Congratulations, looks like a well balanced diet that bird is on. Lets hear the story, calls used, if it was a break or blind calling, etc. Can't wait to hear about the hunt.


Earl

I went to a property that is dominated by a creek bottom, but borders some cut-over land, a field, and some pine ridges. I did my typical fall moving and calling hoping for an answer, or to surprise a flock and bust them up. I enjoyed a bonus of having a doe prance by me about 50 yds and never sensed me, with a small 6 point buck trailing behind her about 100 yds back with his head down and grunting as he went. He smelled me, and came back around to about 15 yds trying to figure out what I was.

After being on my feet easing around and calling for about 6-1/2 hours, I decided to explore a part of that property I'd never been in before. After a while of that, I came across a place where a cut-over, pine ridge and creek bottom converged, and decided to sit down against a tree with an old blow-down beside it to offer some partial cover, eat some lunch, and snooze as needed, while I called. There were squirrels running around, and lots of songbirds there, so I figured it felt like a good place to be.

After a little over an hour of dozing off and calling intermittently, while still on my back, at about 1:40, I hit the box again with long lost yelp series, and a turkey answered me off to my right with a one-note, drawn-out yelp. I immediately sat up and turned around to face it looking for the bird with my gun up while I fumbled in my shirt pocket for my mouth call. As I was doing that, I saw a hen down by the edge of a small swamp pond standing side to me in that posture of "here I am if you want some company, but I ain't coming no closer." It took me about two seconds to decide to take the shot. Turned out to be farther than I thought (48 yds), but that's still well within the 100% range of that 28 ga rig. I am not sure that any other birds were with here, since I didn't see any others. But there could have been some trailing behind her, and I thought I might have heard one running off after the shot. But I can't confirm that.

I felt very fortunate to have everything come together like that. This time a year certainly is very pleasant time to get out after turkeys.

Nice Job man.. congrats..

Great job Hal! Keep it up!

Hal, good story on a fall hunt. The sights, sounds and smells of a fall turkey hunt was all enjoyed. Love the on the back tactic,


Earl

Earl, I'm beginning to think it might actually be a legitimate strategy. I'm gaining some confidence in it. That's the 2nd time I've called one up in the middle of the day (nap time) on my back in the last year and a half. Last time the bird woke me from a dead sleep and I had to shoot him while still laying flat on my back. This time, I was awake when she called to me and I got to sit up to shoot from a more proper elbows on the knees position. I think the key to success with employing the snooze tactic is to make sure your gun is laying on your lap at all times....

surely old guys like you two have known forever what a nap can do for a mid day turkey kill?

That's what is so funny. It WORKS

Earl

Awesome!

Had a chance to go again yesterday so, I went. But it was cold... My face mask had strips of ice on it, and my water bottle was like drinking a slushy.

The blaze orange rule was welcome today since it added some warmth.


About 12:25 I found the only turkey sign I saw all day. So, I set up against a cedar tree and did some cold calling. Less than 10 minutes later I heard a one note yelp answer me, and so I pivoted around to face where I thought I heard it from. About 3 minutes later I called again, and it answered again with one note - but a lot closer. So, I faced where it was coming from, and called back to it.

Within 2 minutes I saw him walking in. I let him keep coming and he stopped when he saw me, so I let the 28 CZ full of 9-1/2s eat.

He didn't flop - just raised his wings up a couple times.

Nice!

I enjoyed the treat of traveling west to hunt for a UT tag this week. Had the mind blowing experience of calling in 120 turkeys to within 25 yds.


Also got to watch them fly up to roost - looked like a flock of huge blackbirds in the creek bottom hardwoods.

This was the fattest tom I've ever cleaned.

Here's what he had in his craw.