Best bird you never killed

[northms]

[Bumping this topic up in March 2016 because there's some good stories in here]


Thought it would be interesting to get discussion about that one bird (or birds) that you just never could kill.  That ol' nasty boss gobbler that always gave you the slip.

On our property last year there was a bird, the boss bird, that I never did kill.  He was the first one to sound off every morning and always surrounded by a harem of hens he roosted with.  On one side of his roost oak tree was a big pond, and on the other sides it was all hard woods, a little horse shoe like a "U" that wrapped around the pond.  He would roost at the curve of the U right up against the pond and there were hens everywhere inside the hard woods surrounding him, not allowing anyone to set up close in the woods to where he was each morning.

He would fly down, more like flop down, right below his tree and start to gobbling and doing his thing with the hens.  He would shut up a lot of times after hitting the ground.  And if you called too much the hens would take him the other way.  Of course there's a lot more that went into it, he got lucky a few days, and I wasn't up to the task a few days.  Never did get him though, only several subordinate birds.

I saw him strut on the limb several times and come out to the edge of limbs to look for "the hen" (me) and nearly break a branch off bc he got too far out on it.  Hence forth we called him "Tubby" bc he's a fat ol' boy.

I'm hoping Tubby made it thru the winter and will get some lead to the head this year.      

[Gobblerdn1]

Carl Lewis was his name gobbling and not showing his noggin' was his game!

[VAHUNTER]

i hope you get "tubby" this spring 

[Muskie03]

Just called that gobbler "Him". If he's still around it will be the 5th year I've hunted Him. He's taught me more about turkeys than anybody I know.  Had Him this year at 50yds in the woods. He deserves better than a 50yd shot. As I was packing camp this year the last bird I heard gobble was Him.  11am last day of season- killed his brother that morning after being setup 60yds from his roost. He flew out and went a quarter mile down the bluff, His brother came looking for Him and a fight. Late May(no fat) 22lb 12oz, 10 1/2, 1 1/4.
He roosts maybe 500yds from my tent. He lives on 1,000 acres of private property, if he's around this year I think it will be my last chance before Nature takes Him home. I hope I take Him home.

[flintlock]

Great account of Tubby, I hope you wax his fat arse this spring!

[Crutch]

Great story about both birds.  Hopefully there are several more. I like these.

[guesswho]

I had one named No Show.  I did have him in the sights at 20 yards right off the roost one morning and didn't pull the trigger.  I really didn't beat him fair and square and I had a weak moment and let him walk off.   Rare for me not to do the deed when it presents itself.   I never got another chance at him, but his kin folk have paid dearly.

[northms]

Dang Muskie, and I thought I had it bad.  5 straight years if in fact it is the same bird is a long time.  Hope his luck runs out this year.

[Muskie03]

Dang Muskie, and I thought I had it bad.  5 straight years if in fact it is the same bird is a long time.  Hope his luck runs out this year.

I know his routine, I know where he goes, none of it has helped. The first time my buddy saw Him(3 years ago) he thought there was a gobbler and 3 hens, till the 3 hens popped into strut, and he was much bigger than the other toms- to my buddies account. One day I bumped Him in His favorite spot(dumb move on my part)  the day after I bumped Him, 9:30 in the morning He's in the tippy tops of a massive oak. Flew a half mile before his feet touched the ground. A bird like that, you gotta kill at 20yds. One time my buddy was pretty sure it was Him crossing a pasture, He stopped anytime a little bird flew by and didn't move till it landed-skitso. This is the year I will let every tom poop on my boot and live unless I KNOW it's Him.  I hope I don't miss judge.

[3chunter]

Hunted a double bearded bird for 2 years and never got him.  One morning he flew right over my head(at 3 yards) off the roost. I never got a shot off.  Hunted him several times and he always had luck on his side. Don't know what happen to him.  He hung out with a bird I ended up killing late in the season and he was 20 lbs 11 inch rope and 1.25 curved sideways hooks. 

[CASH]

The Death Valley Bird.  Chased him most of the season last year.  Never could get close.  Ended up with him well out of shotgun range on the last day.  Got to sit there and shake and breath hard watching him.  He's magnificent. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Problem Child was his name.

Almost killed him multiple times but it always worked out in his favor.

I hope he's alive this year.  If so, he'll be at least 5.

[chrisun]

Leroy Brown.

He is like my nemisis.

[camp man]

I named my bird the traveling salesman...He didn't roost on the property I was hunting but once every four or five mornings. When he wasn't roosted on my lease, he wasn't even within ear shot. When he did roost on it , he would roost out in the middle of a 160 acre wide open chop on the edge of an old pond. He never flew down the same direction two times in a row. He would gobble enough to let you know where he was but I never could seal the deal on him. Most mornings that I saw him, he would be with a single hen in the middle of the chop. I hunted him one morning watching him until 11:00 and he never moved out of a spot the size of a little league infield. I hunted him for three years and never got within gun range. He whipped me fair and square but deep down I hope he died a most horrible death!!!!!

[Dan Mallia]

Yeah there's been a couple.  Great topic.   

They are the ones that keep you waking up in the morning and getting out in the turkey woods.