I eased another 50 yds closer and found a tree to sit by, got my slate out and let out a couple yelps and he cut me off, closer. I put the call down got the gun situated and waited. About 2 minutes later I see that blue head pop up over some briars and here he comes. I let him get in a clear spot and made him flop at 7:43 at 45 steps.

He has a 9" beard and 1" sharp spurs

I've been blessed so far and I feel the best hunting is yet to come.



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[tomstopper]

Great job. Congrats...

[JVA54]

Congrats!!

[jayjay]

Great way to start the season! Congrats!!

[slamman]

hard too beat that two birds for two days hunts, congrats.

[Rokhal07]

Congrats!

[alloutdoors]

Nice birds, congrats!

[MouthCaller]

Good job!

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[surehuntsalot]

those were some great sounding hunts,congrats on the 2 birds

[hookedspur]

A fine pair of birds Congrats

[boomer]

Congrats!!

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[Rio Fan]

Sounds like you had a couple of great hunts - congrats!

[DirtNap647]

congrats

[JALA Strut]

Congrats on the birds!

[WillH]

 Congrats!!