of all your turkey hunts through the years, we all had a turkey hunt that we will never forget.pick one of your favorite turkey hunt's and what did you enjoy about it.

Twelve years ago I had only saturdays to hunt, so I hunted about two miles from the road. I located a gobbler that would gobble his head off every Sat. but would not come in. The next to last Sat. he came in silent and I took him at 28 steps. What makes this hunt so special was the time spent hunting one bird.
Keep em Gobblin!
Struttinbird

On top of Big Walker Mountain on a bluebird morning several years ago I called a tom from way down a ridge all the way up to gun range for my son. It was his first turkey hunt.
I sat behind him calling the gobbler and watching my son transform into a full blooded turkey hunter. I can still remember his body language every time the tom would gobble, the way he watched the tom strut to him, the many times he wispered call again dad and how neverous and excited he was after he made the killed.
GS...

I love them all

My favorite would have to be my first spring bird, back in 1985. I heard a gobbler way in the distance, just barely in hearing range. Not knowing what I know now, about moving in close for a setup, I stayed still and started yelping on my Lynch box call. About 45 minutes later after not getting any response, I stood up to leave the woods, As I did a crow flew over my head and crowed. At that time a gobbler busted loose with a loud gobble, he was no more than 50 yards away, I sat back down quickly and 1or 2 soft yelps on my Lynch and he showed up about 15 steps, when I shot he flopped down the hill and roled to my feet. will never forget this 1st bird. to this day he is still the heaviest bird that I have ever taken, 21 and 3/4

I would have to say my best hunt was when my son was 13 he finally killed his first bird it was only a jake but if you would have seen the both of us you would have thought it was the biggest turkey in the world. There is nothing like taking your son or daughter (which i hope to take one day) hunting and watch them suceed. I knowsome of ya'll know exactly were i am coming from.He really was so excited he started hunting with me when he was 10 and missed some really nice birds but didn't miss this one.This one will stay in our memories forever.

Doug

This is an easy one. In a 24 hour span in MT 3 of us killed 3 birds played the game with some others , saw 50 mule deer and 30 antelope. Also called in a few jakes to about 5 feet, saw a bobcat and a yote. Did I miss anyhting guys?? Pretty cool hunt.

The other best hunt was one that Freddy and I enjoyed last year, that story is in his Spring 04 Journal. Awesome morning.

A few othewr top memories was being with folks on their first spring kill.

I have to agree with Tim........but to break it down further... the first am behind the bush listening to Freddy Tim and the bird play the game... hearing and not seeing is very exciting thing.... I could hear them whisper and the bird gobble..WOW......... then to jump up and find out up close and personal that the Merriams is every bit as pretty as I hoped..well when the first one was on the ground in my mind the trip was a success!.... the next am setting with Tim and Freddy reflecting on the last 24 hrs after Tim and I doubled on film was a close second......Freddy and Tim..TNX for the memories guys I will cherish them!!!!......

......Scott watching you dust that Rio was a VERY close third brother!...

...Are there any not great ones?!?!?!

Two come to mind. First was opening day about four years ago. Hunted hard in the pouring rain from daylight until quiting time at 12:00 noon. At 11:45 I got a gobbler to responde and at 11:59, the bird was at my feet. That was some 14 minutes of adrenline. The other would be by far the bird that I called in for TScott a few springs ago. This was the first bird that I had called in for someone else and it will be etched into my memory forever, the good Lord willing. The only thing better than the hunt itself is sharing it with someone else.

The Red Gate Tom. I had been after one bird all season (mistake). I would hear him often and saw him once. That season came and went without me killing a bird. Took a bunch of ribbing from a couple of die hard turkey hunting club members who were my mentors. There is more than one bird up here, they would tell me. Bow season came in for deer and I was hunting the same bottom. I saw him again. Come next turkey season, your mine. April finally came. Same bottom, same place. The evening before opening day, I located him with an owl call. He was within 100 yards of where we fought the year before. When the sun was down and I knew he had to be in his tree, I got close and gave a few soft yelps, purrs and a cluck or two. I used my hat and simulated a fly-up. When it was dark, I slithered out of that spot and drove home. I told my wife plan A was just completed, and I would take possession in the morning. She chuckled. She heard it all before. I probably slept 3 or 4 hours that night, and drove back up to my club. I slipped into the woods and set up against a big old oak that I picked the night before. I sat in the dark for at least an hour, and when I was about to give a tree yelp (I could just make out the time on my watch), he gobbled on his own! I waited a few more minutes for first light, and softly yelped. He answered with a double gobble. I did a fly down using my hat, which drove him to gobble again. I clucked, purred and had the gun up. He was down and flopping at 25 yards, 10 minutes into the season. My heaviest and best bearded and spurred bird ever to this day, and he was the first bird I called in AND killed totally on my own. I called my wife on the cell phone right after I admired him and gave thanks. Hey honey, plan B accomplished! What a hunt!

All of them are great, and I have memories etched of everyone of them but anytime someone mentions a favorite hunt I always think back to this one...

It was the Spring of 1999 and Amy had not yet taken her first Spring Gobbler. She had hunted a few times each Spring season and had killed a fall bird but decided to put in the time to get her first Spring Gobbler.

