Post by louisianahunter on Apr 24, 2008 11:13:19 GMT -5
It's been a long 5 weeks so far chasing these Turkey's we love to hunt. We spent 2 weeks at camp in La. chasing them and I got lucky and took a really good 3 year old.
We then hit the road and spent a week in Eastern Kentucky where 1 yote and 3 gobblers were taken (but not by Marjie or I), we then moved to a couple of friends farm and I took a double bearded jake (first blood out of state for the year), Marjie then connected on a great long beard, 23 lbs, 3/4 spurs 10 1/4 beard, the next day I scored on a long beard (Should have been Marjie's second bird but her Encore wouldn't thingy) so I shot him just as he was getting into the timber, 23 lbs, 7/8 spurs, 10 1/4 beard.
We then loaded up and headed out for Missouri for the opening week, we put a bird to bed sunday night so we knew one of us would could score early, but it wasn't in the stars, another hunter had entered the private property and set up on the same ridge I was set up on. I will admit I got a mouth calling lession that was outstanding, that young man had not 1 long beard to come in, but 2. At the shot he ran to his bird and laided down on him and kept calling and I thought the other bird was going to circle around and give me a shot but that didn't work out. I talked to the young man and told him there wasn't suppose to be anyone one the place and he said he had always hunted there, the owner of the land had a long talk with him and his Dad about asking permission every year because he had guest hunting and it could have turned out bad with someone getting shot not knowing another person was there.
The second morning of the Missouri season dawned with a thunder storm and dime sized hale so I went back to bed....lol....later the sun popped out but it was so humid I passed on going to that ridge so Marjie and I hit the road to a WMA that was not far from where we were staying and found a gobbler and 2 hen's in the edge of a field, we parked grabbed our stuff and hit the woods at a dead run but after we made a big circle and set up the birds just wouldn't work, so after they left it was almost 1:00 and quitting time so we just rode to see what we could see.
Wednesday morning dawned partly cloudly but nice and cool for a long walk so I started down the ridge the kid killed the bird on opening morning. I walked around 1 1/2 to 2 miles down the ridge and set up blind (didn't hear anything fly up at dark the day before), I got lucky there was a gobble shortly after daylight but he wouldn't talk back to me no matter what call I used (I tried mouth calls, glass over crystal, slates and even a box call), when he flew down he landed across on the ridge next to the one I was set up on. He must have landed right on top of another gobbler because a fight broke out that was wild to hear, one of the birds headed down that ridge gobbling just every once in awhile but not to a any of my calls. As I set there napping and calling every 30 minutes or so I would get a gobble but only 1 so at least I could keep up with where he was, the last gobble sounded off at about 300 yards so I slipped around the tree so I could watch not only the bottom but also the side of the ridge, but what does he do......he comes in right down the ridge top, I knew I couldn't move to make a right handed shot so as he went behind a tree I stood my 835 up and as he stepped out from behind the tree I shouldered it left handed and rolled him at 30 to 35 yards.
As I rolled him over I saw he had double beards, main one 9 7/8 inch and 3 7/8, he weighted 22 lbs 5 oz, 7/8 inch spurs.
This made 4 for me this season and Marjie has 1, we got up this AM to another round of thunder storms so we slept in again which we both needed, but with having to stop hunting at 1:00 the hunting day is all but shot, can't wait for in the morning when we will hit the woods for Marjie's chance at a Missouri bird.
Good Luck Everyone wih the rest of your seasons.
We then hit the road and spent a week in Eastern Kentucky where 1 yote and 3 gobblers were taken (but not by Marjie or I), we then moved to a couple of friends farm and I took a double bearded jake (first blood out of state for the year), Marjie then connected on a great long beard, 23 lbs, 3/4 spurs 10 1/4 beard, the next day I scored on a long beard (Should have been Marjie's second bird but her Encore wouldn't thingy) so I shot him just as he was getting into the timber, 23 lbs, 7/8 spurs, 10 1/4 beard.
We then loaded up and headed out for Missouri for the opening week, we put a bird to bed sunday night so we knew one of us would could score early, but it wasn't in the stars, another hunter had entered the private property and set up on the same ridge I was set up on. I will admit I got a mouth calling lession that was outstanding, that young man had not 1 long beard to come in, but 2. At the shot he ran to his bird and laided down on him and kept calling and I thought the other bird was going to circle around and give me a shot but that didn't work out. I talked to the young man and told him there wasn't suppose to be anyone one the place and he said he had always hunted there, the owner of the land had a long talk with him and his Dad about asking permission every year because he had guest hunting and it could have turned out bad with someone getting shot not knowing another person was there.
The second morning of the Missouri season dawned with a thunder storm and dime sized hale so I went back to bed....lol....later the sun popped out but it was so humid I passed on going to that ridge so Marjie and I hit the road to a WMA that was not far from where we were staying and found a gobbler and 2 hen's in the edge of a field, we parked grabbed our stuff and hit the woods at a dead run but after we made a big circle and set up the birds just wouldn't work, so after they left it was almost 1:00 and quitting time so we just rode to see what we could see.
Wednesday morning dawned partly cloudly but nice and cool for a long walk so I started down the ridge the kid killed the bird on opening morning. I walked around 1 1/2 to 2 miles down the ridge and set up blind (didn't hear anything fly up at dark the day before), I got lucky there was a gobble shortly after daylight but he wouldn't talk back to me no matter what call I used (I tried mouth calls, glass over crystal, slates and even a box call), when he flew down he landed across on the ridge next to the one I was set up on. He must have landed right on top of another gobbler because a fight broke out that was wild to hear, one of the birds headed down that ridge gobbling just every once in awhile but not to a any of my calls. As I set there napping and calling every 30 minutes or so I would get a gobble but only 1 so at least I could keep up with where he was, the last gobble sounded off at about 300 yards so I slipped around the tree so I could watch not only the bottom but also the side of the ridge, but what does he do......he comes in right down the ridge top, I knew I couldn't move to make a right handed shot so as he went behind a tree I stood my 835 up and as he stepped out from behind the tree I shouldered it left handed and rolled him at 30 to 35 yards.
As I rolled him over I saw he had double beards, main one 9 7/8 inch and 3 7/8, he weighted 22 lbs 5 oz, 7/8 inch spurs.
This made 4 for me this season and Marjie has 1, we got up this AM to another round of thunder storms so we slept in again which we both needed, but with having to stop hunting at 1:00 the hunting day is all but shot, can't wait for in the morning when we will hit the woods for Marjie's chance at a Missouri bird.
Good Luck Everyone wih the rest of your seasons.
CONGRATS to you both! 
It happened to me several years ago it was a kid. I got everything back.