collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler  (Read 3891 times)

Offline Pathfinder101

  • The Chosen YAR
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jan 2009
  • Posts: 11736
  • Location: Southeast WA
  • Semper Primus
Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« on: April 30, 2018, 09:05:21 PM »
Baseball season always makes turkey hunting a challenge, but we found a good location this year, things all seemed to come together so I decided to make a go of it this spring.  Little Pathfinder is 11 this month, and he's killed a couple of deer, and one fall hen, but we've never called in a gobbler for him "the right way".
A local friendly farmer offered us a spot to hunt, so we did some scouting to find the roosts and geared up for opening day.  Some of his pine trees were knocked down in an ice storm this winter and he had a pile of pine branches in an ideal location for us, so we spent an afternoon piling branches and building a natural ground blind on the edge of his alfalfa field.  Building our "tree fort" was probably as much fun for the little guy as the scouting and he was pumped to use his blind.
  We actually missed the youth season because I was coaching my high school rifle team in Utah that week, but Sunday the 15th we were ready to go.
4am we are on the way and by 4:45 the decoys are out and we start hearing gobbles.  I have always had a tendency to set up too close to the roost, but the pine branch pile had forced me several hundred yards away, which was probably a good thing.  We could hear the turkeys, but from their roost there was no way they saw or heard us set up.
By 5:30 we were pretty sure the birds were out of their roost, but couldn't see anything.  I was starting to second-guess our location and set up, when about 5:50 I spotted 4 turkeys about 500 yards away in the field.  I started calling and that was all it took.  First time I have ever really had them come in on a string like that. 
Three hens came trotting across the field with a monstrous gobbler in tow.  I was tucked in the back of the blind and couldn't see anything after they came inside 50 yards, but I cold tell from the look on my son's face that they were getting closer, so I just purred softly on the call and hoped for the best.
I couldn't see the tom when he pulled the trigger, but he told me that he was fully puffed up on my jake decoy when he shot him.  One shot and it was over with. 
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Offline scotrobe

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Tracker
  • **
  • Join Date: Apr 2017
  • Posts: 60
  • Location: Woodinville
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2018, 09:08:31 PM »
This is very cool. Your boy is a natural. Congratulations!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Offline Pathfinder101

  • The Chosen YAR
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jan 2009
  • Posts: 11736
  • Location: Southeast WA
  • Semper Primus
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2018, 09:08:53 PM »
The little guy's first turkey turned out to be the biggest turkey any of us have ever killed.  10 inch beard, 1 1/4" spurs.  Biggest body I have seen on a bird as well.  When he held it up, the head was just barely off the ground and the feet are up by his head.  He insisted on packing it back to the truck though... :tup:
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Offline Dan-o

  • Global Moderator
  • Trade Count: (+24)
  • Explorer
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2010
  • Posts: 16716
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2018, 09:18:57 PM »
Great story and a REALLY nice bird.

Thanks for sharing.
Member:   Yakstrakgutp (or whatever we are)
I love the BFRO!!!
I wonder how many people will touch their nose to their screen trying to read this...

Offline Timberstalker

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Apr 2008
  • Posts: 9163
  • Location: Tri-Cities
  • Just one more ridge
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2018, 09:19:07 PM »
Good on you for getting him out there. I always thoroughly enjoy your contributions to this site.
Well done, sir.
If you aint hunting, you aint livin'

Offline Pathfinder101

  • The Chosen YAR
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jan 2009
  • Posts: 11736
  • Location: Southeast WA
  • Semper Primus
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2018, 09:29:24 PM »
Thanks gentlemen. 
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Offline bowhunterforever

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2008
  • Posts: 8540
  • Location: Lincoln, Co
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2018, 09:40:45 PM »
 :tup:
You sure you know how to skin griz pilgram

Online Karl Blanchard

  • Trade Count: (+22)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Aug 2008
  • Posts: 10047
  • Location: Selah, WA
  • Jonathan_S hunting apparel prostaff
  • Groups: Sitka Gear Fan Boy for LIFE
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2018, 09:45:44 PM »
That's a true limb hanger right there!!!!
It is foolish and wrong to mourn these men.  Rather, we should thank god that such men lived.  -General George S. Patton

Aaron's Profile:  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=2875
Aaron's Posts:  http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=2875
Aaron's Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/aaron.blanchard.94

Offline teanawayslayer

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+8)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2010
  • Posts: 3838
  • Location: Eastside
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2018, 10:01:10 PM »
Very nicely done. Great first bird!
Happiness is being in the woods!!!

Offline Brushbuster

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Aug 2007
  • Posts: 875
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2018, 10:06:09 PM »
That is a awesome bird!  :tup:

Offline nitroelk

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Aug 2017
  • Posts: 252
  • Location: maple valley, wa.
  • Groups: R.M.E.F.
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2018, 04:36:19 AM »
huge bird. Congrats young man

Offline Gringo31

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2009
  • Posts: 5605
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2018, 05:40:29 AM »
Congrats!

Just fantastic  :tup:
We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
-Ronald Reagan

Offline zwickeyman

  • Past Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+20)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2014
  • Posts: 1463
  • Location: Victor Idaho
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2018, 05:45:07 AM »
Love to hear stories of the next generation of hunters. Congrats to little pathfinder
The mountains are calling and I must go

Offline nwwanderer

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2010
  • Posts: 4162
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2018, 06:32:56 AM »
Good job, looks like a Lowden tom

Offline kevinlisa06

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2010
  • Posts: 1246
Re: Little Pathfinder's First Gobbler
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2018, 06:40:38 AM »
Congratulations very nice bird!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Springer 2024 Columbia River by WSU
[Today at 08:31:10 AM]


Average by lhrbull
[Today at 07:31:56 AM]


Let’s see your best Washington buck by Pathfinder101
[Today at 07:22:11 AM]


Walked a cougar down by Loup Loup
[Today at 07:16:30 AM]


CVA optima V2 LR tapped hole for front sight by Remdawg
[Today at 07:09:22 AM]


Bearpaw Season - Spring 2024 by duckmen1
[Today at 06:52:09 AM]


Which 12” boat trailer tires? by timberhunter
[Yesterday at 08:22:18 PM]


Lowest power 22 round? by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 08:06:13 PM]


1x scopes vs open sights by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 07:29:35 PM]


Long Beach Clamming Tides by Encore 280
[Yesterday at 05:16:00 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal