MCNASTY
Senior Member
2015 has been a unique one here in the south flat swamplands. It had its severe ups and downs. Very little gobbling this year where birds exist. No birds in places they usually are very visible, and for the most part I believe the latest I've seen them stay turned on here int part of the state. I hunted relatively hard and finally did limit out but it was a bit of a task to do so.
So opening weekend was a bust, very little gobbling opening morning, maybe the hottest I can remember which also made the mosquitoes extra active with the high water levels it was miserable. So a week and a half later getting close to Easter I snuck away for a quick afternoon hunt. I left the truck at 5:30 and walked towards a place I call the rocks. It is a "holy" place to me if you will. This place grows Easter lilies like its a garden. I can't start to recreate how beautiful this rocky flat is. It also just happens to be the best opening and strut area for several hundred yards in all directions. As I walked up to the rocks, I was very cautious. There had been a gobbler roosting a few hundred yards from here and the second Saturday of the season I had got on him and four hens down a logging road that leads to here. As I approach I saw a couple feeding hens and count "4". By themselves best I could tell but by a guy feeling I circled to higher ground to get a better look. As I was crawling into position I started hearing a faint spit and drum. I slowly eased up and got my binoculars up and could see a fan through the pines. I was in little cover besides a few beds of pine trees so I couldn't risk calling to give away my position, so my only option was to crawl. So when I got within range I eased up gun on fire and head down, clucked twice to get him out of strut and shot. solid three year old with 11+ inch beard and 1.25 Spurs plus Easter lilies littered the crime scene.
After several uneventful hunts I took off one morning from work and went on a random Thursday. I heard five on a property I had heard zero gobbles on all season until this day. I spent most of this morning running around in circles. There were two different pairs gobbling and took turns spreading the gospel. When the closest two quit, shortly after the oter two started burning it up. Walking the other way in a sure enough fast pace. I never turned them around and finally gave up when the quit gobbling a coulpe hours after fly down and two miles later. But on the way back to the truck I saw a hen bust, I walked over and saw this. Picture was taken April 9th.
A few days later, the day before my wedding actually the boss man told me I wouldn't be any good if I came in any how so he gave me the day off. April 17th. I finally, finally sat down on a gobbler on the roost. I only got within a couple hundred yards due to the thinned pines and where he was roosted. He was in a place where the road Tee's and angles, he has a view point of literally 150 yards in two directions and can fly any direction. Only thing is I never hear him fly out. He gobbles a total of ten times or so and shuts it down. I get puzzled and circle back to a good plot a few hundred yards away. Nothing there, I keep circling calling occasionnally with no response from anywhere. Frustrated at 9:30 I ease slowly towards his roost tree coming from the total opposite direction I had sat up on him earlier that morning. The closer I get to what I thought was his tree the more I'm thinking, what if he's still in the tree? Would I even try to shoot a bird off the roost? Is that even an option, would that be breaking some unwritten turkey God law? I dont know but I'm not gonna just shoot a bird off the limb but if I somehow happen up on him I may try him. As bad as I hate to admit it, this was like shooting a flushed quail. As I got closer I saw him about when he saw me, he pitches out across the two path and I throw up my gun like shooting a dove in flight and pulled the trigger. I see him fold up and I start running toward him in disbelief. This young 2 yr old bird had honestly out smarted me. He out waited me, I got antsy and impatient and curious and the Lord gave me the opportunity to take this bird out of the gene pool before I gave up all together. So here's the bad tailgate picture of an average 10" beard 1" spurred educated south ga gobbler.
So the next day I got married and probably the best decision I'll ever make in my life which was to marry my bride. We went on our honeymoon to Pigeon Forge and spent a coupe days riding around the mountains and national parks looking at wildlife. That when we came across this gobbler crossing the road. I've decided Tennessee gobblers are easy, this is obviously a rare case where birds see people everyday but his boldness amazed me.
