Best bird you never killed

[TANK]

My story started in 2003, on about 100 acres a friend of the family owns. The property has 3 fields on it. One being about 40 acres, and 2 being about 15-20. It has hardwoods, log roads, cow paths, and swampy spots scattered through out. It is joined by some larger tracts of land also.
I worked for the guy that owns the property when I was in high school building fence and helping out with his cattle, so I knew the property pretty well.
I was having a slow season that year so I called him and asked if he cared if I hunted his places (he owns others). He said that was fine but didn't know if they was any turkeys on them. I had seen turkey sign when I was working for him, so I figured something was bound to be around.
I drove up on the 2nd weekend of '03 season and stood on the edge of the field before daylight to listen.....this was when a 3 season obsession began. The turkey I later named   Son Of A _ _ _ _ _  started gobbling 20 minutes before daylight. I seen him fly down later that morning. His wings was a beautiful bronse color, different from any turkey I had ever seen.
I would hunt this tukey about 5 times a week. Just when I would be about to give up, I would see his tracks in one of mine from a couple days before, see his tack in a pile of cow mess, or find where he dragged his wings when strutting in the log roads or something.
I even give up on him one evening and quit. I was walking to the truck and heard him go to gobbling on the roost. I roosted him 2 times, 2 different seasons and he would be gone the next morning.
I got advice from every old timer I knew. I would hunt him in the morning, middle of the day, and evening. I done everything I knew or had been told to do.
It was one thing that was making him come to this property, 3 old hens. I called them up so many times I lost count. I wanted to kill them, and leave them so S.O.B. would see their bodies, and possibly change his warfair tactics!
Later I figured out what he was doing he was back and forth between this place and another piece of property visiting the ladies.
I hunted him for 3 seasons with exact same things happening all 3 years. Then the 3rd year it all feel into place and I killed him one morning coming out of a briar patch gobbling at 5 steps. The briars would normaly seem kind of odd, but kind of fit into S.O.B. list of tricks.
When I ran out and grabbed him I got a spur through the glove, and into my hand (still have the little scar). He had a 10 inch beard 1 3/8 spurs like needles, and weighed 20 1/2 lbs.
I was proud that I killed him and glad it was over in the same since. I hunted other places for a couple of weekends and didn't get on anything so I decided to stop by this place one morning......He was still there, I had killed a different turkey!
As far as I know he died of old age. I did kill 2 turkeys off this place, that one in'06 and one last year. Both of them had the bronse coloration on them. I guess these was sons and grandsons off the 3 old hens I hated so badly.
I had killed a few turkeys before all this began. This turkey is one of 2, that taught me how to "turkey hunt". The other turkey took me the whole Louisiana '02 season. Looking back now I wouldn't change a thing, and to tell you the truth I kind of miss him each spring. I think of him each season. Thank you Mr. S.O.B.

[joshua]

I've been hunting a bird for the last 2 seasons.  I have not given him a name but I have called him quite a few.  I've never heard this bird gobble.  He will come to my calling but his safety zone is around 100 yds.  Once he gets to where he can see where the calling is coming from he locks up and starts strutting.  I've had him in an open field and in the hardwoods neither time would he commit to came all the way in.  I've got a few different tactics I'm gonna try this season.   

[shootumindaface]

Goodness I could crash the server again with this question   Will post up one or two in a few

[Jbird22]

Goodness I could crash the server again with this question  Will post up one or two in a few

I bet if yours don't crash the server then Headcrusher could with his experiences with "Maytag"! 

[hobbes]

Well.......I typed out a big long masterpiece and my log in timed out and I lost the entire thing (*&^%$), so just take my word for it.........it was a heartbreaker.....LOL

[northms]

Tank that story about S.O.B was hilarious.   

Got some good stories going here.

[knightrider]

ole helmet head you can figure that one out

[OLE RASPY]

Well i will make this short.This past spring was my first actual miss within range 42 yards well i dont know if it was actually a miss or not but this gobbler hung up on a page wire fence and would not come across and he was in some thick stuff but i actually could still see his head through it so i shot threw the thick stuff and he stumbled around and took of flying and most of my shot hit a couple of saplings and tore one down and just about broke the other down.Anyway this bird had a bigger and thicker rope than my previous bird and he had a 11.5 inch beard.So i will be hunting him this year if hes still around.

Another one is this past fall i hunted 2 longbeards with a bow everytime i would go deer hunting.I didnt put the stalk on them i just climb in my deerstand everytime hoping i would get a shot off and never did.The closet these two birds ever came was 58 yards and i didnt take the shot.These birds are hefty to.They never would roost in the same spot everytime.So when fall shotgun came in i got to hunt one morning and i wanted to make it count.The evning before i was bowhunting and saw one of them come into the field right at dark running like something spooked them and i pin pointed the tree he flew up in.Next morning shotgun in hand i set off to get this bird.1 hour before daylight i slipped in with no flashlight and got what i thought to be about 100 yards from the roost tree.Got settled in and soon as daylight started peeking through i was straining my eyes to find him and couldnt.My plan was to make a few gobbler clucks at daylight so he would think it was his buddy and he flydown pretty close to me and i would be eating turkey that night.WRONG.As i was looking i couldnt find him anywhere that tree.He flew out of another tree 150 yards away from the tree i thought he was in as soon as daylight would let him.I watched him fly and he musta flew 1000 yards before landing across a lake.He was in that tree i thought he was in but he musta got busted by something in the dark.I will be hunting him also this spring.

