Hot dog, the continuation from last year. (Update, Got Him)

Last year, I heard a gobbler from my back porch going to the roost. The next morning, my son and I went back into our section of the swamp behind our house and I called the bird in for him. My son at the time was 14 and this was the first time he has ever had a bird called right up into his lap. After he awakend from the transe he was in, he shot his first gobbler and was hooked.

About a week after that, I heard another gobbler from my back porch in the same swamp and we tried for that one as well, but could never close the deal. We went before school a couple of times and I went back in there after dropping my son off to school for a solid week, but the bird got the best of us.

Well, I got a gobbler showing his stuff on one of our 22 acre fields and he has a subordinate gobbler with him and 4 hens. I don't know if this is the same gobbler from last year, but it might be so I am naming him "Hot Dog".

The best thing is that he is roosted exactly 1000 yards from my house. I have put him to bed on two afternoons and went in one morning to see exactly where he ends up roosted. Another morning check, revealed the flock out in the field "bugging" while he was out prancing around showing off.

This bird is for my son and he can't wait until Saturday morning to try out his new Remington 870 Super Mag on him.

Wish us luck.

Marshall

Update on last reply thread.

knock his head off this year man have fun with your boy

good luck I hope you guys get him

Good luck.

Well, here is the update.

The turkey left our field and I haven't seen him since opening weekend. I have kept a check on him and my father said that he saw some over there in that field again so I checked it out and this morning, he was roosted in the same tree as before.

I took my son out this morning and we were set up at 6:15 AM when he first gobbled this morning. At 6:30, after gobbling around 20 times in the tree, I gave him some excited yelps and flapped my hat two different times for a fly down noise and he gobbled again at that. Just after he gobbled, he flew down at 6:31. He hit the field and I saw him glide in and settle into the foggy pasture. He gobbled everytime I called to him and he started easing our way. When he finally made it through the fog enough, he saw my two decoys out in front of us and he continued coming our way slowly. He probably gobbled on the ground at least 25 times, would strut, drum, and spit. After what seemed like an eternity, he was at 50 yards from us. I kept letting him get closer and was praying my son wouldn't shoot at him too soon.

Well, at 31 yards, I give the command "shoot him". My son lets his new Remington 870 Supermag talk to him. The bird rolls instantly and shutters once and he is done.

Bird weight was 20 lbs, 1 and 1/8 th spurs that had the tips broken off of them and after all the loose beard strands came out, had a 10 and 1/2" beard. Before the beard strands started getting pulled out, I measured one at 13", but it didn't stay in there as I was measuring it again, so we didn't count it.





My son really enjoyed this morning. I got him to school as the bell was ringing for him to go to class too.

Marshall

Congratulations to your son on a great Gobbler!

Congrats to you and your son! That is a great bird and great story!

I'm glad it all came together for y'all. Congrats to you and you boy!!!

Absolutely outstanding!!! Congrats to both of you!

Congrats to your son! That is a great bird!

Congrats, nice bird