So long story short I've had a pretty slow season in my home state with lots of cold weather, wind, and other factors that have kept me out of the woods. Our season closes tomorrow and today was my last day to hunt. Dad called in Wednesday and said that his pipe salesman was out if town and gave us the green to kill the bird that's been giving him and dad fits all season.
I've heard stories of how this bird just seems to go the right way to avoid them. Still a responsive bird, but knows the game to well.
The plan was to slip in well before daylight and get close to him on the roost. Got a late start because someone was slow to get out of bed and was slipping in about 30 minutes after I wanted to. Got to where I had drawn a line on his roost the night before and was about to close in on him slowly. He gobbled to an owl and I knew I was not going to get any closer. Set up under an old elm next to a blackjack oak that provided me with some brush behind me to break up my outline.
He started to gobble more frequently as the horizon was glowing in the east. I kept my trap shut and did not make a peep on my pot call since this was more an ambush hunt than anything else. Heard him fly down about 6:20 and the didn't gobble once after. I saw a bird moving south on the other side of the creek away from me. Grabbed my pot call and made some soft sweet yelps with no response. I figured it was make or break time so I grabbed my DIY strutter decoy and started to crawl to the edge of the woods. Didn't make it 15' from where I was sitting and I heard one drum. Sucker was in full strut and saw me about the time I saw him. He puffed up and started to do the mean walk to me. Didn't make it three steps and he started sprinting to me! Let him get as close as I wanted him and poked around my decoy like I was shooting around the corner of a door. Poofed him at 10 steps and he didn't flop once.
Now I'm not one to reap turkey all the time but that was exhilarating having a bird charge me full tilt.
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Down to the wire
- okiefowler
- Posts: 117
- Joined: March 23rd, 2018, 5:55 pm
Down to the wire
Last edited by okiefowler on May 5th, 2018, 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 695
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Re: Down to the wire
The most fun way to end a tough season is with the bird in the hand!! Congrats!!!
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- crenshawco
- Posts: 587
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Re: Down to the wire
Congrats. Give us some more details on this decoy you made
- Hoobilly
- Gobbler Nation
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Re: Down to the wire
I would like to know more myselfcrenshawco wrote: ↑May 5th, 2018, 9:52 pm Congrats. Give us some more details on this decoy you made
congrats on your last hunt gobbler!
- okiefowler
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Re: Down to the wire
http://goodhunt.blogs.theledger.com/183 ... ake-decoy/hoobilly wrote:I would like to know more myselfcrenshawco wrote: ↑May 5th, 2018, 9:52 pm Congrats. Give us some more details on this decoy you made
congrats on your last hunt gobbler!
I built it on this guys idea but just used some plywood cut in a half moon shape as a backer. I stapled the foam jake decoy cut in half to the half moon. Then stapled a scraggly 2 year old fan to the back, and screwed the handle to the wood backer. Cost me $10 and some hardware I had lying around the house.
Added some cardboard as makeshift wings and nailed into the wood backer as well.
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- okiefowler
- Posts: 117
- Joined: March 23rd, 2018, 5:55 pm
Re: Down to the wire
Two years in a row I've killed birds on the last day of season. Killed tbis one last year on the last morning as well.Tail Feathers wrote:Congrats on the bird. That's a nice kill to end the season.
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