We have an area near our farm that is what we call Amy's spot. A few other people hunt the area and we usually let them hunt it until later in the season. Finally, after all the pressure was off of the birds from the others giving up Amy and I went in to try and take this gobbler. We located a bird before the season that would gobble in the same general area every morning and after a little scouting we found out that he had made it through the first several weeks of the season. The first morning Amy and I setup on the bird was a bust. He would gobble at calls but seemed determined to reach a high ridge line to setup and strut and gobble. No matter what we did he would just gobble but not come in. The next morning we setup closer to the ridge and again worked him but he circled us to get to the ridge top. He was a real smart bird after being chased by the neighbors for 3 weeks!

The evening before the 3rd day I was working on the dog lot and stepped on a nail which went pretty far into my foot. Needless to say I was in pain but had decided to try and roost this bird and try to find a route that would get us in the strutting area that he had visited the previous 2 mornings. That evening I hobbled out the ridge to where the bird had been roosting and sure enough he gobbled and I had a good fix on him. I decided that I was in a pretty good situation to go ahead and sneak to the ridge and setup a blind and decoys so we could be very quiet setting up the next morning. I went ahead and put out 2 decoys and trimmed a few limbs for a blind while the bird was still gobbling from the roost that evening.

The next morning Amy and I were situated well before daylight and the bird gobbled just like we wanted. He was really hammering it and I had to control myself to only call really, really soft. This bird had been pressured really bad and I wanted to give him the impression of a very content hen. Finally, the bird flew down from the roost and slowly made his way up the ridge to us. I could finally hear him spitting and drumming just over the lip of the ridge and so could Amy. Amy was really excited and her gun was wobbling so bad I told myself that if he came in she wasn't going to be able to shoot. I finally spotted his fan coming over the hill and told Amy to breath and be calm. This bird was one of the most cautious turkeys I have ever seen. He would take 1 step, look around, strut, drop strut, look around, and then take another step. It took him almost 15 minutes to come 20 yards. Amy, in the meantime, was hyperventilating and having trouble holding her gun. She had propped her elbow up on my left knee and my left leg had gone to sleep and my right foot was the one with the nail hole (remember this!) The bird spotted the decoys and I think it made him more nervous as he started circling doing the same routine as before, only slower.

He was about 25 yards now but not clear for a shot. I picked out the spot a few yards ahead for Amy to take the shot and as the bird stepped into the opening I putted to make him stop and he took 1 more step and went behind another tree. I told her that her last chance for a shot was going to be when he came out. When his head cleared the tree Amy shot! I thought I saw the bird go down and then Amy jumped to her feet to get to the bird. I heard no flopping or anything and I was worried that she had missed. As I tried to get up my sore right foot and left leg asleep caused me to fall back down. Just as I hit the leaves I heard Amy scream!! I managed to get to my feet and hobble down to where she was. The bird didn't ever flop and she made a great shot. Amy was sitting on top of her turkey with the biggest smile you can imagine and tears streaming down her face. It was the best/proudest moment of my hunting career. What a thrill!!!! The bird was 19-1/2 lbs, 10-1/2" beard, and 1-1/8 spurs. Here is Amy with her first Spring Gobbler...

mine would be when i took my nephew to ohio for youth day a few years ago, we got on some birds at daybreak, and i saw him glide across the ridge on to our side, i called a little, and he came on a string, he killed him at about 40 yards. 23lbs 11" beard 1 1/8" spurs, great hunt, great first bird.

I had the priveledge of Killing my Best Bird on a Foggy West Virginia Morning in the Spring of 2000, that my Uncle Called in for me.

At the time none of us knew this would be his last Turkey Hunt that ended with a tagged bird. He passed away at age 57 the following December of a heart attack while on a Bear Hunt that I also had the priveledge of Killing that day.. I will never forget either Hunt but the Turkey Hunt was special because it was just him and I and he was determined to get that Tom into range for me, he ended up calling in the entire Flock of Two Toms and 7 or 8 hens.. and I look forward to the next time we meet and I hear him say "There here is Ran, out there in that Old White Pine Tree" again..

I've had the priveledge to "double up" with my dad twice, and a buddy of mine once....those are memorable.

Most memorable for me was an early mid season hunt on some private land my father had gotten us permission to hunt when I was 17. I knew noone that spring hunted so I was learning on my own through articles in magazines and trying to get a mouth call to sound similar to the sounds I could make w/Dad's Lynch box he used in the fall. I was pretty bad, but did not know it. I was running and gunning hoping to locate a bird and did not know enough to set up and stay put before "running". I called the first time about 20 feet into the woods and waited for about 1 minute to move to another spot. As I moved, I was scared sh**less by a loud booming gobble about 20 yards away as the "big old" bird (probably a jake, but I didn't know) came walking up a small rise to see what was happening. I turned and saw a little movement running away over the hill (BUSTED). I spent the rest of the hunting hours that day trying to get him to come back...of course with no luck.

Why so memorable? It was the first time I had a bird actually answer my calls and come in and the sound of that gobble actually sent shivers up me. I guess that got me started for real.