Gutpile's Turkeys 08

[Gutpile]

Since I'm new here I thought I'd post my birds & stories from this season. Hope you like.
#1
Caught this bad boy in the roost saturday morning and quick threw out the decoy and got ready. We did a little soft calling and when it hit the ground it lit up! It started strutting but then there were hens all around him and he wouldn't come. After about 15-20 minutes he couldn't take the jake decoy and made his way towards it. This bird was very wary it hung up at what I thought was 40 yards so I crumpled him. It turned out to be exactly 45 but he went down like a truck hit him. Gotta love that Indian Creek choke! Didn't weigh him but he has a 9" beard and one 1"spur and one 7/8" spur.  


#2
This was a great hunt that started off slooooooow. I get to my spot 1/2 hour before sunlight and this place ALWAYS has birds. It's just a flip of the coin in which direction you want to go, pretty much endless public land. But on the way in there were no vehicles what so ever. So obviously I'm concerned, no hunters may mean no birds. I jump out of the truck and try to locate a roosted bird, nothing. I keep tryng all morning and nothing. By now I'm 3-4 miles in and still nothing. Then way off I hear a faint gobble. I head towards it probably another 3/4 mile or so and hear it again. I do a quick set and start to chat with the bird and he lights up but he's still a long ways off. I decide to stay put. After 1/2 hour or so I grow impatient stand up and yep BUSTED. It was only a hen though. I made my way just a bit closer to where I thought the bird had been and set up again. I call maybe 3 or 4 times then this hen absolutely lights up about 75 yards in front of me. So I answer and whammo HE lights up. This bird is on fire, but so is she. I call she answers but closer each time. Finally just through the aspen thicket I see ole Tom. He's fanned out but just hauling ars down the logging road after the hen. They head straight towards me, then the majic happens. Ole boy sees the decoy and it's GO time. He does 2-3 full circles around the decoy and I let him have it. AWESOME hunt. I saw a few loner hens on the way back to the truck but didn't hear another gobble. Weird wonderfull day.


Bird was smaller than I would have thought. 16lbs, 1" spurs, 7 3/4" beard. But I'll take him anyday.

P.S. I havent shot a bird since 05. Got skunked in 06 and never got a chance to get out last year. This is also the first time I've got two in one season.  

[DeKuma]

Welcom, Gutpile!
Great write up and great birds!
I hunted hard on our property above Rice, but the birds did not cooperate.  Saw a few over by Davenport, but did not have access to the land.
Relatively new to the area, so finding public land has been tough.  See it on the map, but cannot seem to find a way in to some of it.
Love the area over there.  Hoping to get my wife her first deer over there this season, after I tag the big bear I have roaming our property.  If my old man does not get it first!

[Gutpile]

Public land hunting is tricky. The spot I got #2 is usually full of hunters but didn't see any when I got the 2nd bird and went up the next weekend to the same area for my spring bear tag. Only saw 1 hunter. I think the hunting is slower than normal everywhere so it's keeping people indoors. The late winter didn't help either. I CAN NOT WAIT for this weekend. I hope I can put my bear tag to use. The spring season is winding down fast.

Good luck on that bear.

[DeKuma]

Good luck to you too!  At least you drew the tag.  I didn't so I have to wait until Augsut.

Report back on how it went this weekend.  I will be pulling for ya!

[ICEMAN]

Great birds, and great story.

Looks like it will be butterball for me this thanksgiving...

[Intruder]

Nice job.... sounds like some great hunts!

[Head-shot]

Great story and pics, Thanks

[Machias]

Great photos and great stories, thanks for sharing both with us!  Congrats!

[bighorns2bushytails]

nice birds... cough cough.... 

[fc2038]

That top one looks really large. great pics

[Gutpile]

Be nice bighorns! Hahaha. Remember karma!

[Buschingc]

Nice...

[snipekillr]

Nice birds

[Charlie]

Nice birds and great stories Gutpile!! Thanks..