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borntohunt
Longbeard
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 8:49 pm Posts: 111 Location: Rural Retreat
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Opening Day Success
Went to the woods this morning snd got set up under a big pine, set the decoys out about thirty yards in the field and waited on daylight. at 7:15 I had not heard a bird, probably because of the rain. I did a fly down cackle and flaped my wing. I got a instance response about 75 yards up the ridge. in just a few min three birds glided off the roost and into the field probably a hundred yards off, they were joined by five more birds soon after. i was giving a few soft yelps to get thier attention and they kept moving slowly away. it was a pretty sight watching the old boss tom strut around and then he would chase off the less dominate gooblers. finally at 8:30 i got out the old raspy mouth call and gave a few loud yelps and some serious cutting. they went crazy and goobled thier heads off. i seen the two lesser birds break off and head my way, they came across the top of a little hump in the field spotted the decoys and came in on a string. I shoot the biggest one of the two at seven yards. it weighed 20.4 lbs and had a 9 1/2 inch beard and inch spurs. not bad for a scrub the funny thing was that the shoot didnt effect the other birds at all. they continued to feed along the field and goobled to my calls. i guess me and wv boy might have to pay them another visit monday.
_________________ Hunt everytime you get a chance and take a kid along when you can
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:06 am |
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HokieGobbler
King of Spring
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:23 am Posts: 891 Location: Luray, VA
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Congratulations B2H!! Sounds like an exciting hunt
_________________ Lovin the Hokies!!!
Ryan
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:03 am |
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turkey721
King of Spring
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 9:26 pm Posts: 539 Location: Rocky Mount, Virginia
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Well today is in the past now. Got to my hunting area around 5:30, NO RAIN. As I slipped up the ridge to where I thought the birds were it started to rain. This lasted for about 20min. Now the woods were comming alive and a bird sounded off about 75 yards from my setup. Another bird gobbled about 200yards (long ways off). I decided to set facing the closer bird. Well he gobbled about 5 times and went quite. I waited and called very softly, nothing again I called very softly. He went silent, but the other bird father away was gobbling good and moving my way. He gobbles once more and he was close. I shifted my self to his direction and waited. I started to hear the puffffff Vroooom of his strut and he was on the move to me. He way with 4 jakes no hens. I moved very slowly a little more spooking one of the jakes. I thought gig up, but he just stood there stutting at about 25 yards. He was a good two year old 9 1/2 inch beard 7/8 in spurs and weighed 19.2 oz a good bird. This was my first opening day bird ever and I have been out there for about 15-16 years. What a day, hope all stayed dry and had good luck. I will post pictures late, BTW how do I do that.
Jon
_________________ "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 12:27 pm |
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Gobblenow
Co-Owner/Dog Feeder
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 10:20 am Posts: 3806
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Congrtulatins to BTH and 721...sounds like the best kind of opening day...just you and the birds and a little adverse weather o make it even more memorable...
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:28 pm |
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hendup
King of Spring
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:08 am Posts: 1622 Location: Cartersville, Va
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Way to go guys!! Love to hear success stories.
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:33 pm |
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Fullback24
King of Spring
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 12:34 pm Posts: 456 Location: Trigg, VA
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way to go fellers!!!
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 5:33 pm |
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Doug
King of Spring
Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 2:25 pm Posts: 2092
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That is a good way to get the season started guys!!
Doug
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:11 pm |
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jguilliams
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congrats
Congrats Jon on the opener. The boys and I heard no gobbles this morning but we had fun with 6 hens who came to within 15 yards of our setup. No gobbler with them. I saw several hens today but no gobblers. Maybe next week.
Jason Guilliams
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 7:18 pm |
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runngun
Poult
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2006 3:46 pm Posts: 17 Location: hampton,va
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I havnt read what you other fellas wrote yet but i had a day like i will never have before. I bet you i heard over one hundred diffrent gobbles from who knows how many diffrent birds. There was not a ten second frame without a bird gobbling. I ended my morning when i called in a double beareded gobbler. Ten inch and 4.5 inch. and layed the smack down on him with #4's. By the way i was in southampton.
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 8:14 pm |
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Beagle Man
2 Year Old
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:14 pm Posts: 67
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Congratulations to you guys on fine birds! I was able to harvest a nice bird this a.m. in the middle of a down-pour. I arrived at my location at about 6:30 a.m. and struck a bird right off the bat he was gobbling his head off! I took two quick steps to setup and flushed a hen off the roost, which had me worried because he quit gobbling after she flushed. So I started calling to the bird but got no response, but after the rain slacked boom, GOOOBBLEE! He gobbled about two more times, slipped in on me silent strutting and I was able to make about a 35-40 yard shot on him. The results 22 1/2 lbs., 10 1/2 inch beard, one 7/8 of an inch spur and one 1 inch spur. All and all a great rainy day hunt that I will never forget.
Garrett
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Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:06 pm |
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Struttinbird
Longbeard
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2005 9:03 am Posts: 285 Location: Alleghany County
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Congrats to all of you
Keep em Gobblin!
Struttinbird
_________________ May he step to the music he hears however measured or far away. Thoreau
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Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:45 pm |
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turkey721
King of Spring
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 9:26 pm Posts: 539 Location: Rocky Mount, Virginia
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how do you post a picture? forgot how
_________________ "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss
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Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:51 pm |
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