I had the opportunity to go Turkey hunting last week. The only day of the season I was able to go. I went with a friend who asked me to call for him, his experience in pursuing gobblers is limited at best. Only a few hunts under his belt. So seeing an opportunity to get into the woods I accepted the invitation.
Upon arriving we set up his inflatable decoys that resembled a childs effort at painting, and started calling where he had seen some birds the week before. After an hour we heard our first gobble about 200 yards away. A few minutes later we both watched as the tom entered the logging road. i let out a few soft yelps and he immediately started strutting and gobbled. For the next twenty minutes he walked towards us gobbling and strutting the whole way. As he got to where he could see the decoys and he froze turned into the woods and started circling. The whole time my friend had his gun drawn on the bird, but he didn't shoot. I kept waiting for the report of his 870 but there was none. As the bird made its way away from us I slowly turned around and asked why he did not shoot. "too far" he said. "thirty yards is too far for you to shoot?" I started calling again, an called the bird back and he retraced his steps from before, I whispered in my friends ear; "shoot the turkey!" Again i said as the bird walked past him with his gun following the whole way, "shoot the turkey, its the last day, shoot the turkey." He slowly turned to me and said, "there is a bigger bird out there."
The tom, slowly walked back where he came from, after he got far enough away I said, "I am going after that bird." and I took aff after him. My friend was right on my heels, and after about fifty yards we stopped, i called and the tom gobbled. I took off again, and stopped after about twenty yards. I looked through the woods before i staretd calling again. And I spotted the tom staring at us. In an instant the Benelli Nova went to my shoulder, "there he is." I said as my finger let off the safety. The sound of the report and the recoil of the 3.5" Winchester's jarred me some. Looking through the woods I could see the Tom flopping. Hurrying to the bird, my friend kept saying, "it is a jake, it is a jake." Turning the tom over revealing his 9.75" beard I informed him, "if that is a jake, I will take that kind of jake everytime."
After the excitement and pictures I asked him why he did not shoot. "I thought it was a Jake." was all he could say. - Turkey Fever at its best.
18 lbs, 9.75" beard and 7/8" hooks. What a Jake!
Upon arriving we set up his inflatable decoys that resembled a childs effort at painting, and started calling where he had seen some birds the week before. After an hour we heard our first gobble about 200 yards away. A few minutes later we both watched as the tom entered the logging road. i let out a few soft yelps and he immediately started strutting and gobbled. For the next twenty minutes he walked towards us gobbling and strutting the whole way. As he got to where he could see the decoys and he froze turned into the woods and started circling. The whole time my friend had his gun drawn on the bird, but he didn't shoot. I kept waiting for the report of his 870 but there was none. As the bird made its way away from us I slowly turned around and asked why he did not shoot. "too far" he said. "thirty yards is too far for you to shoot?" I started calling again, an called the bird back and he retraced his steps from before, I whispered in my friends ear; "shoot the turkey!" Again i said as the bird walked past him with his gun following the whole way, "shoot the turkey, its the last day, shoot the turkey." He slowly turned to me and said, "there is a bigger bird out there."
The tom, slowly walked back where he came from, after he got far enough away I said, "I am going after that bird." and I took aff after him. My friend was right on my heels, and after about fifty yards we stopped, i called and the tom gobbled. I took off again, and stopped after about twenty yards. I looked through the woods before i staretd calling again. And I spotted the tom staring at us. In an instant the Benelli Nova went to my shoulder, "there he is." I said as my finger let off the safety. The sound of the report and the recoil of the 3.5" Winchester's jarred me some. Looking through the woods I could see the Tom flopping. Hurrying to the bird, my friend kept saying, "it is a jake, it is a jake." Turning the tom over revealing his 9.75" beard I informed him, "if that is a jake, I will take that kind of jake everytime."
After the excitement and pictures I asked him why he did not shoot. "I thought it was a Jake." was all he could say. - Turkey Fever at its best.
18 lbs, 9.75" beard and 7/8" hooks. What a Jake!
1 comment:
Nice bird!
Post a Comment