[TRKYHTR]

20 years ago I was hunting a WMA in CA. I was with my BIL who was going to be the shooter this morning. Oh I had my gun but he had first shot. I was 1 mile from my vehicle and at the property line of the WMA when we got a turkey to gobble. The turkey was on the other side of the property line. So we sat up 50 yards from the fence and started calling. The turkey came close enough to hear him spittin and drummin. I heard several hens start gettin excited and the next time I hear him gobble he was 100+ and going away. 3o minutes later I heard a bunch of turkeys fly across a creek getting closer to our location. We closed the distance and my first call was cutt off by a gobble. This gobbler came in on a string. The first time I saw him he was 30 yards away from my BIL ( the shooter). He dropped down in a little ravine and when he appeared he should have been 20 yards away from him. The next time I see him he was 60 and going away. Thats 2 times. I called him back to the exact same location 30 minutes later but my BIL couldn't get a shot. After he left I was ready to kill my BIL. He was frustrated because he could have killed him easily but waited for him to get to 20. Thats 3 times. He still wasn't spooked he just couldn't find the lone he who was making all the racket. I headed up a cow trail towards the direction of the gobbler when I peaked over a rise and there was a full fan. There were 7 hens feeding around him. He was at 30 yards and my gun was in hand but very low. His head was up but he had not seen me. I couldn't move for hours which was really 2 minutes. I whispered to my BIL who was sneaking in behind me that I could see him and he was 30 yards away. His 2 words were "Kill him". I eased my gun up and when I pulled the trigger turkeys flew everywhere. There were about 15, mostly hens, and I never touched a feather on that gobbler. That was 4 times he should have been dead in 1 day. That one haunts me.

TRKYHTR

[swamp_bird89]

I got one from last year "muddy foot"..........had him at 20 yards drumming his heart out, too thick. He gave me the slip several times. This year he might not be so lucky.  

[redarrow]

Lightbulb,gave me and Kamski1151 absolute fits for what seemed like hours.We seen him at least a dozen times,but he would not commit.Far as I know hes still out there. Makes for good conversation every time we get together.

[northms]

So far we have birds named "Tubby, Muddy Foot, Ole Helmet Head, Mr. Son of a B_ _ _ _, Maytag, Traveling Salesman, Leroy Brown, Problem Child, Carl Lewis, No Show, Him, and Death Valley Bird."

That sounds like a ruff and tumble crew that is left out in the woods this year.  

[TANK]

So far we have birds named "Tubby, Muddy Foot, Ole Helmet Head, Mr. Son of a B_ _ _ _, Maytag, Traveling Salesman, Leroy Brown, Problem Child, Carl Lewis, No Show, Him, and Death Valley Bird."

That sounds like a ruff and tumble crew that is left out in the woods this year.  

Kinda sounds like members name to a biker gang, lol.

[StruttinGobbler3]

There was one bird from last season that outwitted me at every turn. Just before turkey season last year there was a logging crew doing some clearcutting on a property adjacent to mine, and this gobbler took up residence in the hardwood bottom directly behind my house. Figuring him for an easy kill, I roosted him one evening,Daylight found me set up a hundred yards from his roost, settled in on a large oak with waist tall palmettos surrounding me and a lone hen decoy at twenty yards. With my my favorite mouth call, the Tom Teasers "Meat Call", I threw a few sleepy clucks and a soft tree yelp at him. He fired off from his tree. A few minutes later, I gave a flydown cackle and flapped with my hat for good measure, and shut up again. After gobbling a few more times, I heard him fly down and he sailed fifty yards away from my set up. He started my way in full strut. From what I could see of him at this point, he was a large gobbler with a paintbrush beard. A good friend of mine who had never killed a turkey before was the shooter on this hunt, and I was thrilled at the thought of his first gobbler being as large as this one. In short order this bird had strutted around just to the left of my decoy, a mere twenty yards. Whispering to my friend to be ready, I putted once to bring the bird out of his strut. BOOOOM!!! As the shot echoed away throughout the bottom, this magnificent bird flew away, not a feather out of place. However, my Featherflex hen was not as fortunate. Thats right, my friend missed the gobbler and wasted my decoy. With this gobbler now figuring his only threat in his new home were two turkey hunters with a crooked shotgun barrel, he moved his crew of hens into the bottom shortly thereafter. With my own gun in hand, I chased this bird several mornings and never could connect. He had a close call or two, but I never got another shot opportunity I was comfortable with. As far as I know he still lives in the bottom behind my house and I intend on tagging him this year. And for those of you wondering, the decoy was beyond repair. If you think Hevi 13 #6s are devastating on live turkeys, you would be shocked at the carnage they create on a Featherflex hen.  

[northms]

Bumping this topic up for some more convo.