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Got my first gobbler today!!!!

ApexerER

By ApexerER,
in Turkey Hunting

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ApexerER Mentor

ApexerER

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Well I took me an extra day but I got my bday present today! Posted this in the live thread.....

Oh man...my setup worked but I didn't. Had a hen and a gobbler come out to the field. The hen came straight to the decoys, stopped and froze about 10 feet from them directly in front of the blind. She basically spent the last 45 minutes almost completely frozen in front of me. The gobbler strutted and gobbled 30 yds from me but completely on my right and I was afraid to move with the hen right in front of me. I am trying to be patient because I figured the Tom wouldn't leave the hen. As I am thinking about trying a left hand shot he walks into the woods and out of my life. I decided to see what I could get away with with the hen right in front of me and I easily got turned so I could have made a shot. Guess I really have learned some patience. Maybe to much. Oh well, it was super exciting and I am learning!

Well after that I had a snack and was enjoying the morning. Tried some terrible yelps and nothing. All that goes through my head now is don't call to much. Wait a bit and yelp again and get a gobble which is now since I moved behind me (east). I closed this window from someones recommendation on the forum so the sun couldn't get in the blind. ( I think pygmy). I crack the zipper open and look out a little slit and there is a gobbled. I open it a little more and get the range finder on him...94 yds. I decide to get myself as set as possible instead of waiting. I move my chair. Get my shotgun on rhe shooting stick, barrel out small hole and wait. He is coming, slowly but surely. I wait an eternity plus eternity... He seems like he is now well within range. I range him again...54 yds. Ugh, I told myself 50 was going to be my absolute max. I got the vortex venom sited in yesterday and at 40 yds I felt like I could remove a gobblers head. I waited, no need to rush I kept telling myself. I felt like he came another 15 yds but he would not break strut. I had that red dot on the base of his neck forever. Finally he raises his head and I squeeze the trigger, I say squeeze but I pulled it...bang flop...no flapping or anything. I ranged him laying on the ground. 39 yds and my first ever is on the ground. 20.5 lbs according to my bathroom scale, 9.5" double beard and 1" spurs. It was a great day!

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ApexerER Mentor

ApexerER

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7 minutes ago, Steuben Jerry said:

Congratulations! I think your second ever gobbler is going to drop tomorrow!

We'll see, tomorrow I am hunting with someone that knows what they are doing. Not as sure they will be as egar to get me a bird now but I am sure it will be fun either way.

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ATbuckhunter Rising Star

ATbuckhunter

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16 hours ago, ApexerER said:

Well I took me an extra day but I got my bday present today! Posted this in the live thread.....

Oh man...my setup worked but I didn't. Had a hen and a gobbler come out to the field. The hen came straight to the decoys, stopped and froze about 10 feet from them directly in front of the blind. She basically spent the last 45 minutes almost completely frozen in front of me. The gobbler strutted and gobbled 30 yds from me but completely on my right and I was afraid to move with the hen right in front of me. I am trying to be patient because I figured the Tom wouldn't leave the hen. As I am thinking about trying a left hand shot he walks into the woods and out of my life. I decided to see what I could get away with with the hen right in front of me and I easily got turned so I could have made a shot. Guess I really have learned some patience. Maybe to much. Oh well, it was super exciting and I am learning!

Well after that I had a snack and was enjoying the morning. Tried some terrible yelps and nothing. All that goes through my head now is don't call to much. Wait a bit and yelp again and get a gobble which is now since I moved behind me (east). I closed this window from someones recommendation on the forum so the sun couldn't get in the blind. ( I think pygmy). I crack the zipper open and look out a little slit and there is a gobbled. I open it a little more and get the range finder on him...94 yds. I decide to get myself as set as possible instead of waiting. I move my chair. Get my shotgun on rhe shooting stick, barrel out small hole and wait. He is coming, slowly but surely. I wait an eternity plus eternity... He seems like he is now well within range. I range him again...54 yds. Ugh, I told myself 50 was going to be my absolute max. I got the vortex venom sited in yesterday and at 40 yds I felt like I could remove a gobblers head. I waited, no need to rush I kept telling myself. I felt like he came another 15 yds but he would not break strut. I had that red dot on the base of his neck forever. Finally he raises his head and I squeeze the trigger, I say squeeze but I pulled it...bang flop...no flapping or anything. I ranged him laying on the ground. 39 yds and my first ever is on the ground. 20.5 lbs according to my bathroom scale, 9.5" double beard and 1" spurs. It was a great day!

Congrats thats a nice bird! I was the one who said to close the window lol. What shells were you using? I find that the higher end shells tend to drop them hard. Only two birds that I shot with heavy shot flopped, the rest just went down with out a twitch

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