Brother finally scored

[fishunt247]

My brother (OneHorn) who I guess doesn't get on this site anymore, finally shot a bird last Monday 4-26-10. He has had a crazy amount of encounters from opening day on, but never could seal the deal within the ethics we prescribe. In the spot he shot this bird, he accidentally walked up on 2 longbeards and a jake one afternoon, and him and I walked up on a longbeard and a jake the next afternoon, all well within range. But since we didn't call them in, no shot fired. He finally made it happen last Monday though. He sneaked in to where the birds had been, and spotted this longbeard strutting out in a field. He put a hen decoy out and started calling softly on his slate. He said the bird never gobbled, that it just spun circles strutting all alone. Then as it wandered its way in, it dissappeared behind a knoll, and then showed up to his right, still strutting. He kept the calling to a minimum, as that has seemed to work best for us this year. He said he clucked and purred again when the bird was at 60 yards or so, and it gobbled the only time during the whole setup. It came to around 50 yards, and he said it didn't seem like it would come any closer. I guess we'll never know because he dropped the hammer and the turkey was dead. He said the shot was 54 yards; I was skeptical. But knowing full well what his choke does out to 40 on a gobbler's head, and seeing the head barely bleading at all, I believe him. It's a nice bird, 8 1/2 inch beard. And it has the most strutted off wing tips I've ever seen. First bird he has called in by himself and killed himself. Congrats Justin.

[fishunt247]

And yes, that is a dirty Mohican mohawk...a tradition that he started a few years back to get his "chi" right for hunting. I now prescribe to this tradition as well. 

[Wacenturion]

"Chi".......nice bird.

[turkeydancer]

Alright Justin ... putting the hammer down!

[buckmaster_wa]

Congrats on a nice bird. Now Josh you need to guide me to a bird and I will help you catch some steelies this fall.   

[fishunt247]

Too bad I don't even fish fall steelhead. If you got birds to hunt, I'll call. That is only if the Yakima is blown out.

[benhuntin]

Nice bird and cool haircut

[bowhunterforever]

Nice bird

[carpsniperg2]

 

[OneHorn]

thank you all. as josh has said i walked up on the birds about a week and a half ago and had them at 35 yards but didnt think it was ethical at all to shoot, so i let them walk away. i noticed where they roosted that night and since they had a few hens i was going to leave them alone for a week. well my nerves were gettin the best of me so i headed over and picked josh up and we were just about to where they roosted when josh and i saw them. once again not ethical enough to shoot so let them walk again. well monday the following week came around and i knew i should be out hunting after work but wasnt sure if i was going to but just as i was making my mind up i heard a song that josh and i can remember hearing since we were little kids going turkey scouin and 4 o clock came and i left work to see what i could do.
 i got there and crept up to where they had been roostin and saw him struttin in the field just a spinnin. i set the decoy out,grabbed m slate and made some soft clucks and purrs about every 15 minutes. he vanished at random and then all of a sudden there he was. he was still in full strut and just didnt want to come any closer, so i purred with my diaphram and he gobbled and came closer but still didnt seem as if he wanted to come all the way.  i had my sights on him and putted real loud and he tossed his head up and BOOM! he was down.  i was stoked. i stepped it off and it was 54 yards. I have called in plenty of birds but just havent shot them so this was very cool for me because it was the first bird i called in by myself and killed by myself so it was a very cool thing for me.

[Birdguy]

That first one, all on your own is very special. Congratulations on a job well done !

[Ranger91298]

Great looking bird...congrats!!!

[NWTFhunter]

Great job Justin !!! just goes to show, they come in quietly.. had you not known he was there, you might not have stuck around and bumped him.

[OneHorn]

it sucked that i didnt have anybody there to take pictures for me but now that i think of it it didnt suck at all. it was one of the best hunts of my life. here is the pic i took on my cell phone when i got back to the truck.

[littlemac]

Congrats on your first bird, great story and great ethics and patience as well.