Back in Ky on thursday morning with a relative to chase a couple of birds that eluded me on opening morning. Posted story earlier about the opening day in Ky where a friend and l had messed up a potential double on some huge birds that flew down right at first light and friend could not get gun squared. The size of one of those birds was impressive, and the thought of it had haunted me for the ten days since that hunt.

So cousin and l got in the pasture bottom really really early and got a blind set in exactly where i had hunted opening day. This bottom has been very good to me for some years..Freddy killed his largest bird to that date here last year, a hunt from here is on the Pure Turkey video, and we have other doubles from this place over the years. Today i Set up avian x in dark and waited an hour for first light, as l expected birds could be roosted very close. At first light we heard five or six birds gobbling, but the dominant birds were not exactly in our hollow. We settled in and called some and gobbling shut off about thirty minutes after flydown. Since we saw the birds in the bottom midday on the weds(day before) l felt strongly they would be back in here at some time during the late morning. After sitting there two hours without hearing any gobbles anywhere we heard a single gobble at 300 yards off. A few calls and that bird closed to 125 yards. There that bird hung up for an hour. We could see him in binoculars, and he appeared to be alone. I finally told cousin l thought the reason he wouldn't come down into our set was that he was fearful of the huge bird that l thought was still in the area. We stayed on, with that hung up bird still gobbling every few minutes, but refusing to close. Another hour passed and we were closing on noon when a hen appears down the fence line from the left, pecking along. She went straight to the avian x and feeding hen and preened for twenty minutes. While watching her, another hen appeared off the hill in front of us..and joined the spread. i told cousin l really expected the gobblers soon as this as exactly time we saw them day before….sure enough in fifteen minutes, a single LB walks in field a hundred yards to right, and then right behind him here comes the BIG BOY. Once the BIG BOY saw the avian, it was all over for him…could not help himself..he mean- marched straight in with the other gobbler joining him in the last ten years and proceeded to knock the avian decoy five feet off the stake with his first attack…lucky for jake decoy as he was now low and out of the line of fire--counting now..one , two BOOM. Much celebration. Big Boy was on my side so l shot him, and cousin downed the other one. Both three years or older. I shot up beard on Big Boy, as you can see in pictures. Weighed him there in field and he was 27.5..then later on two other scales and he hit 27.5 on all scales. The other bird was 20.75 pounds and had equal spurs, and perhaps a longer beard. One picture is of the set up, showing blind hidden under cedar, and the two dead birds in spread (with jake put back on the stake). I am pretty sure this were the pair that flew in to decoys right off limb on the opener….tagged out in Ky now…maybe somebody will take pity on me and l will get to Va later??

Congratulations on the doubles. Wow what kind of steroids are those birds on?

Come on up to the Q anytime be glad to show you around.


Earl

Nice

Oh, sweet, sweet revenge. Congrats Masked Man and Cousin! High Fives all around!!

Congrats man. I pity the states you have tags left in

That's an even bigger wopper! Congrats GN!

Wow, that's bigger than last years. Must be eating good. Congrats!
Vic

In the whatever its worth category, there is a wide swath of rich limestone ground through central Ky and down through Tenn to almost the Alabam line that historically produces very large game, be it deer or turkey. It is extremely fertile. Plus the cattle farming adds even more year round nutrients. Also heavy oak forests.

Wow, what a bird !!!

Nothing like when a plan comes together!! Great job Gn amd cousin! I hope you didnt have to carry that bird to far gn! Birds that big you might want to a deer hauler in with you next time!

Doug

You Definitely had there number Congrats.

Congratulations on the heavy weight!

Wow!!! I carried two out the other day, early in the morning was about a 20-21 lb bird and then later carried my 7 year old nephews bird out for him probably 17 and there was a huge difference in size I cant even imagine a 27 lb bird.

Did you find any yellow feathers on it?

Congrats GN.. way to close it out with a monster..

What a bird ! Way to go GN.