Dandy down
- Thread starter Bigslam51
- Start date
Spencie
Senior Member
huntn2
Senior Member
TimBuckToo
Junior Member
Well here's the story.
My morning started at 5am when I woke up after only getting 3 hours of sleep from working afternoons. I made it out to the farm I killed my first bird on by 5:35 and heard 3-4 birds gobbling on the roost by 5:50. Birds were roosted about 150 yards away as usual. Once they flew down I heard 3 more gobbles at 6:45. Brian and I were texting back and forth and he wasn't hearing anything either. I was starting to get frustrated, I'm sitting in a natural ground blind on the ground and it ain't that comfy. Around 9:30 Holdren texted me and asked me if they were still tight lipped, I said yes and that I hadn't even seen a turkey all morning. His reply was "time to switch properties"? Not wanting to give up I replied that I was about to hit my other spot. So I left and got to my other spot around 10am. This place is probably 50 acres of alfalfa/corn/crp, and 20 acres of woods that connect to around 150-200 more wooded acres. I walked down the field edge and took the logging road up to the ridge and sat behind a blow down that I had my eye on since putting a camera up there a couple weeks ago. Started off with some soft yelps and clucks, nothing. Waited a few minutes and tried again, nothing. I texted Holdren and said these fuggers ain't talking here either. Just then I heard a faint gobble off in the distance and it sounded like a good 150-200 yards. I thought the lack of sleep was getting to me so I sat and listened without calling. I heard it again, this time I knew what it was. I texted Holdren and said " game on". I laid into that slate with some sweet sounding loud yelps hoping to make his cloaca hard. It worked, he gobbled again, so I let him hear some more. The next gobbles told me that he had closed the distance considerably and he was by himself. I turned the volume down on the slate when I felt that he was inside 100 yards, softly yelping and purring was greeted by more gobbling. I finally laid my eyes on him at 75 yards, he was in full strut looking for the woman that was sweet talking him. That's when I hit him with a little more purring and then laid my slate down, not wanting to get busted while using it. I switched over to my Primos mouth call and and softly yelped with my head turned behind me in an attempt to bring him up the hill on the logging road. He didn't want none of that. He hopped up on a log 30 yards in front of me and strutted on it, that was cool to see. Once I saw him hop off the log and start walking to my right I knew I had to make my move. I already had the tree ranged at 30 yards that he was about to walk in front of. When he got behind a big maple tree I drew my bow, he stepped in front of the tree at 30 yards and I let one rip. Thwack, and I couldn't believe I did it. I immediately jumped over the blow down and about busted my ass, ran up to him and put my boot on his neck. Once he quit moving I lifted his legs up and about had a heart attack, biggest hooks I've ever seen in person. I then called Holdren breathing like I just ran a marathon and thanked him for bringing up the property switching. I honestly think I would of just went home after the first hunt had he not brought that up, I was tired. My goal this year was to kill one with my bow without using a ground blind. It took me several attempts and misses but it finally happened. Here's some pictures of my set up. Well Tapatalk won't let me upload them so I'll see if Brian will.
My morning started at 5am when I woke up after only getting 3 hours of sleep from working afternoons. I made it out to the farm I killed my first bird on by 5:35 and heard 3-4 birds gobbling on the roost by 5:50. Birds were roosted about 150 yards away as usual. Once they flew down I heard 3 more gobbles at 6:45. Brian and I were texting back and forth and he wasn't hearing anything either. I was starting to get frustrated, I'm sitting in a natural ground blind on the ground and it ain't that comfy. Around 9:30 Holdren texted me and asked me if they were still tight lipped, I said yes and that I hadn't even seen a turkey all morning. His reply was "time to switch properties"? Not wanting to give up I replied that I was about to hit my other spot. So I left and got to my other spot around 10am. This place is probably 50 acres of alfalfa/corn/crp, and 20 acres of woods that connect to around 150-200 more wooded acres. I walked down the field edge and took the logging road up to the ridge and sat behind a blow down that I had my eye on since putting a camera up there a couple weeks ago. Started off with some soft yelps and clucks, nothing. Waited a few minutes and tried again, nothing. I texted Holdren and said these fuggers ain't talking here either. Just then I heard a faint gobble off in the distance and it sounded like a good 150-200 yards. I thought the lack of sleep was getting to me so I sat and listened without calling. I heard it again, this time I knew what it was. I texted Holdren and said " game on". I laid into that slate with some sweet sounding loud yelps hoping to make his cloaca hard. It worked, he gobbled again, so I let him hear some more. The next gobbles told me that he had closed the distance considerably and he was by himself. I turned the volume down on the slate when I felt that he was inside 100 yards, softly yelping and purring was greeted by more gobbling. I finally laid my eyes on him at 75 yards, he was in full strut looking for the woman that was sweet talking him. That's when I hit him with a little more purring and then laid my slate down, not wanting to get busted while using it. I switched over to my Primos mouth call and and softly yelped with my head turned behind me in an attempt to bring him up the hill on the logging road. He didn't want none of that. He hopped up on a log 30 yards in front of me and strutted on it, that was cool to see. Once I saw him hop off the log and start walking to my right I knew I had to make my move. I already had the tree ranged at 30 yards that he was about to walk in front of. When he got behind a big maple tree I drew my bow, he stepped in front of the tree at 30 yards and I let one rip. Thwack, and I couldn't believe I did it. I immediately jumped over the blow down and about busted my ass, ran up to him and put my boot on his neck. Once he quit moving I lifted his legs up and about had a heart attack, biggest hooks I've ever seen in person. I then called Holdren breathing like I just ran a marathon and thanked him for bringing up the property switching. I honestly think I would of just went home after the first hunt had he not brought that up, I was tired. My goal this year was to kill one with my bow without using a ground blind. It took me several attempts and misses but it finally happened. Here's some pictures of my set up. Well Tapatalk won't let me upload them so I'll see if Brian will.
Congrats and great bird buddy!
Here are your pics.
Here are your pics.
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Top pic is a view from in front of the blow down. Second pic is where I was sitting. Third pic is my view out of the little window I had. Fourth pic is some big ass hooks
Congrats man, I'm glad you did exactly what you set out to do. How your giant ass got drawn without being busted is crazy! Happy for you man.
PA Bandit
Junior Member
Those hooks man congrats on a beautiful Bird no mount on this one lol....also is it easy to get them to hang from a tree like that never tried but see ppl do it a lot....also also what do you do to get the spurs that clean and do you do anything with the mail to preserve the color if you don't mind my asking
It's easy to get them to hang if the spurs are big enough. All I do to get the bone clean is skin it with my case trapper, I'll probably try to whiten them up with some fine grit sandpaper like Boarhead suggested. Thanks man
Awesome job man!!!! I have yet to lay eyes on a gobbler.
Here you are taking two with your bow!!! Unreal man. Congrats
Here you are taking two with your bow!!! Unreal man. Congrats
A great write up buddy, I was glad you let me be apart of the hunt. Yes I learned a lesson, I will never tell you that "You'll hunt a long time before you ever kill one like that again", cause you made a liar out of me!!!!
You impress me most with the fact your doing all this with a stick and string.... CONGRATS again on another giant hooked long beard. By the way where does this one place if you register him Too?
You impress me most with the fact your doing all this with a stick and string.... CONGRATS again on another giant hooked long beard. By the way where does this one place if you register him Too?