Spring Turkey #2 for 2011

18 lbs - 11" beard - 1" spurs

11" beard - the highlight of this lightweight!

I’m two for two this year, meaning that my season has went way too fast! That’s not to say that it dislike having two successful hunts, it’s just that this is something I look forward to all year and to have it over in two days of hunting is maybe a bit too fast. My solace is in the fact that I do have some friends who still have birds to kill and I really have just as much fun going along with them as I do shooting the bird myself. Hopefully I’ll be able to get you some more good footage now as I can focus on videoing and not trying to operate both the camera and the gun!

This hunt was a quick one. I had saw 4 toms and some hens out in a pasture I have permission to hunt. It was late Monday afternoon and I was hoping they wouldn’t go too far. I swung back by the property late Monday evening and was happy to see a few of the birds close to the timber getting ready to go up to roost.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to decide where I needed to set up the next morning. I was there bright and early and I set up about 50 yards from where I had saw them the evening before. I sat up against an old rock fence that has been there no telling how long and set the decoys out about twenty yards in front of me. I had next to nothing for cover so I decided pretty quickly that videoing this hunt was going to be next to impossible. It wasn’t long before I heard a thundering gobble not 80 yards away, right up against the edge of the pasture!

I gave very few tree yelps and clucks, all of which were promptly responded to with that precious sound that all us turkey hunters live to hear. He gobbled his head off for roughly ten minutes and then all was quiet. I knew what that meant and I got my gun up and was ready. It wasn’t but a few minutes before he sailed out and lit not 50yrds from me and started for the decoys. Three hens sailed out and landed directly with the decoys and he was in. He was about 7yards to the right of my decoys and about 23yrds from me when he started to go into strut. I would’ve enjoyed the show a bit but I was pretty much in the open so decided I better not take a chance. He stuck his neck out (literally) and I touched the trigger. It was over and it was only 6:30am!

It was a fun hunt even though the hunt was short. I got to hear a lot of gobbling which was a bit surprising as it was a misty nasty morning. Evidently this bird had strutted a few pounds off as he weighed in at a mere 18.5lbs, but his 1″ spurs and 11″ beard weren’t bad at all.

It’s been a great year so far and I’m looking forward to joining some friends and making the most of the spring turkey season here in Missouri! Best of luck to you as well – would love to hear your stories along with pics!