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tom tutwilerjr
Member
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Posted: Wed Apr 29th, 2009 12:12 am |
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In this case Turkey Bacon.
Took my VH 12 gauge made in 1900 to Nebraska as my back-up gun this past weekend. Killed my first gobbler the evening we arrived with my Benelli SBE with a mounted scope. The following morning I shot at another turkey and the scope came back and caught me square in the bottom of my right eyebrow, knocking out my glasses lenses and causing considerable discomfort. Actually thought I was blind in the eye for a minute as there was blood running down from the top of my eyelid. Pretty scary and on top of that I didn't hit the bird hard enough as he escaped as I was collecting my senses.
After that event I decided the SBE needed to be shelved and took at the Parker. I'd bought this gun about ten years ago and it had a cracked stock with a repaired toe. I sent it to Bill Schwarz in Ga and he recommended in addition to the stock work that I go ahead and have it restored and I did. I asked Bill what I could shoot out of it and he remarked with a number 2 frame and almost 8 lbs I could shoot almost anything. He also shot a few 1 1/2 oz turkey loads out of it post repair as a proof load.
Until now, I'd only shot a handfull of light loads out of the gun at doves as it took a back seat to my lighter guns. However, I'd always hoped to carry it turkey hunting. Last year I located some 2 3/4" Winchester XX turkey loads in 1 1/2 oz loads. Shot it on paper one time and I put 18 hits in a 3" circle at 35 yards and said that was good enough. BTW, the pattern was even and tight. The remaining 9 shells of that box had made the trip to Nebraska.
Now the rest of the story. After the Benelli miss and the resulting injury last Friday morning, I dug out the Parker and 4 shells and hit the woods. Weather was awful, with high winds (normal in Nebraska) and a cold front coming in. Accordingly after being sleep deprived for quite a few days I settled into a bunch of large toppled cottonwood tree's after putting out a decoy at a measured 10 yards. Pulled out a boxcall (time was 1400 hours) hit a few yelps and promptly dozed off. Woke up about 30 minutes and glanced at the decoy with nothing seen, hit the box call again and dozed off. This continued where about every 30 minutes I'd hit the box call and then doze off. Well, at 1600 hours I hear a "Putt" and look up to see a Jake looking at me at about 7 yards. Startled from my sleep, I realize the jig is up and jump to my feet as three Jakes take flight. A quick boom boom and three jakes emerge unscathed. Clean misses at 15 yards as they go airborne. I curse my poor shooting and reload the Parker, make a few yelps on the box call and settle down for another snooze. This pattern continues for three more hours. I'd call and doze an assume (incorrectly) that things just weren't going to happen.
Well at 1900 hours I wake up and glance towards the decoy at my left and see a large (they call them Super Jakes) Jake walking slowly towards my decoy about 10 yards away. His eyes are locked like stone on the decoy as he walks in. I look down and realize my gun is at an angle about 3 feet away from me. I reach down with my boot and carefully and quietly slide the gun toward me. Then carefully reach down and grab the gun and bring it to my shoulder. Well, I'd put a camo gunsock on the gun to protect it from scratches that morning. As I pulled the gun to my shoulder I realized I couldn't see the bead at the end of the barrel with the gunsock installed. Figured it didn't matter as the range was about 12 yards. Last thing the Jake did before I pulled the trigger was to reach out and peck the hen decoy on the nose with his beak. As he was starting to figure things out and walk away I pulled the trigger. The shot at that range with me only pointing at the turkey merely grazed his neck at 12 yards. Neck feathers flew as he spun around and ran directly at me. I spun the Parker around from right to left and touched off my shot at a measured 7 yards. Thanks goodness I hit him squarely in the front part of the neck where it joined the top of the wings. He went down with authority and never moved.
Tale of the tape was 15 lbs 10 ounces, His short beard was about 4", with a Rio split fan. First gun with the Parker and hopefully not the last. I'll be more patient next time and I'll never use a gunsock again. Thought I'd share with the other board members. Pretty cool and a fun day to boot.
PS. Here's also a picture of my first Rio. This was with the SBE before it beat me up. This bird was 20 lbs 10 oz, 10 inch beard, 1 1/8 inch spurs. Nice bird indeed.
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David Hamilton
PGCA Member
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Posted: Wed Apr 29th, 2009 01:17 am |
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| I like your method! I often become bored and want to quit before giving things a chance to develop. Beautiful bird! David
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Dean Romig
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Fri Jan 7th, 2005 |
| Location: | Andover, Ma |
| Posts: | 4887 |
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Posted: Wed Apr 29th, 2009 01:57 am |
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Nice work Tom! It sure is nice to take a little snooze in the outdoors, especially when you wake to the adrenalin thrill of game so close. I hope I have some pictures of success soon. Headed for Ohio Friday at 0:dark-thirty for a turkey hunt on my cousin's farm. Next we head for the annual shoot at Addieville in RI then the following weekend for four days in Vermont to asassinate a longbeard (or a jake if that's what the Great Spirit wants me to have). I only hope I am as successful as you were Tom.
