Turkey Hunt Of A Lifetime (with pics)

[NorfolkHunter]

On Friday my friend and I devised a plan of how we were going to hunt Saturday. We decided to hunt a property that we hadn't hunted yet this season. It is a spot that sees little hunting pressure. By mid season the green and under growth is abundant giving the hunter the upper hand with blending into the environment.

With rain in the forecast, we decided to setup my Ameristep Brick House blind and hunt side by side. Just after 7:00pm on Friday night. We headed out to setup the blind in a nice opening near a gobblers roost. We had a good idea where they were roosting and figured ourselves to be within 100 yards of the South roost and 150 yards from a roost to the North. With blind and chairs in place, we made our way to the field edge about 100 yards to the South East and could see a long beard making his way towards us. We left undetected and said how things looked promising for the mornings hunt.

I picked my friend up at 4:50am and we made the long 3 minute drive to our spot. Grabbed our gear and started to make the trek towards the blind. With the thick terrain that we were hunting there would have been no possible chance to shoot with the bow so I opted to take the 12 gauge for the morning hunt. The first part of the walk was very quite. Following an old skidder trail we could get within 80 yards of the blind. With all of the rain we had been having we figured we could sneak to the blind without a sound. Were we ever wrong. I've never heard so much snap, crackle and pop as we must have broken every branch in our path. Finally we could make out the opening and once the blind was located we were settled in by 5:20am.

The first gobble was at 5:30am and was only 60 yards away. I laughed as I said to my friend could you put us any closer to a roosted gobbler. He gobbled and gobbled for about 15 minutes. All of a sudden another bird gobbled right in front of us. I slowly leaned forward and looked up into the trees and I could see a tom all blown up. He would gobble and then blow up in the tree. I never knew that they would display in the tree like that. I could also pick out a hen in a pine tree right beside the gobbler. I ranged the tree he was in, it was only 28 yards away. All I could do was laugh as I figured we were way to close and were probably busted.

Just before 6:00am we could hear a bird pitch out behind us and head towards the fields to the south. The gobbler at 60 yards flew over and joined the other tom in the tree in front of us. They were gobbling their heads off. At the sound of the gobbling frenzy another gobble could be heard behind us to the East. With the birds so close we couldn’t even load our guns. There we sat waiting for the two turkeys perched in front of us to make the first move.

At 6:15am the first long beard pitched out to the North followed shortly by the other. That was our cue to load up the shotguns as quietly as possible. With attention focused on the two toms we had forgotten about the hen still perched in front of us. When the first shell was loaded and the chamber closed that sent the hen off her tree limb towards the fields to the South.

Once the area seemed clear I gave out a series of yelps and was quickly answered. The birds worked from the North of us to our South West gobbling the whole time. They seemed to be circling us 100 yards out not wanting to come in and investigate my calling. We were at a stalemate. So a little before 7:00am I reached into my pack and pulled out my Gobblestalker slate call. It has a different sounds and I was curious as to how they would react. After a few purrs and clucks the birds committed.

My friend picked up movement first. There was a dark blob moving through the green undergrowth 60 yards away. Then my friend whispers there is the other one. Our guns were up and ready. We couldn’t believe it there was a chance we were going to double. At 50 yards the first long beard entered the opening. They were moving from our left to our right. The other followed 10 yards behind. The only problem was they were never both visible at the same time. Eventually the first bird went in behind some trees and thick under brush and out of our sight. We both couldn’t see our selected targets. So there were no shots fired.

The birds had walked through our shooting lane and to the skidder trail behind us. Now we had to try and convince the birds to come back and find that invisible hen (our shotguns). At 7:20am I caught movement out in front of us again. Another tom followed the same path the other two had taken. By the time our guns were up he had vanished.

Now there were 3 toms behind us near the skidder trail. They were still fired up and gobbling like clockwork. In the distance we could hear the sounds of someone dumping rocks in a dump truck. At the sound the birds would shock gobble, letting us always know where they were. We worked the birds and worked the birds. Again they were hung up around 80 yards from where we sat.

At 7:40am two gobblers seemed to slowly get closer and closer. The other was still gobbling on the skidder trail. The gobbles sounded so close that they must have been standing just to the right of the blind. They stood there for another 15 minutes. All of a sudden they started to move. My friend could see the one tom and then the other. They were following each other back across in front of us. Again the guns were up and ready to fire.

I could now see the two birds making their way slowly towards our shooting lane. They were a little closer than the last time. Here is how it unfolded:
Me: “I can see them both”
Friend: “Ok are you ready”
Me: “Ok……….. Just wait I’ve lost sight” BOOM!! My friend fires at his bird.
Friend: “Did you get yours?”
Me: “I never shot, I lost sight of my bird”
Friend: “I think I missed”
Me: “I never saw any birds run away”. I yelped three times on my diaphragm and the other tom stepped out from behind some trees.
Me: “I’ve got him”. I squeezed off a shot and then nothing. We never saw anything flop or run away.

We scrambled out of the blind and quickly made our way over to the direction that we had shot. My friend says we must have missed. Then I look over to my right and this is what I saw.

We never moved the birds that is how they were lying.

We ran over and each grabbed a bird. They were lying so close together that we will never truly know who shot which bird. It didn't matter though. High fives and smiles were abundant. We had just doubled on a hunt that we will both never forget. It was truly the turkey hunt of a lifetime.

I walked back to the blind to grab the camera and ranged my friend standing over the two birds. We both made shots at 43 yards. What a hunt.

My friend's birds stats.
Weight: 16lbs. 14oz., Beard 9 7/8", Spurs 15/16" and 1".
My birds stats.
Weight: 18lbs., Beard 9 5/8", Spurs 7/8".
The two birds could have been twins. Only 1.25 points difference in their NWTF scores.



NH (Devin)

[mo_hunter]

Awesome hunt congrats. nice pics.

[maytom]

Awesome story and pic's!!! WTG!!!!

[Ambuscher]

nice pics

[MadHuntinPastor]

Great story. Congrats.

[hobie]

Great story and pictures

[HuntnMa]

thats so awesome.......

[BIG_BUCK_1]

that is cool

[boomer]

Congrats!

[Tom2008]

Congrats those are some nice birds. Love the detail in the story!

[huntinguide]

nice double, and great story, man you guys where really doubting yourselfs if you thought you missed.
2 birds down thats all that counts

[Colorado Bob]

Conglads !! CB

[huntn4bucks]

Awesome hunt. That would be quite a surprise to see two turkeys laying there after you both thought you had missed. Congrats on the double.

[Gus]

Great story, nice birds, congrats on the double