Some days it's meant to happen....

Other days it ain't....

I was putting my decoy's out this morning at 6:15 when one hammered from the oak ridge to my left, across the field, about 200 yards out...

Here's how it went down.

I hear him gobbling his fool head off starting at 6:15.. I get set up, and he's still gobbling at good daylight. He hits the ground, still gobbling. He works his way up towards around 10 o'clock to my position. Straight ahead being 12 o'clock.

Around 8 am I hear someone across the property line yelping and cutting... He gobbles... and gobbles and gobbles...

Ok, somebody heard him gobbling like crazy and they've moved in on him and me...

Exactly.

To my right, in the firebreak, I see a man easing along.



He walks to within 60 yards of my set up, sees my decoy's in the field and continues on.. putting himself in between the gobblin' fool and my decoy's. He sits down on the property line, with his back facing me...



Look close, his butt is on the property line...

I decide right then to shut up. No need in drawing the gobbler across the guy while trying to get him for myself. The guy had a partner, off to our right, who about every 2 minutes would hit a crow call.... gobble gobble gobble.... He managed to call in a nice flock of crows, who in turn would cawww.. making the tom gobble even more...

Long story short, the gobbler continued to gobble his head off... as I sat quietly watching this man cut me off... at 8:40 I see the white head on a mound of black, making his way to my field... slowly.. still on the other property.... I'm not sure if the other guy can see him yet or not..... This puts the gobbler about 100 yards from me, 60 yards from the man... the gobbler starts easing across the firebreak, 12 feet from the property line, heading toward "my field" and BOOOM!

Flop flop flop... BOOOM!!... flop flop flop....

Winged and mortally wounded... he flops over on into my field.. and dies... The man stands up, takes a few steps into the field and claims his prize..

3 year old, 1.25" spurs, 11" beard... about 22lbs.

Momma said some days it'll just be that way.

I got out of my blind, walked up and congratulated the man on his bird...

"Man, I didn't mean to cut ya off like that but sometimes you just gotta shoot'em when you can"...

I said "Well, he was on your property when you shot him... Nice bird"

Total, this bird probably gobbled 200 times or more...

I didn't take any pictures of him for 2 reasons.

1. I felt sick to my stomach. Had I leaned over to get the camera I would have surely puked...

2. I didn't know how a stranger would feel posing for a "hero shot" for another complete stranger.

Tomorrow is another day... and I do thank God for just having heard him gobble all morning like he did.

... Unbelievable!!!

Delton Im sorry that happened to you!!!
You much more patient then I am, Though the bird was on his property, he was still unethical, and unsportsman like In my opinion. Sorry but Im sure due to your calmness you will be rewarded in the future.

trkyhntr70 said:

Delton Im sorry that happened to you!!!
You much more patient then I am, Though the bird was on his property, he was still unethical, and unsportsman like In my opinion. Sorry but Im sure due to your calmness you will be rewarded in the future.

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Delton handled it much better then I would have... Calling the bird from his property is one thing but seeing my set up and getting between me and thebird on the property line??? Neither one of us would have killed that bird...

Your the better man for being civil and congratulatory under these circumstances. It would have been easy to take the other path on this one. Great job.

Arrow3 said:

Delton handled it much better then I would have... Calling the bird from his property is one thing but seeing my set up and getting between me and thebird on the property line??? Neither one of us would have killed that bird...

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You got that right, That turkey would have landed somewhere in China if I were in Deltons shoes..

Bad luck for you but seems he wasnt breaking any laws.

buckbacks said:

Bad luck for you but seems he wasnt breaking any laws.

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No. He was legal.

Handgunner said:

No. He was legal.

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maybe you should have prematurely shot.

You handled it a lot better than I would have!


I would of just starting calling non stop, loud and obnoxious to freak the bird out and make him head to the other county!

I would have started getting my decoys up, before the bird got in range!

I'm sure you were hoping that the bird would circle the other hunter and give you the first shot. You did right by shutting up. One, as you said, you didn't want to call him to that guy. Two, if he had circled the caller, he could have shown up right in your lap.

I, on the other hand, would have went to the other side of the field and sat back to back with the guy and started a conversation. He'd have either left, or I'd have spooked the bird for another day. He dang sure wouldn't have killed it.

Delton you did well. It could have been an ugly scene but you were a better man. Same thing happened to me and My Daughter opening day last year where a hunter got in between me and the Gobblers on his property. He killed two jakes but I got a good long beard later that year. Keep your head up and you will be rewarded. Tim

A friend of mine was calling 3 birds off another property last week and heard a guy on the other side frantically trying to call the birds off of him. When the other guy realized he couldn't turn them he got up and ran towards the birds 250 yds out and unloaded his shotgun in the air as he ran. Needless to say the birds spooked and flew away. There are alot of jerks out there that will resort to anything to kill a turkey or keep you from killing it .You handled that better than I would have.When the turkey flopped onto my property he woulda got 2-3 more loads in him from head to tail.That woulda made for some good pics for the fella.

jbird1 said:

Your the better man for being civil and congratulatory under these circumstances. It would have been easy to take the other path on this one. Great job.

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Ain't that the dang truth! Incredible.I been on these message boards since early 02 with probally 20,000 posts on various sites & its the first time a situation like this has been chronicled with pics! Thanks a ton for doing this and showing us. This ought 2b stickied for future use when discussing hunter interference!

I would have dragged a piece of cardboard to the middle of the field and started break dancing..

Tough luck D. I would ve made it a little tougher for him to get that bird.

Bad luck written all over this story.... that just flat out sucks!!

You were the better man. I would turn the cheek this time, but next time would be different. The whole deal of him seeing the set up and then saying you have to get them while you can. Go to Walmart and get one of those fog horns. Next time he pulls this crap, I would pull out the horn and press it for about a minute. At the end of the screeching, I would yell across to him, "Go Dawgs!! Sick 'em!!!"

Congratulations on being the better man. I'm sure it was hard for you as it would have been for me, but you did the right thing. Good sportsmanship and doing the honorable thing, even when others aren't, is more valuable than any longbeard in the woods.

A soup sandwich all the way around, legal yes!!!... But just doesn't seem right!!! Childish of him, know you were working the bird to slip in so close in on you...

A better man for not screwing up his hunt as he did yours... I am sure you'll be rwarded and at least you can look yourself in the mirror on that account... I wonder how some folks do though...

Congrats and I wish there were more folks like you in the woods... We'd all have a lot less problems and enjoy hunting more....