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05-04-2020, 12:53 PM | #83 | ||||||
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I suppose it's best then that none of you turkey hunters expire while in the woods, eh..?
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05-04-2020, 01:31 PM | #84 | ||||||
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Speaking of turkeys being ground-feeding scavengers -
1/4 mile from my house is the local Frito Lay distribution warehouse. On their breaks during the normal workday employees there throw all sorts of 'unsaleable' damaged product out on the back parking lot next to the woods. The turkeys there, known locally as the "Frito Lay Flock" seem to know exactly when break time is. We can always tell the regulars from the newcomers because the regulars' upper beak is pretty well worn off from pecking pavement. If hunting were allowed in the adjacent woods I wouldn't need any of the customary hen and jake decoys - I'd just spread out a fake blacktop mat sprinkled liberally with Fritos... I'll bet those birds would taste good... especially with stuffing made from Lays products. If you're wondering why there are no turkeys in the pictures... I took the pictures at break time. .
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"I'm a Setter man. Not because I think they're better than the other breeds, but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture." George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic. |
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05-04-2020, 03:06 PM | #85 | |||||||
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Quote:
At the risk of ridicule, I was carrying my Mossberg pump gun. It's got a sling, doesn't weigh all that much, has luminous sites...and shoots Winchester Longbeard shells accurately to pretty significant distances. One of my goals for this Fall is to take a turkey with my EH 10. I bought it just for such hunting.
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“Every day I wonder how many things I am dead wrong about.” ― Jim Harrison "'I promise you,' he said, 'on my word of honor, I won't die on the opening of the bird season.'" -- Robert Ruark (from The Old Man and the Boy) |
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05-06-2020, 10:09 PM | #86 | ||||||
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Cold, rainy morning. Slipped out back of the house at 11:00 am, and set up against some round bales in a hay field . No response to calling, waited a half hour and a bird gobbled just over the crest of the hill--less than a hundred yds away. Thought he was coming right in, but then he turned and walked out of sight while gobbling to every thing I thru at him. Darn!
Was carrying a nice little Lefever G grade Damascus 16 F/F with 1 oz RST 6's. May try again tomorrow, or might go fishing--or hey, might do both. This quarantine thing is really complicating my life.
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"How kind it is that most of us will never know when we have fired our last shot"--Nash Buckingham |
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05-08-2020, 12:35 PM | #87 | ||||||
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Strolled out the back door at a leisurely 9:00am yesterday, and spotted 2 longbeards and 2 hens at the edge of the hayfield 300+ yds away. Snuck around the back of a line of round bales, crawled in-between 2 and set up. Wanted to put a decoy out, but they would have spotted me instantly. Called a few times and they gobbled back, got them to within 150 yds, but then the hens steered them off. Nice weather, enjoyable show, packed up and went fishing-brought back another nice string of bluegills , crappies, and had a 3 pound bass flip off just as I went to lip him.
So today, walked out the back yard at 7:30 in the rain and sat up where the gobblers were yesterday, and spotted them 100 yds in back of where I was set up yesterday. Was able to sneak around the crest of the hill and get a nice set up against the round bales on the other side of yesterday. I set a decoy up 30 yds in back of me where it would be easily spotted. The birds were on property I don't have permission to hunt, so I needed to call them over the property line. I yelped a few times and 2 red heads popped up on the horizon--and just laid the call down. There were 2 big longbeards and 3 hens, and figured the hens might give me trouble. They could see the decoy and slowly worked in . The gobblers put on quite a show for me at 25 yds--could have killed them both with 1 shot, and maybe a hen to boot. Finally one stepped thru the farm lane into the field, at 15 yds. Wow , 7 1/2's , are devastating at that range. 10 1/4" beard, 1 1/8" spurs, didn't weigh it, but at least 20 lbs. Had the Lefever 16 and a Parker 16 hammer gun laid out, but because of the rain, grabbed the scoped 870, wished I'd grabbed one of the doubles. Done for the season now, turkey for dinner tonight. Oh, BTW, was about 50 yds off my back yard fenceline.
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"How kind it is that most of us will never know when we have fired our last shot"--Nash Buckingham |
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05-08-2020, 12:53 PM | #88 | ||||||
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Nice bird Harold. We live vicariously through you and others who post of their success.
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"I'm a Setter man. Not because I think they're better than the other breeds, but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture." George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic. |
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Season over, except... |
05-08-2020, 02:59 PM | #89 | ||||||
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Season over, except...
for taking young hunters the last week. Relative has three daughters whom he wants me to take next week. Finally got number three. A tough season. Found this bird last Friday, busted him trying to get too close. Set up on him on Saturday not getting too close. Came to 75 yards in strut. Took a long hard look, probably at decoy in woods, went on. On Monday got to within 50 yards on the roost. Flew down the other way and two hours later he skirted me gobbling as he went by. Tuesday went on an evening hunt, busted a bird at 6 pm already roosted, called two others in that I spooked as they came in behind me about 7:30. Don't know which was the gobbler. Wednesday let him rest. Thursday slept late and went out after him in a 20 mph wind, and at 12 I got him to gobble every time I called. Passed on a 50 yard shot even though I had the artillery to do it. But finally at 35 yards feeding and gobbling number three for the season is in the bag. Started with a Parker Trojan, then jinxed went to a Franchi 912 that missed, to the Beretta Xtrema that scored, to an A5 20 mag that did not get a shot, to a Beretta 686 20 gauge that scored, and finally with a difficult bird to get into range on a windy day the Xtrema with TSS #9s at 1:20 p.m. Enjoyed the fellow members' successes.
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05-08-2020, 05:45 PM | #90 | ||||||
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Good one Jerry! What a season you’ve had!
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__________________
"I'm a Setter man. Not because I think they're better than the other breeds, but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture." George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic. |
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