Bowhunter is back drinking coffee ! UP DATED TODAY ... TURKEY & BEAR

[BOWHUNTER45]

Well I can write a book on this short little hunt...So I will do my best  I am sure everyone has just a little different story to tell but where I was it was the same story ...I do not think I ever seen the birds flocked up like I have in the last couple days ...Our first morning out we had  2 eagles roosted 25 yrds in a tree just screaming their heads off and I mean I never heard this many gobblers going off in one spot in my whole fricken life....we have or say ( had ) all this on video ...and the hens were going frickin nuts too ...So anyway we set up in the lower field with all this going off to our right . We seen a flock of about 25 birds the night before and knew where they would land in the morning , little did I know we would have at least 150+ birds land almost on our heads ...gobblers ? I mean gobblers !!!! 13 or more gobblers 30yrds in our face with over 100+ hens just going off...no way in hell was I letting the boys pull the trigger .. they would of killed a sheet load ...it was nuts and all on video ....so I think  this goes on for about 20 min.. can not get one bird to seperate itself for a shot ...Now mind you these 2 eagles are right above our head screaming ...yep gobblers going off , hens yelping But very alert !! all heads up standing in one huge flock ...I am thinking something is definately not right here and all the sudden up comes all heads and I hear something launch over my head and the flock takes off running across the field and WHAAAAAAAAAAAAACK FEATHERS FLY EVERY FRICKIN WHERE... Yep the eagles dive bombed my flock ..taken out one hen and wounding at least 2 more ..The adult eagle got the one hen and the younger eagles kept bombing the flock until they hit the timber...So thats day #1....UNBELIEVABLE...All and if you ever thought you seen feathers fly well I can tell ya this , it looked like someone plucked the whole frickin flock ...the field had feathers blowing everywhere...remember I video tape all over this  BUT WTF  That night I put the camera in the cabin after being out in the cold ( which I know better) and should of took out the tape and opened the camera until it got room temperature but I did not and now the whole frickin thing is ruined because there was condensation inside the camera and it ruined the whole frickin tape  these camera are a pain in the ARZ !!!!!!!!!

                                                           Part 1 

[lokidog]

Wow!  Too bad about the video... because now you can't prove any of it.  Part 2 probably has bigfoot riding by on a unicorn.....   

Our birds were really bunched up as well.

Good luck on the next one.

[HornHoarder]

Sounds like an exiting hunt anyhow. Next time

[BOWHUNTER45]

Part 2 of day one ....So after all that sheet going down we head back to camp .....We decide to hunt around camp for the rest of the day ....we head up the ridge and get to the top and decide to set up because we know they are here somewhere....I get the camera all set up ( new tape  ) all that makes me sick  so Teddy starts calling and instantly GOOBLE GOBBLE  WE THINK This bird is singing the song and coming fast ..my heart is beating out my chest knowing this bird is getting rolled WRONG !! We set up in a clearing with 2 decoys out with a little strip under brush off to Teddys right...the gobbler is up on a rock 30 yrds spittin and drummin gobbling his head off but will not come down to the decoys ...Teddy cant shoot threw the brush ....He finally shuts up and gobbles 1 time after below us... we started doing soft whit whits and do its ...about 5 min past now and all the sudden I see Ted tense up and the gobbler is standing 15yrds to his right and down hill ...Ted could not move and I HAD NO GUN  TED TRIED MOVING SLOWLY but no no no ....he PUTTS and he is gone !!! Kyle my other son is out running around on his own this year !!! and he blew his chance too!!!  So day one no birds down  .......ALL I HAVE MORE 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Day 2

