Huntinfool
Senior Member
Full disclosure: I'm (of course) not sure that this is actually the same bird. But I'm letting my brain believe it. So let's just go with it, ok?
For the past three seasons, there has been a single gobbler on the back end of our 750 acre property that we have referred to as "The Un-Killable Turkey" because he always roosts on our neighbor's property and always walks away from us. There have been MANY days when he's responded, cut off yelps and gobbled his fool head off....and then flown down and walked directly away from us. He has been completely un-huntable....un-killable for three years. That's the background.
I'm getting old and turkey season starts to take its toll on me earlier in the season than it used to. So it was unusual for me to tell my wife I was going to get up and go hunt for an hour or two before work on Tuesday morning. It should have been especially true since my son and I had been bowfishing two nights in a row on the previous Friday and Saturday nights, staying up till at least 2am each night. But, for some reason, I just figured the weather looked good and I thought I'd go out for a little while before I needed to log in for work.
It occurred to me that he always seems to walk away in a particular direction. Since no one had really heard or seen anything to speak of at our club in at least a week, this was a long shot to say the least. But, I thought I would enter the woods in a new spot and walk toward the area I know he likes to frequent from a different direction this time.
Daylight broke and there was no response to any owl hooting. So, I decided to just start easing my way in the direction that birds typically hang (when they are actually there). I eased down this hardwood draw a few hundred yards when I hear the first gobble about 7am. It was a LONG way off and I knew off of our property...but exactly where he always is.
So I just kept walking towards the gobbles and he kept gobbling. At some point I realized there was more than one bird. So now I'm walking towards two consistent gobbling birds (again, which never happens).
After probably a half mile walk through the woods, I realized I was getting close to these birds and that they were working their way toward me. At this point, I've not made a sound....just walking towards them.
I will be honest and admit that I've literally been walking the property line almost this entire time and I know for sure they are across on the neighbor's property. But, I just felt pretty good about the possibility of calling them across based on the way they were gobbling.
At some point, I realized I was VERY close when they gobbled and I could hear their chests rattle. So I found a pine tree about 30 yards off the property line and sat down. It was a strategic tree for sure. Not having a decoy with me, I knew I needed some cover between me and the property line so that they wouldn't be able to see when they got to the road that is the line on the other side. I needed them to have to walk through that cover to get to a place they could see.
I literally sat down, pulled up my mask and called one time and was cut off immediately. Two minutes later, not one, not two, but three red heads come bobbing through the hardwoods on the other side and I cocked the hammer.
They continued to strut, drum and gobble their way up to and into the road...still on the neighbor's property. But they were slowing working toward me. The lead bird got to the cover between me and the property line and a blue jay fired off right above him. All three gobbled and I cut back at them while they were gobbling so they couldn't tell where I was.
At this point, I needed this bird to take one more step so that at least one foot was legally on my property. Well...he took two steps and his neck was in a hole in that cover and he got a full load of 20 gauge #9 TSS.
It was one of those hunts that never happens. Gobble...walk to it...call...gobble...dead turkey. I've been hunting for a very long time. So I know to just enjoy this when it happens because it doesn't happen very often.
After I got him settled, I realized this bird had three beards. Unbelievable!
Then....I realized he actually had FOUR beards.
Then, when I got home and got him cleaned up...FIVE beards!
Incredible morning. Perfect temp. Perfect blue sky. It was one of those mornings when you're just glad to be alive and carrying a turkey a mile back to the truck.
Sorry for the long story. But I thought it was worth telling. I don't know if this was the un-killable bird or not. He came in with two others. But I'm just going to believe it's him and that I finally beat him!
Adding in some bowfishing pics too because my main hunting partner, sadly, was at school when all this happened. I realized on Tuesday that I'd rather guide and have him kill than him not be with me.
For the past three seasons, there has been a single gobbler on the back end of our 750 acre property that we have referred to as "The Un-Killable Turkey" because he always roosts on our neighbor's property and always walks away from us. There have been MANY days when he's responded, cut off yelps and gobbled his fool head off....and then flown down and walked directly away from us. He has been completely un-huntable....un-killable for three years. That's the background.
I'm getting old and turkey season starts to take its toll on me earlier in the season than it used to. So it was unusual for me to tell my wife I was going to get up and go hunt for an hour or two before work on Tuesday morning. It should have been especially true since my son and I had been bowfishing two nights in a row on the previous Friday and Saturday nights, staying up till at least 2am each night. But, for some reason, I just figured the weather looked good and I thought I'd go out for a little while before I needed to log in for work.
It occurred to me that he always seems to walk away in a particular direction. Since no one had really heard or seen anything to speak of at our club in at least a week, this was a long shot to say the least. But, I thought I would enter the woods in a new spot and walk toward the area I know he likes to frequent from a different direction this time.
Daylight broke and there was no response to any owl hooting. So, I decided to just start easing my way in the direction that birds typically hang (when they are actually there). I eased down this hardwood draw a few hundred yards when I hear the first gobble about 7am. It was a LONG way off and I knew off of our property...but exactly where he always is.
So I just kept walking towards the gobbles and he kept gobbling. At some point I realized there was more than one bird. So now I'm walking towards two consistent gobbling birds (again, which never happens).
After probably a half mile walk through the woods, I realized I was getting close to these birds and that they were working their way toward me. At this point, I've not made a sound....just walking towards them.
I will be honest and admit that I've literally been walking the property line almost this entire time and I know for sure they are across on the neighbor's property. But, I just felt pretty good about the possibility of calling them across based on the way they were gobbling.
At some point, I realized I was VERY close when they gobbled and I could hear their chests rattle. So I found a pine tree about 30 yards off the property line and sat down. It was a strategic tree for sure. Not having a decoy with me, I knew I needed some cover between me and the property line so that they wouldn't be able to see when they got to the road that is the line on the other side. I needed them to have to walk through that cover to get to a place they could see.
I literally sat down, pulled up my mask and called one time and was cut off immediately. Two minutes later, not one, not two, but three red heads come bobbing through the hardwoods on the other side and I cocked the hammer.
They continued to strut, drum and gobble their way up to and into the road...still on the neighbor's property. But they were slowing working toward me. The lead bird got to the cover between me and the property line and a blue jay fired off right above him. All three gobbled and I cut back at them while they were gobbling so they couldn't tell where I was.
At this point, I needed this bird to take one more step so that at least one foot was legally on my property. Well...he took two steps and his neck was in a hole in that cover and he got a full load of 20 gauge #9 TSS.
It was one of those hunts that never happens. Gobble...walk to it...call...gobble...dead turkey. I've been hunting for a very long time. So I know to just enjoy this when it happens because it doesn't happen very often.
After I got him settled, I realized this bird had three beards. Unbelievable!
Then....I realized he actually had FOUR beards.
Then, when I got home and got him cleaned up...FIVE beards!
Incredible morning. Perfect temp. Perfect blue sky. It was one of those mornings when you're just glad to be alive and carrying a turkey a mile back to the truck.
Sorry for the long story. But I thought it was worth telling. I don't know if this was the un-killable bird or not. He came in with two others. But I'm just going to believe it's him and that I finally beat him!
Adding in some bowfishing pics too because my main hunting partner, sadly, was at school when all this happened. I realized on Tuesday that I'd rather guide and have him kill than him not be with me.