(Click the picture to watch video)
When we got back from living in nevernever land for a few days I got up one morning and heard a bird from my house. I couldn't believe where he was, it was a Monday morning and from where I stood he was several hundred yards across pavement, across a set pine stand and into a pasture. I could tell after several gobbles he was on the right side in the biggest pines left around this place. I haven't heard birds there all year, this is one of my best places year in and year out so it got me excited. Only thing was I was flying to Florida for business and wouldn't be back till the next afternoon. First thing I did when I got home was grab the Browning and my vest and popped in the mouth call. It was a quarter till 6 when I eased up to the pasture hoping to see the bird. After ten minutes of scanning this now growed up pasture I started to make a move to get a better angle when he saved me and made a deadly mistake, he gobbled. Couple hundred yards out of the pasture edge across a clear cut on the other side of a thin branch there's a ridge. With a glance from my binoculars I spotted him strutting stag over there. The crows really got him fired up. Now gobbling several times per minute. I now had a decision to make. Do I approach and risk spooking him or circle away from him towards where I know he roosted one morning prior? This close to fly up I elected to circle away. Actually moving a couple more hundred yards away but feeling like I had the edge because with all the cutting that had went on on this property he was limited to roost trees. About this time the winfo picked up. I really got aggressive with no response and elected to wait for a break in the wind before giving him my best shot. Knowing he's roughly 400 yards away I cut as loud as possible drawing his first answer. I followed with an excited series of yelps which was cut off by a gobble. I sat patiently waiting for his appearance. When he enters the pasture he'll have 200 more yds to cover with no decoy to entice him and just the promise of my clucks to satisfy his curiosity. A few mins later he gobbles closer, I scanned and saw him strutting into the pasture looking for the hen that had been so sweet sounding a few minutes before. To give him a heading I gave an over the shoulder yelp into the woods and was answered with a gobble. He adjusted his wings and started my way strutting the whole way. One hang up at approx 80 yards was cured by three or four purrs, followed by his gobble. He made his way into the shadows and one last yelp got him into gun range. I ended my season with this 11 1/4" bearded, 1 3/8" spurred bird that capped the weirdest up and down season I've ever had. Blessed and tired I picked him up and walked back to my house where my bride was waiting to take pictures.
So opening weekend was a bust, very little gobbling opening morning, maybe the hottest I can remember which also made the mosquitoes extra active with the high water levels it was miserable. So a week and a half later getting close to Easter I snuck away for a quick afternoon hunt. I left the truck at 5:30 and walked towards a place I call the rocks. It is a "holy" place to me if you will. This place grows Easter lilies like its a garden. I can't start to recreate how beautiful this rocky flat is. It also just happens to be the best opening and strut area for several hundred yards in all directions. As I walked up to the rocks, I was very cautious. There had been a gobbler roosting a few hundred yards from here and the second Saturday of the season I had got on him and four hens down a logging road that leads to here. As I approach I saw a couple feeding hens and count "4". By themselves best I could tell but by a guy feeling I circled to higher ground to get a better look. As I was crawling into position I started hearing a faint spit and drum. I slowly eased up and got my binoculars up and could see a fan through the pines. I was in little cover besides a few beds of pine trees so I couldn't risk calling to give away my position, so my only option was to crawl. So when I got within range I eased up gun on fire and head down, clucked twice to get him out of strut and shot. solid three year old with 11+ inch beard and 1.25 Spurs plus Easter lilies littered the crime scene.
After several uneventful hunts I took off one morning from work and went on a random Thursday. I heard five on a property I had heard zero gobbles on all season until this day. I spent most of this morning running around in circles. There were two different pairs gobbling and took turns spreading the gospel. When the closest two quit, shortly after the oter two started burning it up. Walking the other way in a sure enough fast pace. I never turned them around and finally gave up when the quit gobbling a coulpe hours after fly down and two miles later. But on the way back to the truck I saw a hen bust, I walked over and saw this. Picture was taken April 9th.