Mind you the only reason I went this early was to get our older friend a bird but he was sick the 1st day so we had to leave him in camp ... So we roosted a couple the night before and headed out with Ray to get his bird ...We set up and hens are going off and then gobble gobble ....I do a fly down and he goes nutz ...I think alright he knows we are here and I am not making one more sound until they hit the ground...The hens fly down and come right up to the decoys ...yelping made ... the gobbler hits the ground ...struts around ...gobbling for 10 min or so and goes the other way ...WTH IS UP ?   Now listen to this .... the hens finally go back the way they came from...they get about 80 yrds out and start yelping like crazy ...the gobbler answers and the next thing we know here he comes back .... Seriously messed up !!!!!!! now it gets really frustrating...The one hen layes flat on the ground and spreads out hen wings , he struts around her and jumps on her back and mates with her for 5 min. or so ... they finish business and then walk toward us again ...I am thinking we are getting this bad boy now    they come about 60yrds he gobbles at us 1 freakin time turns around and leaves  End of that !!!!!! THIS IS ON VIDEO 

[BOWHUNTER45]

 We had a couple more mishaps but I need to end this somewhere  So Tues. morning we decide to all need to go on our own and try to get a bird down ...so I sent the boys after the one that we tried to get for Ray and I decided to go after the one that put the split on Teddy and I ...I could hear the one going off the boys were on and I thought this time they would get him ....I get up the hill and start doing whit whits and do its .... I hear nothing ..so I wait about an hour and head down this ridge and when I hit the point of the ridge I start cutting and instantly gobble goobble ...I did a series of yelps and kee kees and he goes off again ...I waited about an hour and he went quit ...I think he is coming just sit here ...I sit there and sit there and nothen ...no gobbling no nothen ....I think this bird is smarter than hell ... So I make a loop around him and climb up on this rock about 1/4 mile from where he was gobbling at me and Teddy... I sit down and go to soft yelps and clucks ... about 10 minutes into it gobble gobble ... I instantly went to whit whits and do  its ....and the kee kee ...gobble gobble ..he is gettin closer ....I do one more series of whit whits and gobble gobble again next thing I know there is his bright red head looking at me about 25 yrds ... I cut loud as I could on that diaphram and when he went gobble gobble BOOOOOOOOOOOOM .... 2 ounces of #5 on their way .... :chuckle I MISSED        NOT !!!!! BIG BIRD DOWN !!!!!!!!! So we decided to get going and come back in May when I know it will be much better for videoing and the gobblers will respond alot better....


I know it was different in different areas but it was cold and raining and it was tuff where I was....we could of filled all tags if we wanted to road rack but thats not the way I like shootin turkeys ...... looks like a couple nice birds hit the dirt ....congrats to all and good luck for those who are still out there ..... I post pictures as soon as my wife quits beaching at me 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Just a little gobbler 

[BOWHUNTER45]

 Call it a 10 3/8 s beard or a 10 in. beard ...its a good one either way 

[dr.derek]

Nice birds, You were in the NE if you don't mind me asking?

[BOWHUNTER45]

Yep ..thats where....sheet loads of birds have not broken up yet ...in about a couple weeks it should be red hot ..

[carpsniperg2]

Hey I thought you were the bowhunter You need to stick some thunder chickens with a bow!

Congrats that is a great looking bird. I wish our birds had nice spurs like that. All of the toms I kill have them so tore up and rounded off it is unreal!

[kirkl]

Lets see some videos.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Hey I thought you were the bowhunter You need to stick some thunder chickens with a bow!

Congrats that is a great looking bird. I wish our birds had nice spurs like that. All of the toms I kill have them so tore up and rounded off it is unreal!

yeah I agree ... I have killed a few with my bow ...I would not of even killed one this time but all the mishaps we had I had to kill something  I will take my bow when I go back over ....the biggest merriams I ever shot was with my bow 2005 ....I do not brag about it because it causes negitive responses on here 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Lets see some videos.

I had some awesome footage until my camera until I got condensation in my frickin camera....I am sick over it ....cant take those dumb cameras in from the cold without removing the tape and bring it into a warm cabin  I can show the footage but it has lines running threw movie ....but I did manage to get the gobbler jumping on the hen ...that was crazy ....I will wait until I get back from my next trip to put one together.....

[HornHoarder]

Nice bird Bowhunter45. Glad things worked out finally.