I'm all tagged out here in NY!!!

[Squirrelhunter91]

Friday night, as usual, my dad had to work, so of course, Saturday morning he was tired and he slept in all the way past 12:00PM. So there went turkey hunting for Saturday. Anyway, we make our commute up to our hunting shack in Sullivan County. We get up there in the afternoon, around 2:00 or so, still making good time, because we left around 1:00PM.. So we bs all day blah blah blah... Until it's about fly up time for the turkeys. We didn't want to go on the mountain that our land butts up against because that place in there gets hit hard by every local with a turkey call.So we decided to head to a buddy's farm where he said there are two mature gobblers hanging out. He told us a few weeks ago that if you just walk down the four wheeler trail, you'll come out to a field, then keep walking about another 80 yards and there will be another field and about 70 yards from the second field, that's where the roost is. So Saturday evening, as soon as I get into the first field, I notice a red coyote sitting on the field edge. We notice eachother at the same time and he lets out a warning howl and turns around and runs the other way. So I proceded around the field, near the second field and hung around til dark, not hearing any gobbles or fly up sounds.
So Sunday morning we wake up at 4:30 AM, in the woods by 5:15AM. We headed over to the farm again and set up in the first field. We only had one hen decoy with us because we left the others at home, but we left a hard body deke up at the cabin just in case we did ever forget the others. So yeah, anyway, back to the set up. We're set up in the middle of this second field on opposite sides of a tree that was in the middle of the field. After about 45 minutes of calling, we get up and move and start heading across the field towards the second field. We are about 15 yards away from the second field when we hear a gobble followed by another gobble. Two long tom gobbles. We run to the second field, throw down the deke and set up. I told my dad as we were getting set up that I wanted the 12 gauge. LOL.. Of course he hands it over and I give him my Mossberg 500 20 gauge with the youth stock, and it was funny trying to see him shoulder it. We were positive that we had two longbeards coming in and if there was one on the left, it was mine and one on the right, it was his. So, I start calling on my Purdy's Custom Glas over slate call with a feather in it from my first turkey. These two toms answer back, setting eachother off. So here they come, they sounded about 80 yards off the first time they gobbled, but they just kept coming. At one point, they were 40 yards away, but just over a little berm and you couldn't see them. So I yelp yelp yelp, cut, cut cut and they pop up over the berm. One red head, two red heads. I look at them for beard conformation and the first one takes a look at the situation, stands there at about 30 yards looks at the hen decoy and clucks. He turns around and begins to walk away, I guess because he wanted the hen to come to him the last 15 yards. While the first bird is doing this, the second bird, the dominant bird I assume, begins to strut, spit and drum. The other tom then comes back seeing this is and starts looking around again. Both toms begin to leave, clucking pack and forth at eachother. I let out some yelps and cuts and the toms turn back around and the strutter comes back out running. The other tom is standing there again, facing the strutting tom. I yelp softly and the two toms, facing eachother gobble towards eachother, not 30 yards away. The standing tom, then again begins to walk away clucking, but the strutter sticks around. He walks in to 27 yards, breaks strut and the Mossberg barked. That tom right there at 27 yards took possession of some 12 ga Winchester Supreme #6 shot. He got all 1 3/4oz of shot in that shell. He dropped on the spot, just like my jake that I shot at 40 yards with the same setup. At the shot, the other tom then flys about 50 feet to our right and lands again then does and upside down J hook around us, running the whole time and putting, totally ignoring my yelping and purring, trying to coaxe him back for a shot for my dad.
High fives between me and my dad. We check the bird, he has a 9 1/2" beard with 1 1/4" spurs. No doubt about it he was the dominant bird. This was my second bird this year and that means I'm tagged out. For the first time in my life, in my third turkey season, I tagged out. This was also my third turkey ever. It was a very memorable turkey hunt, and best of all, I got to do it with my dad.





I'll have more pics up later, but now I gotta get to school!!

[hookedonhunting]

Very nice bird! Congrats.

[maytom]

Awesome gobbler!! WTG!!!

[iron buck]

VERY nice! Great story also. It will be a hunt to remember for sure.

[huntn4bucks]

Congratulations on a great gobbler. That sounds like a very special hunt...one that you and your dad will remember for years to come. Congrats again and post some pics of those hooks when you get a chance.

[RangerClay]

Nice bird Joe! Congratulations

Ranger

[Chrud]

Congrats on a great bird Joe! Nice sticker collection too!

[Adjam5]

I see Joe got the story up here too before school.
I'm Joes dad, Anthony, as if anyone didn't know
Joe has been coming with me in the woods as soon as he could walk.
He has been shooting since he could hold a .22 (a crikett). My son has amazed me constantly since I turned him on to this hunting thing. At 14 he has already taken 3 turkeys,a tom, a jake and a hen. Dec 4th he took his 1st bow killed deer, a doe( remember that story ...I do, my finger never regained full feeeling from the cut), but anyway. He has accomplished much for a young hunter, it took me 6 years before I got to take my 1st deer, he did it is his 1st season. AT 14! I know some states kids have much more than this under their belts, but this is NY. Due to the laws here the kids can't start hunting big game until they are 14, with a bow only. 16 to hunt big game with a gun. But a youth can hunt small game with a gun, go figure.
What I want to say here is...
Joe, you get good grades, your on the honor roll; you pull your weight around the house and you respect your mom and I.
It IS only right you get to bag a BIG bird like that, you ARE covering all the bases. But don't forget Joe who is responsible for all these great days afield...
The BIG GUY UPSTAIRS.
So Joe ,Infront of all these people I want to say how proud I am of you and I love ya kiddo
I had a great day too, it was better than me getting that bird.
Rock on Joe!

[borch]

Congrats to both of you!

It's hard to beat being in the woods with your kids!

[jbeck]

Man, I'm tearing up. Great story guys, I hope you enjoy many more seasons together. God bless and time to set the boy up 30 yards back and let him call.

[PA_Spike_King]

Great story and a GREAT hunt Joe. Congrats on all of your success. Now don't get used to it cuz it don't happen like that every year. LOL

[Gus]

Nice bird, congrats Joe

[Tom2008]

Awssome story and congrats that is very nice bird. The fan is just amazing!

[VermontHunter]

DANG JOE !! You've become quite the Turkey killing machine....

Congrats on yet another awsome Turkey..

[wtnhunt]

Great story and bird. Congratulations Joe.