My First Spring Gobbler!!!!!

R

rlinger

Joined
Mar 29, 2002
Messages
4,591
Boy, did I ever luck out. After only 6 days of spring turkey hunting, 3 days last year and 3 days this year, banging out some of the most God-Aweful - sourest sqweeky notes both man and beast would dread to ever hear I was able to call up two obviously tone deaf Toms. I could not tell which was the largest but only one fan-tailed; so I figured he must be the boss and I zeroed on that one.
About twenty five yards on PUBLIC LAND(!!).

Not a knife in sight but here's the pic of my pretty face and first spring bird: http://riflestocks.tripod.com/turkey.html

I'm boring anyone with this that will listen!

Oh, and yea - I gotta tell ya this: beard is about 10 5/16th and spures about 29/32nd.

Roger
 
My best bird ever was a 23 pounder 1 inch spurs 11 inch beard
I killed him in the spring of 2000.I did not get out much this spring for designing knives:D
 
nice looking bird, should be some good eatin'.

And looks like an old stevens 520a or 620a birdgun.
 
Roger, one shot, one kill! Nice bird, fella. Deer and turkey are so thick where I work, we hit them quite often while on patrol, unfortunately. Could you please come here and thin them out for us? It looks like you would have no trouble.
 
Roger great looking bird.
We are not as lucky to have turkeys running around except native scrub turkey but they are protected.

However the largest bird I ever shot was as tall as me 6' an emu.
Shot it on the run in the leg with a .22, broke his leg. Normally If you get an emu with a .22 it just keeps running. I have a better lucky shot story but you would have to be here to throw stones at me to enjoy it.

Nice turkey.
 
Nice turkey -- I got lucky this year -- opening day, two hours into it I called in two nice toms and bagged a 20-pounder. Kinda anti-climatic, but I got another tag to fill!
 
WAY TO GO ROGER!
I am one guy that knows how you feel. I have hunted these birds for
more than thirty years, and I still remember like yesterday, that first one. What a thrill!
He sure is quite a trophy, nice beard, nice spurs. I have hunted gobblers for the last five years, exclusively with a bow. Got three on public land in Maryland. Turkey hunting can be addicting. Congratulations again.
 
nice bird! havn't been hunting myself,lots of fishing, but i love game meats and i have discovered that there is a big benefit to being a knife maker with lots of happy customers. FRESH GAME MEAT! i had a Bison steak last night that was melt in you mouth great!. there are lots of wild boar just a few hours out of the city here. the one that i am getting hunger for now is wild boar canadian bacon. i got a 3LB pack a month ago from a client and i made BLT sandwichs for breakfast lunch and dinner till it was gone! YUMMMMMMM:)
 
Thanks to all you guys, and I always like hearing from my good buddy Rhino, who I have much regard for. And fellows like Bruce Bump that are idols to me in craftsmanship.

I want to speak this, though, to Don Powell because you hit a spot with me. I want very much to get a spring turkey with a bow. I look more forward to fall deer bow season than anything and really only go rifle hunting because of my hunting buddy or two, who do not bow hunt. I am not discounting muzzle loading, of course, which I am very fond of also but not as much as bow hunting. I believe a 'called up' spring gobbler by the hunter who kills it clean with a bow is one who can proclaim he is a hunter.

And thanks for the encouragement. I will persure it further.

Roger
 
Nice bird Roger
Don tradianal bow??? you're not using a compound
with sites are you:( just kiding:D I love my
60# Martin Hunter recurve:D
 
Don -- I tried that this past fall season. A sightless recurve with just a quiver of three arrows. My hat's off to you. I went back to the shotgun.

:D
 
Nice bird!! You are ruined for life now. There ain't no turnin' back. This spring huntin' is as addicting as knifemaking.
Take it from the voice of experience. I shut down my body shop, do very little knifework and flirt with divorce during the month of May. it's hunt hunt hunt.Everything else is irrelevent.
My oldest daughter is due to come fresh ths week and I asked her to hold off til afternoon or evening. :-)
Birds thaat size get a little tough. Take care in how ya cook him. bruce
 
Bruce,

Yes I am hooked now. The only real reason I was going at all is because my 72 year old dad wanted to and I don't get to do that much with him any more. I usually retire at 3:30, not get up. That's about the time I usually turn the lights off - not on. It's tuff get'n up but I'm goina do it.

That gun is a 16 ga. Ithica model 37 Feather Light I picked up for 80 bucks last fall. The guy was shooting 20 ga. shells in it and it wouldn't hit the target or eject the shells. I figured it would be worth fixing. When I got it home I looked at it. - 16 ga.!!! No wonder.

Yeah, I got a recipie here that we've used on fall turkeys. It uses stuff like apple cider and orange peels. Its been a good recipie. I'll share it if you like (the recipie not the bird ;).

Roger
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top