A few days later, the day before my wedding actually the boss man told me I wouldn't be any good if I came in any how so he gave me the day off. April 17th. I finally, finally sat down on a gobbler on the roost. I only got within a couple hundred yards due to the thinned pines and where he was roosted. He was in a place where the road Tee's and angles, he has a view point of literally 150 yards in two directions and can fly any direction. Only thing is I never hear him fly out. He gobbles a total of ten times or so and shuts it down. I get puzzled and circle back to a good plot a few hundred yards away. Nothing there, I keep circling calling occasionnally with no response from anywhere. Frustrated at 9:30 I ease slowly towards his roost tree coming from the total opposite direction I had sat up on him earlier that morning. The closer I get to what I thought was his tree the more I'm thinking, what if he's still in the tree? Would I even try to shoot a bird off the roost? Is that even an option, would that be breaking some unwritten turkey God law? I dont know but I'm not gonna just shoot a bird off the limb but if I somehow happen up on him I may try him. As bad as I hate to admit it, this was like shooting a flushed quail. As I got closer I saw him about when he saw me, he pitches out across the two path and I throw up my gun like shooting a dove in flight and pulled the trigger. I see him fold up and I start running toward him in disbelief. This young 2 yr old bird had honestly out smarted me. He out waited me, I got antsy and impatient and curious and the Lord gave me the opportunity to take this bird out of the gene pool before I gave up all together. So here's the bad tailgate picture of an average 10" beard 1" spurred educated south ga gobbler.
So the next day I got married and probably the best decision I'll ever make in my life which was to marry my bride. We went on our honeymoon to Pigeon Forge and spent a coupe days riding around the mountains and national parks looking at wildlife. That when we came across this gobbler crossing the road. I've decided Tennessee gobblers are easy, this is obviously a rare case where birds see people everyday but his boldness amazed me.
(Click the picture to watch video)
When we got back from living in nevernever land for a few days I got up one morning and heard a bird from my house. I couldn't believe where he was, it was a Monday morning and from where I stood he was several hundred yards across pavement, across a set pine stand and into a pasture. I could tell after several gobbles he was on the right side in the biggest pines left around this place. I haven't heard birds there all year, this is one of my best places year in and year out so it got me excited. Only thing was I was flying to Florida for business and wouldn't be back till the next afternoon. First thing I did when I got home was grab the Browning and my vest and popped in the mouth call. It was a quarter till 6 when I eased up to the pasture hoping to see the bird. After ten minutes of scanning this now growed up pasture I started to make a move to get a better angle when he saved me and made a deadly mistake, he gobbled. Couple hundred yards out of the pasture edge across a clear cut on the other side of a thin branch there's a ridge. With a glance from my binoculars I spotted him strutting stag over there. The crows really got him fired up. Now gobbling several times per minute. I now had a decision to make. Do I approach and risk spooking him or circle away from him towards where I know he roosted one morning prior? This close to fly up I elected to circle away. Actually moving a couple more hundred yards away but feeling like I had the edge because with all the cutting that had went on on this property he was limited to roost trees. About this time the winfo picked up. I really got aggressive with no response and elected to wait for a break in the wind before giving him my best shot. Knowing he's roughly 400 yards away I cut as loud as possible drawing his first answer. I followed with an excited series of yelps which was cut off by a gobble. I sat patiently waiting for his appearance. When he enters the pasture he'll have 200 more yds to cover with no decoy to entice him and just the promise of my clucks to satisfy his curiosity. A few mins later he gobbles closer, I scanned and saw him strutting into the pasture looking for the hen that had been so sweet sounding a few minutes before. To give him a heading I gave an over the shoulder yelp into the woods and was answered with a gobble. He adjusted his wings and started my way strutting the whole way. One hang up at approx 80 yards was cured by three or four purrs, followed by his gobble. He made his way into the shadows and one last yelp got him into gun range. I ended my season with this 11 1/4" bearded, 1 3/8" spurred bird that capped the weirdest up and down season I've ever had. Blessed and tired I picked him up and walked back to my house where my bride was waiting to take pictures.
Last edited:
