Well as every body knows that I missed opening day because of work. So I really started hunting on Friday the 16th. I found bird first thing on a private piece that I hunt. It sounded like 5 or 6 jakes a 2 toms a some hens. I set up and started calling and the jakes fired up. With in five minutes I had 7 jakes standin in front of me a 15 to 20 yard, but this year I was huntin the big boys. Well I started to here a deep gobbling tom going away from fast. So I just listened to where he was heading and I would try to set up on him. Well 15 min. went by and you hardly could here him, so I just gave up but I new there was 1 more tom around, so I set up and started calling again. Well the tom that was going away from me started in from below me 1/2 miles away or so. I just kept doin so mid sounding cutts and yelps and that bird was coming in fast, about that time my phone wrong ( I have a hen and a tom yelping and gobbling for my ring tone so it didn't bother any thing) it was OVGS seeing how I was doing, so I yelped and he gobbled and OVGS said, he is close. I hung up and got ready, and there about 70 yards I seen him and o my god biggest bird I have ever seen turkey hunting for 16 years, his beard was dragging and I bet he was 24 to 25lbs. Well he came about 50 yards and stopped and I thought now or never and I shot and missed ( I hate flight control wades) and I shot one More time and missed again
.
That night I roosted 3 toms and I was ready for the next morning for a shot a daddy long beard again.
Day 2 the 17th.
Bird jumped of the roost and strutted in the Field about 150 yards from me but would not come any closer even with deaks out. Well getting ready to leave about 1030 and I heard a shook gobble behind me, so I stayed down and started doing some soft yelps and here came the flock of jakes off the hill and in front of me but I let them go again because I had one bird in my mind.
That night I roosted birds and going to hit it again
Day 3 the 18th
Got in a different spot were I but a bird to bed the night be for but nothing was talking so I left and I went and packed up to go home
Well headed out of are property and I seen my flock of Jake's out in the field that I have been hunting so I said what the hell. I stopped and walked to the corner of the feild and started calling and here then came so I shot the redest head bird that was in the flock. 4 1/2 incher.
Well a few weeks went by and I was hunting after work every night but I didn't see any thing that I wanted and I took the 2ed weekended of.
Day 4 April 30
Well got up and walked out on the porch of are trailer and I herd one gobbling, it was daddy long beard here we go again ( he has a really screechy gobble. He had move a ways up the canyon and I new the roosting that he was in. Be for this morning that is where I killed my biggest bit to date. So I hiked up on this finger I started calling an he tippled gobbled rite bake about a 100+ yards away and I herd him fly down and he started gobbling his head off I could not even tought the call. Well 10 min or so later I could here him drumming and spiting but I could not see him because of the ridge where it droped of and some bushes.Well a min or so latter he stepped out to my left a 8 yards (it was daddy long beard) I couldn't get a shot and he seen me and started puttin and ran over the hill and started side hilling away from me and ran into a opening at 32 yards and I pulled the trigger and he went down, daddy long beard was down
. So I got up and ran over and A nother tom was standing there looking at me. I shot the wrong bird, This bird came up from the bottom without making a peep. So the big boy males it through a nother season.
I can't complain I called him in 3 times this year and he will be there next year.
The tome that I shot was 10 1/4 with 1 1/8 spurs
Here are some pics of the jake and the tom. The 1st 3 are of the big boy and the last one is of the jake.
I has been a great year and good luck to every one
