reeltime

Another successful fawning Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Well unless someone wants help back in ny when I get back my season is probably done. The last week has been unreal, I shot 2 good birds on back to back days sat. And mon. Matt and Jason got to camp wed. Night and we were into birds every day even in pouring rain, wind, thunder, road hunters, deer...but I had done tons of scouting and it all paid off yesterday with another slammer on the ground for matt and Jason with his first ever pa longbeard. After getting pics, birds cleaned and changed into work clothes we started working on my new hay implement barn. Worked on that till dark. Everyone wanted to start a campfire so we all set at the fire till 11 pm. Heck I ain't seen 10 pm but twice since March and have been up and gone most days before 4 am since then. The pressures off but still doing scouting for next year already. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Another morning of scouting and of course it's pouring rain..... before I left I thought this may be a bad omen...... When it's raining so hard frogs are seaking cover..... This guy was hanging out on my porch ceiling at camp before I left for the woods. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

They finally opened up long after hitting the ground. I see 8 strutters across the Valley from me and have 2 hens and a longbeard out in front of me. Crappy cell pic but caught him mid gobble. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Good luck zeek. Yesterday in pea soup fog I heard 12 different gobblers here, saw 8 different gobblers last night here....this morning I have not heard a peep...yet. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I would tf but they would be airsuck by the time they got there...... don't tell me you wore the bunny suit. Lol Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Just had a buck walk by at 5 yards, I want to see him when he is done growing and out of velvet. His bases look like the ends of a baseball bat! 12 different birds gobbling and had a hen walk by earlier. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Good luck feathers. Even with this person calling the birds are gobbling, none close to the calling but 5 other birds are hammering. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Setting across the Valley from where I killed the bird yesterday scouting for next year. Foggy and listening to someone on a slate call.....smh still pitch black out and you got smoke rolling off the call. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

After getting thoroughly soaked on the early morning hunt and passing on a 2 year old during a frog strangling rain I headed back to camp to put things in the dryer. Along the way I darn near hit a newborn fawn as the mother tried taking her up a steep bank. The fawn couldn't make it so I stopped while the doe stood at the top of the bank I picked up the fawn and crawled up the bank with her as the doe stood watch. I set the baby down on the other side of a large fallen cherry tree while the doe stood about 5 yards from me. I turned around and jumped down to the road as the doe gave a snort as to say thanks. Got back to camp as it stopped raining, got all the gear out of the vest and threw all the wet gear in the dryer.......note to self do NOT dry turkey gear when better half is present....do you know how much brush and leaves can accumulate in turkey gear in 2 months?? A lot!! It was at the time I thought it would be safer to go hunting than stay at camp. Lol. Off to target bird number 1 area, had been a while since I tried him late morning. The farm this bird resided on is under a hunter access program which is baically private land but open to public hunting and it gets POUNDED by hunters daily. This is the same farm I killed the silage thief last year. I parked the truck and started the hike back towards the large hidden field. With all the rain the woods were deathly quiet. I eased within 80 yards of the field and sent out a series of clucks and Yelps on the bomber and he cut me off with a thundering gobble. I took advantage of the heavy foliage and wet forest floor and eased ahead 40 yards and set up against a maple tree. In a few minutes I sent out another series of clucks and once again he hammered it but had closed the distance considerably. The next sound he was going to hear from me was the gunblast. Finally I see his snowball head through the deep green leaves as he is working the field edge and has a hen in tow. Slowly the hen works towards me as he stands like a statue at the field edge 40 yrds away. The hen is purring and clucking and closing the distance, he can't stand it anymore and steps into the woods. There is no way I can verify it's the right bird so I let him close the distance on the deer trail he is on. Finally at 25 yards he turns a bit and I can see the ivory spurs in the scope. Easing the safety off and settled the cross hair on his head and squeezed the trigger. At the shot he rocked backwards and went down hard and never moved. A never before feeling washed over me as this bird and I had numerous encounters over 3 years including a morning 2 years ago during a vicious thunder and lightening storm that when a lightning bolt lit up a tree less than 100 feet from us sent us both running for safety. I at the moment was somewhat disappointed in myself for killing such a knoble oponant. I guess it was all the hours I watched him, laid out hunt strategies, tried being one step ahead of him to only be beat at my own game and now it finally all came together and I was going to put my tag on him, all the while knowing I will never hear his thundering gobble again. Ended up both spurs were broke off and pretty rounded tips. 20 lbs. 1 1/4" ivory spurs 9 7/8" beard. I get back to camp and this little gal was born just off the front yard in the horse pasture. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Game OVER!!!! Just happened. Dang this is bitter sweet. 3 years of chasing him. Haven't even walked to him yet. Never felt like this after killing a bird before. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I just gave him some sweet bomber clucks and he hammered it A LOT closer. .... I'm off here game on. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Going to try something different I've never done this live in the woods while after a bird but my number one target bird just hammered me 150 yards out he has a hen with him also. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Headed back to camp, the boss didn't show up as planned but his subordinate did but he got a pass even if it was a frog strangling rainstorm. Time for dry clothes and head back out. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I have been after this bird 2 years now, he has been very visible and has been hunted relentlessly by the locals. I had him going the first day after 11 and knew it wouldn't come together as he is extremely call shy, pitches into the field and does everything possible to not go back into the woods till roost time. Yesterday morning I parked the truck at 3am and hiked back to where he has been hanging lately. There were 2 large square bales stacked Double and the top one was over hanging the bottom one on the woods side where I needed to set. I knew it was going to be uncomfortable but thought the kill would happen shortly after flydown. Through scouting I knew a hen would come from the west through the hayfield daily and meet up with the rest of the birds. Shortly after setting down it started to drizzle, that lasted what seemed to be an hour or more.....then the skies opened up and in a matter of a few minutes I was soaked to rhe skin. I still thought no problem this should end quickly..... it slowly started breaking daylight with a chilly east wind and steady down pouring rain. The gobbler never made a peep but did hear 2 far off gobblers and finally it was light enough for birds to pitch down. When one of his roost mate hens lit up the woods with yelps I responded in kind with the bomber and she really opened up and flee down as I was giving some sweet talk rigjt back to her knowing he would hear it also and knowing the lonesome he'd would come in from.behind me and should reassure him it wasn't a hunter talking turkey to him. When they flew out there were 3 hens and 2 gobblers, they landed 100 yards from me and it was clear who was the boss. Shortly after the hen from the west walked by me so close I could of touched her, a little while later a jake. Came from the west and joined the group. Over the next hour 2 more hens came from the west and joined the group, still raining and temps were still in the low 60's to say I was getting cold would be an understatement. I was pinned down with all those birds in plain sight and one of them was always looking around, it was obvious they knew danger came from the woods and the field. Ever so slowly the group moved closer but the boss and the subordinate gobbler were side by side. As the hens moved north the gobblers hung back and seemed content to just stand in one area and strut. The boss gobbler kept looking my way and seemed to be slowly drifting towards where he heard a hen earlier. The hens and jake were now 70 yards apart but the boss was still working away from the group coming towards me. By this time I lost count of how many muscles hurt from setting motionless and with the gun up on my knee since daylight. While it had stopped raining I was still soaked and extremely cold. Finally he had worked into range but both gobblers were still way to close together without killing both. As I sat there trying to control the shivering I kept thinking after all this time I am not going to get a shot because they are so close together. Within a few minutes the subordinate gobbler started feeding and the boss moved more northwest and opened a good gap between them. I eased the safety off, settled the crosshair on his head and squeezed the trigger and he went down in a heap and never moved. I was finally able to get to my knees and try to loosen up some. But holy cow I was freezing, filled out my tag, walked over picked him up and walked to the woods. Got some pics, packed him in the vest and started hiking back to the truck, that's when I realized I had been setting there for 5 hours. 21 lbs 1 5/16" spurs 9 3/4" beard. Now to go after bird #2 Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Pa bird 1 851 this morning soaked and freezing from being wet and setting for last 5 hours but he couldn't take the bomber talk anymore called him off 6 hens. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

