Kilt One - updated

Not a very pretty morning, but I heard one gobble about 10 times and got to watch him strut for an hour or so before getting him into range. He had 4 hens with him and I think I called up the hens more than I did him, but I'm not gonna throw him back because of that. 9.5" beard, 1" spurs that weren't real sharp, 18 lbs 6 oz. I felt sure he was a 2 yr old, but not a hint of amber in his beard, so I guess he is 3. A smart turkey biologist once told me that was the surest way to separate a 2 from a 3.

A load of #8 TSS to the neck at 39 yds made for a very clean kill. Good luck to all the turkey hunter; looks like some pretty weather for the next few days.

Congrats!! Yall just have to rub it in with these pics dont you?
Im giving one a try in about 3 hours but its tearing me up sittin here at work.

Congrats PCP!

Congrats on the first kill of the season!

Awesome PCP!!!

Nice bird PCP, congrats

congrats PCP!!!!!

Congrats!!

Congrats nice opening day kill.

Great job

congrats

nice

Congrats!!

Dangit, I was all fired up to beat the turkey master on opening day.
Congrats Preacher!

I thought it was going to be a washout today, raining when I got to the cabin, but quit around 0630 and the sun came out before 9AM.
I didn't hear a bird gobble all day but that didn't keep me from killing one anyway.

Now the monkey is off our back, we can coast.

Congrats PCP... Thas awesome !!

congrats!




Shane

Great job.

Congrats nice bird

Congrats

Season is off to a great start! But I temper that by remembering that on 2 different occasions I've killed turkeys the first 2 days of the season and then was shut out the rest of the year. Ya never know in turkey hunting.

I went out without a gun yesterday and looked for sign and didn't even see a track. All those pretty burned woods and there wasn't a turkey anywhere. So I got up this morning and went to a different area; hadn't scouted it at all. Heard this one gobble early a long way off; moved toward him and stopped about 30 yds from a small green field and he gobbled while I was standing there. He was only about 100 yds away and roosted in a pine right beside the field.

I figured I would get busted, but I risked moving to a tree off to the side and set up. I could see only one little spot in the field, and I felt sure he'd pitch down into it. He gobbled again and I yelped at him, then a bunch of hens started yelping and cutting. How a hen didn't bust me, I'll never know. He pitched down first and then the hens started joining him. I had gotten the attention of one old hen, and she came to the edge of the patch to look for me. Soon all of them did, and the gobbler moved into range too, but there was no way I could shoot him without killing a hen. They finally got far enough from him that I could shoot; wound up taking a 45 yd shot and the tss plastered him.

That was turkey number 140 for me and the first I've ever killed with a double beard. The main part is 9.5", and the smaller one is 8. He weighed just under 18, and had only 3/4" spurs. He seems like a classic 2 yr old for sure, but there is not even a hint of amber in the end of his beard. I guess he is 3. Gobbler, you reading this?

Good hunting to all.

congrats.......again!!!!!!!!!

nice one...thumbup

Congrats

Dang what a beard !! Cool story too... I always like reading what other people do in situations that I have found myself in and was unsure of what to do...

Congrats on #2 nice bird.

congrats

Good story PCP - Congrats on #2

we are going to have to start an over and under on you and Deadeye I see... Good job!!

Congrats!

Dadgumit!
I need to get me one of them preach'n gigs, so I can hunt more.

Thanks guys. Upon further review, I just needed to wash the beards of the 2nd turkey and get it into bright sunlight to see the amber. He is a 2 yr old after all. Headed out to look for one of his buddies.

>>>I need to get me one of them preach'n gigs, so I can hunt more<<<

Even a preacher gets a vacation; you shoulda taken yours the first week of turkey season like I did. Guess you had to save yours to go somewhere your wife picked out.

I had to go out a kill another one this morning.
Can't let you get too far ahead of me.

You might be one down, Outback.

I've walked for miles the last 2 days and hadn't even come close to killing another gobbler. Heard a couple yesterday far away on another club, and heard one this morning on the roost, but he quit gobbling by the time I got to him and I never heard him again.

Slipped thru a 10-yr-old pine plantation this afternoon and eased up to a small deer patch, intending to set up and call for a while. As I got to the patch, I saw 2 gobblers already in it, about 90 yds away. One of them caught my movement and started putting; not a loud alarm putt, but a "what the heck is that" putt. I already had a Hatchet Creek Mean Green in my mouth, so after a while I gave him 3 soft yelps to try to convince him it was a turkey and not the bogeyman. That settled him down, and at 36 yds he found out he should have gone with his first impression. He weighed 19-14, but was just a 2 yr old.

Good hunting to all.