Dean
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Richard Flanders
PGCA Member
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Posted: Wed Apr 29th, 2009 02:06 am |
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2-3k yrs ago, late cow season around our moose camp. Went out with the camp owner and would sit down in the November snow and lean back against a snag and inevitably doze off while waiting for a moose to wander by. One morning I went out and could see way down there in the fog that there was a big old grizzly sniffing the snag where I had been snoozing the day before..... stayed awake after that...
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Dean Romig
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| Joined: | Fri Jan 7th, 2005 |
| Location: | Andover, Ma |
| Posts: | 4887 |
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Posted: Wed Apr 29th, 2009 02:24 am |
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I think I would rather be asleep during a bear attack - no way would I want to be awake to witness my own grizzly mauling 
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Jim Williams
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| Joined: | Sun Feb 27th, 2005 |
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Posted: Wed Apr 29th, 2009 06:15 am |
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Well done, Tom. I've never had the chance to hunt anything but Easterns. I'll bet it's a blast to hunt the Rios. Although our season doesn't end until Thursday, I think I'm done for the year. I finished up with three nice gobblers this year, the last taken this past Saturday. All were taken with my DH 10 ga. damascus gun. I quit carrying anything but Parkers 5 seasons ago, and have never looked back. That Benelli was trying to tell you something - as an elderly friend of mine says, "Gentlemen shoot two barrels."
I've often used your "technique" when the gobblers are silent and I'm trying to hunt in the sleep-deprived state that I know as Turkey Season. Last year it almost bit me, as I had a similar afternoon hunt to yours. I would doze and then call in about 15 min. cycles. After about an hour and a half I woke to the sound of footsteps in the dry grass and found three nice gobblers peering into my blind trying to find the "hen" they had heard. The first (and largest) bird had just figured it out as I began to bring the gun up and was gone before I had the gun mounted. But the second one followed him and stepped into the shooting lane just as I drew a bead on his head at about 10 yds. and pulled the trigger. Only thing is, my not-yet-awake mind forgot to tell me to take the safety off, so nothing happened. He, too, was gone just as I got the safety off. BUT I was finally ready for the third bird as he stepped into the lane to follow the other two. I caught him squarely in the back of the head as he turned to run away and he went down hard (all in about 5 seconds from when I first awoke). He was the smallest of the three from what I could tell in the little time I had to evaluate them, but still had a nice 10 in. beard, just not as thick as the others. I noted that they had crossed about 300 yds. of wide open hayfield in plain view from my position while I had sat there snoozing (and probably drooling) like an idiot.
In contrast, this past Saturday was about as short as a hunt gets. I got set up at dawn on a bird gobbling from the roost. I made one series of tree yelps, and the next time he gobbled he was on the ground - but it didn't seem like he was going in the direction I had hoped, so I called again more forcefully. He didn't answer then, but in about 2 minutes he gobbled again and this time I knew he had turned and was coming! So I did some excited cutting and aimed the gun at the first point that he would become visible to my position (about 25 yds. away). In less than a minute he came into view at full GALLOP and nearly went right by me at 10 yds. Luckily, he slowed to look for the "hen" just as he got to me. I clucked once, he stopped and it was over. Total time from first call to the shot was probably 5 or 6 minutes. Good thing I didn't use our "technique" that morning!
OK, you guys up North that complained that I was teasing you with gobbler stories earlier this month before your season was in - we're about done here and you're just getting started, so now is the time to get your revenge. Let's hear all about 'em. I hope you have some great hunts in store. I sure did.
Jim
Last edited on Wed Apr 29th, 2009 06:27 am by Jim Williams
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E Robert Fabian
PGCA Member
| Joined: | Thu Mar 13th, 2008 |
| Location: | New Hampshire USA |
| Posts: | 216 |
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Posted: Fri May 1st, 2009 12:28 pm |
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I'm ready, my season opens Sunday. I was out this morning and located a tom a friend had told me about and decided to check a old gravel pit out across the road and the river I was at. I had my two labs with me, so decided to take them for a walk in the access road. I didn't make it 200 ft. up the road and noticed what looked like two fanning toms, I thought it couldn't be just a couple of log butts on the side of the road, I had the dogs sit next to me and waited a few minutes for it to get a little lighter and was able to make out two toms and three hens about a 150' away. While watching them I heard two more toms going off at the edge of the pit. I guess I know where I'll be opening morning.
Tom, I'll be hunting with a 119 yr. Parker NH 10ga. that patterns 1 1/2oz. of 6's out of its 32" barrels very well at 40yrds.
Bob
Last edited on Fri May 1st, 2009 12:37 pm by E Robert Fabian
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Donald Horneff
PGCA Member
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Posted: Sun May 3rd, 2009 06:45 pm |
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Tom,
I had a similar experience with the scope when I forgot to take the ramrod out of my Knight. Painfull and about ruined the shooting glasses. On my end a senior moment!
____________________
Capt. Don Horneff Live the Golden life with Golden Retrievers at your side!
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