TooTall71
Junior Member
Had a couple firsts for me and el wife on the opener this year...
In 16 years of chasin turkeys, I've never killed one on opening day.....check
And she has never killed a longbeard(granted, she only had 1 jake to her name)......check
AND it was only the 3rd time I've been part of a double!
Couldn't ask for a better first day. Had 2 toms gobbling lightly on the roost about 200 yds. from us. Called a bit with no response, so we waited a bit to see where they would go after fly down. After a few gobbles on the ground, we made a move to where I thought they might be heading to cut them off. Then as we get settled in our very well thought out, guaranteed ambush point, the bastards do a total 180 and head back to where we originally started!
So we head back to our original area and there is a bird gobbling his nuts off in the neighbors field just on the border of ours. So we sneak down and get the strutter deke and hen set up, and I proceed to sweet talkin. He gobbled and gobbled, but just wouldn't come over a little hill to see the dekes. So after a few minutes of waiting, I open up on him! I imitated a hen fight, purring and clucking hard with my mouth and slate call. Double and triple gobbles ensued, PLUS another longbeard with him opened up. And then....
I shut up. They did TOO. After about 10 minutes, I couldn't believe they hadn't come to check out what all the commotion was about. I figured hens took them away, and we were planning our next set. Just as I was about to stand, my wife shoulders her gun. She didn't even get out the words, "Oh, shi.......", before those 2 longbeards were on top of the strutter about to unleash hell on it at about 10 yds. I gave the "shoot" command instantly. One drops, I shoulder my gun and smack numero 2 just as he was about to get into the brush. He was hit well, but jumped into some brush. I had surgery on my knee 2 months ago, so running to get my bird was out, so she gets up and goes after him. Man, I wish I had a camera not only for the shot, but damn was it hilarious when she didn't see the old fence row about shin high and face planted just as she was about to approach the bird! In any case, we got em both, and it was one of the most epic hunts I've ever had the privilege to be a part of. Done at 7:50 a.m., which gave us time to find a few shrooms as well! What a day...
Her bird: 11.5 inch beard, 1.25 inch hooks
My bird: 11 inch beard, 1.25 inch hooks and had to go 25+ pounds. Didn't get him on a scale but damn he had some weight to him!
In 16 years of chasin turkeys, I've never killed one on opening day.....check
And she has never killed a longbeard(granted, she only had 1 jake to her name)......check
AND it was only the 3rd time I've been part of a double!
Couldn't ask for a better first day. Had 2 toms gobbling lightly on the roost about 200 yds. from us. Called a bit with no response, so we waited a bit to see where they would go after fly down. After a few gobbles on the ground, we made a move to where I thought they might be heading to cut them off. Then as we get settled in our very well thought out, guaranteed ambush point, the bastards do a total 180 and head back to where we originally started!
So we head back to our original area and there is a bird gobbling his nuts off in the neighbors field just on the border of ours. So we sneak down and get the strutter deke and hen set up, and I proceed to sweet talkin. He gobbled and gobbled, but just wouldn't come over a little hill to see the dekes. So after a few minutes of waiting, I open up on him! I imitated a hen fight, purring and clucking hard with my mouth and slate call. Double and triple gobbles ensued, PLUS another longbeard with him opened up. And then....
I shut up. They did TOO. After about 10 minutes, I couldn't believe they hadn't come to check out what all the commotion was about. I figured hens took them away, and we were planning our next set. Just as I was about to stand, my wife shoulders her gun. She didn't even get out the words, "Oh, shi.......", before those 2 longbeards were on top of the strutter about to unleash hell on it at about 10 yds. I gave the "shoot" command instantly. One drops, I shoulder my gun and smack numero 2 just as he was about to get into the brush. He was hit well, but jumped into some brush. I had surgery on my knee 2 months ago, so running to get my bird was out, so she gets up and goes after him. Man, I wish I had a camera not only for the shot, but damn was it hilarious when she didn't see the old fence row about shin high and face planted just as she was about to approach the bird! In any case, we got em both, and it was one of the most epic hunts I've ever had the privilege to be a part of. Done at 7:50 a.m., which gave us time to find a few shrooms as well! What a day...
Her bird: 11.5 inch beard, 1.25 inch hooks
My bird: 11 inch beard, 1.25 inch hooks and had to go 25+ pounds. Didn't get him on a scale but damn he had some weight to him!
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