Preacher, you better go fishing if you wanna be able to hunt past this week. Congrats on the trifecta!

I "almost" tied you again, Preacher.
Had 'em within reach this morning, on the roost, but the hens started tree calling and there wasn't 100 yards between them.
I knew there was no way to scatter them before they hooked up with the toms.
I sweet talked them, for about an hour, and I thought one of them had taken the bait, but the girlfriends convinced him to stay.

I'm taking my 12 year old nephew in the morning.
If we can get his first ever bird, my season will be complete.

Good luck with him, Outback! Hope ya'll can get him.

congrats again!!!!!

Am now Just got back in from a 5 day binge of turkey hunting and burning and I see you are having a spectacular start to the season. Congrats on 141. I just got 100 and 101 Yesterday and today, so I am one behind you for the year. Hope to rectify that tomorrow

Congratulations! I know you thanked the Mighty Man upstairs.

I rectified it. I am even with you for the year with 102

Congrats preacher, those are some good birds.

Thanks guys, and congrats to gobbler! I heard one this morning but I couldn't call him to me. Now get to take a day off from turkey hunting, and I need it.

man them are some black Osceola looking wings on that last one preacher.

Mission oughta be proud of me; I had one of his traditionalist early morning hunts today. It was the first turkey I've heard all week, but he started gobbling early and often. I misjudged how close he was in the open woods, and set up at what I thought was 250 yds away. After getting into position, I saw him in the tree about 150 yds away. I was very blessed that I didn't get busted setting up, but because I didn't, I was treated to a real show for the next few minutes as he gobbled and strutted.

I waited until it was getting close to fly down time and gave him a 3 note tree yelp as he was concluding one of his gobbles. A couple minutes later, I did it again with just 2 notes. He pitched down into the bottom below me and was maybe 200 yds away. I gave him an aggressive fly down cackle as he hit the ground and he gobbled right back. Probably 10 minutes of silence, and then he gobbled right below me about 100 yds away. It was sure tempting to answer him, but I was sitting in wide open woods and I felt like he was too interested to just walk away. About a minute later I spotted him walking up the hill to me and gave him a load of tss to the face at 39 yds.

Another 2 yr old that weighed 18.5 and had a 9" beard and spurs just under an inch. We had a good crop of jakes last year and I am benefiting from it this year. Bad news is that I could hear nearly a mile in any direction this morning and this was the only gobbler I heard. Good hunting to all.

This is where he was lying when I got to him:

congrats steve!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, you are one up but I haven't been going! Congrats!

Better get back out there and get after them. Here's a song from the 60s about turkey hunting and the proper approach to it. At least, I think its about turkey hunting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju9yFA1S7K8

I'd say this is a more descriptive song.

Dang hippie

I like some jerry reed

Kinda bittersweet day. Heard one early and he was gobbling good. I got to within 200 yds and had to set up near the end of a deer plot, figuring the turkey would either come toward the plot and I would kill him, or he could drop into the hardwoods below and then I could get down in there with him. I soon realized there were 2 gobblers and a bunch of hens, so I called pretty aggressively.

After they flew down, it sounded like they were moving down into the bottom, so I pulled out the Fatal Attraxion glass and did some serious purring to try to get his attention. It wasn't but a short time later that Mr. Gobbler was standing 25 yds in front of me, where he passed away due a load of #8 tss square to the noggin. Another 2 yr old; he had the longest beard of any this season at 10.25, but the shortest spurs at 5/8, and was the lightest by far at just 15-5. Just shows that beard length doesn't tell you much. I presume that this was the subordinate gobbler who thought he could slip away from the main group and find more willing female companionship. Turned out to be a bad idea.

So now I am a guide. Good hunting to all.

Congrats PCP - Enjoyed your pics and stories. Enjoy Guiding the rest of the season.

Congrats PCP!!! I couldn't pay for a gobble this morning...

Good limit!! Congrats. Its tough to limit before Ap 1! Did it twice. Good job!

Congrats on the limit, PCP.
I'm taking a break, this weekend, to finish a landscaping project.
Don't think I could stand to limit out before April, anyway.
I may need you to help me call up #4 & 5.

Congrats preacher!

Congrats PCP on a limit in 11 days. That is outstanding!

Congrats preacher!

thats how you get it done

congrats

Congrats preacher. I like that Hatchett Creek Mean Green too!

congrats! let me know when you want to guide for me

Wow, I spend a week in Arizona and I come back to this thread. Congratulations on a great year so far. I've only been down once and hunted the other side of the propery and heard three birds in the cotton fields and nothing near me. This new work stuff is killing me. I need to be in the woods and not at work. Congrats again on the year.