Thanks for the welcome. i am a novice turkey hunter. i hunted turkey in 2012 but found myself giving up and going trout fishing. I am a die hard fly fisherman with some great streams close by to my home. But I also have miles and miles of public land. I decided this year to give the fish a rest and try to get my first spring bird.
I put in a lot of time and don't think i slept more than 4 or 5 hours the entire month of May. I had got on a few birds but couldn't seal the deal so I spent the 45 minute commute to work praciting my calling. On May 17th I had my first chance at a long beard. I was also competing in a weight loss competition at work and decided, since the birds behind my house were not gobbling i would hit the mountains with 30 pounds in my pack and lose some weight. Well this did not work out so well because there was a gobbler 70 yards behind the house gobblin on the roost. I ditched the pack and put on my gear and headed out. The close gobbler would not come off the roost but a monster came in from about 200 yards. They were gobbling like crazy and I probably heard 100 gobbles in 30 minutes. He finally came in but i whiffed.
After this whiff I went out on saturday determined for redemption. I ended up hitting one about 400 yards away and barely heard him. He only gobbled once so i figured he was henned up. I closed it to about 200 and he gobbled but would not budge. So i did a dog leg and closed it to about 125 or so. I decided to try and get the hen to come in. I started with some loud yelps, followed by a few cuts and a double gobble. Worked like a charm she came right in with the gobbler in tow. I got him and am still on cloud nine.
Here are a few pics of my first bird. He was 18 pounds, 3/4" and 5/8" spurs, and an 8" beard. Perfect first bird and my favorite trophy to date. Here are a few pics.
It was great to get my first bird and loved sharing this with my son.
I have since bought a new scope for my gun and upgraded my choke. This is my new favorite outdoor activity and will continue to get better. I am going to make a few wingbone calls as well and cant wait to make one from my Gobbler.
