#6 & #7 are gone

I got in from the rig Tuesday night. I struck out Wednesday morning but got a gobbler pic from my text camera in one of my food plots that afternoon. I high tailed it to the property and in a matter of 20 mins I had managed to break rule #1. I scared him pretty good as he took flight and flew out of sight. I was back this morning and set up in the general area he flew. I thought I heard a bird gobble one time but I wasn't positive. Around fly down time I heard a turkey pitch out of a tree to my left and about 80 yards away. All I heard was its wings slap a few limbs on its way down.

I sat and called for the next hour with no results. I get up and head toward the direction of where I thought I heard the single gobble. This area is some pretty open hardwoods so I'm just ease along stopping every 50 yards and calling. I come to this one area that looos really good and there is huge tree in this spot. I think to myself this would be a good spot to set up and watch one come into the gun. I liked the idea, so I folded out my gobble lounger and got comfortable. I give a few calls on Stony's glass pot and a few yelps on my snakewood over mulberry box. Those yelps are answered with one deep cluck. I'm sitting with no gloves or face mask on. I quickly take care of that situation before the turkey comes into view. Several minutes pass and nothing. I'm starting to think I was hearing things. I soft call on the pot and its answered with another cluck and a soft course yelp. I'm thinking it's a Jake answering me because it was just to course to be a hen.

A few more minutes pass and I can hear walking in the leaves. I pick up movement and it's 3 turkeys but I can't tell what they are and they are moving away from me. I'm like what the heck, why are they going away from me. I do some fast thinking and start soft calling and scratching in the leaves pretty loud once they are out of sight. One of my series of calls is answered again with another cluck and soft course yelp. It's not long I hear walking again and I start scratching the leaves harder and louder. I pick up movement and the 3 birds I saw earlier are on a bee line straight to me. The lead bird is gobbler and he's coming hard. He stops one time and yelps looking for me. I give him the silent treatment and he comes one. At 30 yards he stops for his last time to look for me. I cut the tss loose and #5 for Bama is in the books at 9:30. This is the first time I've ever had a mature bird come in by clucking and yelping. He just would not gobble and can't figure out why. He was a pretty good bird spurs and beard but was a small bird. Only weighed 15 pound and change.





By the time I got home and turkey cleaned I loaded the the truck for my next two weeks of road trips to GA, IL and OK. I pulled out at 11:30 for Cedertown, GA. My buddy owns a 200 acre farm there that is absolutely loaded with birds. I roll up to the farm at 5:00 and quickly spot a stutter with a harem of hens in the middle of his cow pasture. I break out b-mobile and the real turkey fan. I start the 250 yard crawl to close the distance. I tell y'all this was pure torture as this pasture is full of rocks. My knees, hips and everything else is hurting for that matter. I have to go real slow and it takes me over an hour to close within 100 yards of where I last saw the flock. There is a small dip in the pasture and they were down in it.

I stick b-mobile in the ground as best I could. The thunderstorms are starting to roll in and the wind was getting it. I start doing some calling and it wasn't long the gobblers hens are on their way to me. He's no where in sight so I ease up on my knees and spot him to my right. He's eye balled another gobbler and a few hens and he's strutting towards that other gobbler to push him off. The other bird quickly heds the warning. Now the boss has see b-mobile and it's on. His hens are literally 10 foot from me and why they don't pay me any attention is dumb founding. It starts to rain pretty good but the boss is still coming. At about 60 yards he lines b-mobile up and he picks up the pace. I slid just to the right edge of b-mobiles wing and line the red dot up. At 20 yards I cut him a flip. I guess from him running and the 8's hitting him head on was a little more than he could handle.

I've got 4 more put to bed for in the morning. Maybe I can get lucky again.

Congrats Mike! You're rough on the turkeys!

Good deal Mike! I got my 2nd of the yr Tuesday am and he came in silent only to yelp about 50 yds out lookin for me

Congrats.

Congrats!

Congrats on the limit and the GA bird Mike!

Congrats

Had a buddy relay a story like yours that happened to him yesterday. Bird gobbled pretty good but when he came in for final approach real cautious, all he did was cluck. My buddy didn't have a clear shot at 40 yards so he let him go but it was an interesting encounter.

Am I reading that right? You limited out in Bama then went to Georgia later the same day and busted another one? Dude, that may be the coolest thing ever! Congrats!

Dr. B

Awesome to read Mike!

Rocks, knees and hips don't mix up too well afterward, but there are a lot of "afterwards" we do as turkey hunters that during "the hunt" are never thought about.

Hunt safe, and enjoy the moments!

God Bless,
David B.

Yes sir Dr. that is correct. I left Bama at 11:30 am and arrived at the GA farm at 5:00 pm their time. My intention was to roost one but came prepared to take advantage of any opportunity presented that afternoon.

I was on 5 hard gobbling birds this morning but they are henned up bad. The hens took them away from me. I'm waiting them out for now.

enjoyed your read, very good, maybe you will get 4 more there, GOOD LUCK

He might, but the limit in GA is 3.

However many he kills, I'd hate to be a turkey and have Squeaky after me. He has a technique for any situation. I've never tried the crawling with a fan deal, and probably too old and feeble to do it. But it's about the only way to kill a turkey in a big pasture with hens. You ain't gonna call him away from them.

I envy your schedule that allows such pursuit. Congrats on what has already been a hell of a season.

X2. I wish I had that kind of time. Congrats mike!

Mr. Steve the crawling is rough on the body. I only do it when I have limited options and yesterday was one of those circumstances.

No worries on killing 4 here My buddy is generous enough to let me hunt so I only take two birds on his farm in case he wants to invite someone else to hunt.

Congrats Mike! I bet those OK birds can sense danger already! Good luck on your trips!

Congrats! I'd love to kill 2 in one day!

I'd love to kill one in a day......

Congrats

Great story!

Awesome story Mike. Congrats on the kills.

That's awesome man! Seems to me like you're damn efficient in the times that you can be in the woods.

Congrats

Great story. You have killed more than I have heard gobble this year. Congrats and safe travels

Congrats on a limit!

Congrats man!

Congrats on the limit! Great read as well.

Congrats and cool story..

Good job Squeaky! I love the details in your post.
I have a farm over in Polk County also and know a lot of folks ove there as I live right on the state line and retired from the fire service in Polk County.
All the birds on both sides of the line are henned up right now and very quiet!
Where are you hunting?
David