The most under utilized deer call there is Dan. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

A lot nicer walking in with just binoculars and notebook this morning instead of all the turkey gear. Scouting for next season has begun. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

After waking up at 1:47 this morning I decided to listen to my gut walked away from the truck knowing it was going to be a long 3 Mile Walk Through the Woods with no light got to the spot by 4:45 when he gobbled the first time at 5:15 he was only a hundred yards out directly in front of me. Last week I hunted the fringes of his area and actually bumped him Friday morning but knew this was the spot I needed to be if it was going to come together. I let him gobble a half-dozen times before I gave him some real soft tree talk which he gobbled to. At 5:45 the wind laid down enough that I figured he would hear me do a fly down with a wing which he quad gobbled at then I gave him some soft Yelps and clocks on the bomber the next time he gobbled he was on the ground. I gave him another series of soft clucks and Yelps when he responded I could tell he was up on the bench and it moved 30 yards closer I set the call down is he gobbled hard coming in. Now all I needed him to do was step into an area where I could see his legs when he gobbled the last time he was at 30 yards and actually felt like it shook the ground. I was sure it was him but needed to check and make sure finally stepped up on a little dirt pile and I could see his first through the scope so I know it was him. He hit the ground so hard I doubt he ever heard the gunshot and it was finally over. 10 1/8" beard 1 3/8" spurs Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Still at it in 2 states, well now down to 1. Been in the woods every day since mid march. As of now I am at 172.6 miles on this walking tracking thingamajigger. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Taking a break on the way back to the truck. Last week 2 days I didn't follow my gut and it cost me a chance at hit lister #1. Even though it meant a 3 mile walk i listened to my gut this morning. The last thing he heard was sweet bomber clucks because he hit the deck so hard he never heard the gun blast. Well breaks over time to get hoofin back to the truck. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

First morning g I didn't hear a gobble, thought about doing a short walk but the wind is now steady and I have tons of work backed up and working till 8,9,10pm to stay even with work and getting up at 1 or 2 am to hunt isn't as easy as it was when I was 20 something. Lol. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Takin a breather, gonna cut cross country to the road. I have a local fishing customer that said he would come pick me up. I guess walking out at the truck at 4 pm with a gun and all the turkey gear would make a warden raise his eyebrows lol.. Oh well it was a fun morning and ended up passing up another 2 yo about 11, for 2 reasons it's only day 2 and didn't want to tag out, and more importantly I didn't want to carry him all the way out. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I just looked at on x I am about 12 miles from my truck. Worked 3 birds passed up 2 1 got around me somehow. I am on the move again probably go another mile the troll back. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

headed out, i have a long walk this morning.