Carroll County Longbeard. The bird that silence killed.

hambone76

Senior Member
My morning started late due to getting my kids ready for school and loaded on the bus at 6:35. (My Wife was out of town.) I left the house after making a coin toss: heads, my lease....tails, WMA. Heads it was. My lease was the longer drive. I got to my gate a little after 7:00 and set out for the 120 acres of fresh, prescribed burn on my lease. I ended up bumping a Tom there, so I left that area alone and headed north through the burnt area. It was a quiet morning other than hearing that first bird gobbling, and I worked the remainder of the burnt area and other areas of my lease without a response. I eventually worked my way out towards the truck. As I was moving along, I caught movement through the burnt pines on an adjacent road that merged into the one I was on. It was a big hen, just feeding along. She came down the road and dropped off in the pines between us, coming to within 5 yards of me. She eased on out of there and I still had 30 minutes before I had to leave to get my kids from school, so I decided to move a few yards and sit where the two roads merged and do a little bit of broadcast calling before heading out. I got my glass call out, let out a few cuts and was cut-off by a bird on the pine ridge above me. He was close enough that I didn’t need to move on him. I kept quiet and he gobbled again. I gave him a few minutes and clucked -he cut me off again. I hushed up and gave him a few minutes to simmer. He gobbled twice more. I clucked once more and was cut off again. I set the call off to the side, and decided I was not going to call again. He gobbled his head off, the silence was getting to him. I kept quiet and figured he was committed. He held his ground for at least a half hour and finally after numerous unanswered gobbles, he caved in and started my way. He gobbled once every few minutes and finally, he stepped out in the adjacent road, about 125 yards away, making his way ever so slowly toward me. He did a lot of looking and was taking his dear, sweet time coming in. He got to within 45 yards, then he began gobbling, strutting, and drumming. I let him come to 35, he was still locked up in strut. He gobbled three more times at 35 yards and I decided that I had better go ahead and shoot him before I came unglued! I introduced him to a load of Longbeard XR #5’s and ended one of the best turkey hunts that God has blessed me with in years. I shot him at 1:35. From my last call to the shot was 40 minutes.
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hambone76

Senior Member
Nice bird and hunt , congrats ! Did u get the kiddos in time ?
Thanks!
Yeah, I made it with time to spare! Had he taken any longer, I would’ve had to leave him!
 

hambone76

Senior Member
Thanks for the kind words y’all. Beard was right at 10” and spurs were 7/8”.
 

wvdawg

Moderator
Staff member
Congrats! Your patience was well rewarded.
 

4x4

Senior Member
Awesome man congrats!! I am a BIG fan of the silent treatment! Let them know where you are, and be patient.
 
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