Osage Roost
All Hunting => The Ol' Skinnin' Shack => Topic started by: Porter on April 28, 2011, 08:43:01 PM
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To say this season hasn't been a big pain is an understatement. I've dealt with flooding, more flooding and more flooding all season. Hunted hard on the days the weather has been good and darn near drowned myself once. Yesterday I just about had enough. It started raining again and I wasn't sure I could take much more. Luckily I kept pushing myself and made myself go out today.
For once, we had a beautiful morning... but wait a minute.. have to back up a bit... I am 3 hours North of my house at the moment. Thanks to all the rain, Southwest MO is more of a swamp/flood land than it is of hunting land. I was told go North young man... so I did. Hit a friend up I haven't been up to see in many years. This family happens to live right on the Mark Twain National forest land too. 360 private land acres and 10k public.
So here I go burning diesel and all. Wake up this morning and have to drive all around the farm since the creek is way up and the luxury of just walking over isn't an option. Get setup, and by 6:05 the first bird fires away. I sit there and listen to that wonderful gobbling on the roost. I hear bird #2 and think game on! Do some tree yelping on Ed's pot and they respond. They hit the ground and I'm rotating back and forth between my pot and my hen box (Whiney :) ). Whiney and me have become very good friends. I've not had time to post the call, so here will be the first glimpse of it. It's an osage/bloodwood Hen Box from Richard Hudson. It's his smaller design hen box and it is full of turkeys.
I have 3 birds closing in on me and I got caught with my pants down and got pinned. I knew it was early so I backed off of the calling and let them go. I would hammer away with my Knee Pads long box (Mell'r Yell'r) and I could keep the 3 birds gobbling. I played cat and mouse with these birds for hours and I was about to call it quits. I'm walking out to go to another area I thought I had heard a bird gobble to the long box and I see a hen take off. Look out in the field and think oh crap there is a strutter... well he sees me when I see him... I quickly grab ole Whiney and cut and yelp real hard and hit the ground belly down... now here is a bird 200 yards away that just saw me and I'm thinking... what the heck do I do.
All of a sudden I hear him start alarm putting. I'm thinking.. .it's over. I cannot get to my calls in my vest for my pots and I know I cannot move enough to play the hen box again... I grabbed my trumpet (Tootie Fruitie) and I started clucking very softly. Those soft clucks pulled that bird in on a string. I have no idea why that bird went across the field alarm putting and then walked right to me. I fired when he was 10 yards away. Daryl rear end shot his and I blasted mine straight on. I can tell you both methods put a quick end to the birds :)
This has been a season of ups and downs. Ole Morgan and Richard have been telling me to keep after it and things would look up. Tim C got a very excited phone call today and he had to remind me to breathe :) Next was a conference call from Richard and Morgan. I have been walking on clouds all day. This has to be one of the toughest seasons I ever remember! I thanked the Lord for a great hunt and fixed fresh turkey for the family tonight. I was told come back any time and ole dcole and me may be coming back in a couple of days!
Here is the bird. Nice 2 year old with some nasty hooks on him. One of my most memorable hunts I've ever had and some tough terrain birds! Felt nice to finely close the deal on a bird outside of Southwest MO!
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff126/badpap1/025.jpg)
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Congrats Mike!!
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Nice bird Mike. You sure thats a 2 year old with those hooks? Bill
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Good job calling...and some quick thinking on your part...Good job, and congrats!
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Congrats Mike on a fine gobblers! That bird has sharp daggers!
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*up* *up* *up* Congrats buddy!
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Nice bird Mike! Good Smile for a change!
Mike
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Alright Mike.... Way to keep after them.... Nice Bird and hooks!! RkLu Congrats man!
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Don't give up.
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Congrats PORTER. I'd like to think I had an instrumental part in that hunt. I didn't make any of those beautiful call. But my little lanyard kept the most important call close at hand. Looks good on ya!! *aah*
PS that ain't no 2 yer old bird!!!!!! CONGRATS.
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Congrats Mike. Great hunt. No 2 year old bird ever grew hooks like those.
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Congrats Mike.. *up*
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Congratulations on a fine turkeybird Mike. Looks like that Yella stuff does work on those birds after all. The rainy weather didn't help you much. Good story.
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Congrats on a goodun! *up*
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Congrats Mike----
say ole TOOTIE FRUTTY closed the deal----gotta think ole Clayton for that one. Glad ya had the faith to have one of mine in the vest too.....glad it seems to work!!!
Keep ater em dude---your karma may be on the change.....hope you a DCole have a great one too !!!1
That was a great story of the hunt toooooo *up*
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Congrats. Mike good story and a very nice bird.
Jon
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Good story Porter ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,great bird , though I'd say 3 yr old by the looks of the hooks ,,,,,,he's got a lot of color.
Hope you and Dylan have some fine hunts and good weather .
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Congrats buddy, way to stick with them !!!! *up* *up*
Timbo.
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Congrat's on a fine turkey.
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Congrats Mike!! That bird is at least three, maybe four years....
Lee
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Congrats! I know how you feel, it must have been our day!
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Way to go Porter....I told you to hang in there and hunt...
Now where did you get that hat.....
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wAy tO gO pOppa pO!!!! 8)
Great bird bro! I'd say he was older than 2 as well... Congrats again!
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Congrats buddy !! That is a fine looking turkey . I have to agree with some of the other members thougfh . That is definately not a 2 year old turkey . Unless you are feeding them growth hormones , it will take at least 3 years to get hooks like that . I'm putting my money on him being a 4 yr old bird ! Great job !!!
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Congrats Mike !! I know EXACTLY what you mean about the flooding...........I bought my tags and have not even stepped foot into the woods here. I think its gonna get worse before it gets better. Congrats on a fine bird and good luck on the next :)
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Good hunting tale Mike! Glad it worked for ya. There is truth in the old adage "Good things come to those who wait" *up*
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Nice One!!!
God Bless,
Mark
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porter-- perseverance man!!! great story, congrats. dave
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That's a nice one!
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Congrats Mr. P !!! ... *cheers*