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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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Posted: 09 May 2019 at 07:04 |
Every year it seems
more difficult to drag out of bed at 3 am to go hunting. After missing the first week of the spring
turkey season, gopher hunting, My butt was stuck in bed this am. But I had set the alarm across the room,
making me get up. I usually stop at
McD’s for a 2fer egg muffin, one for breakfast one for lunch. In Pennsylvania, you MUST call toms
only. NO Run-n-Gun allowed. So that means a stationary portable
blind, folding chair, decoys, 3-8 calls.
Tired as I was I left my bow at home and grabbed my 12 ga. Got to the site
about 1 hour before sunrise, set up and sipped my coffee from thermos
(stainless steel just to add some weight to my full pack). 5 minutes after
opening hour I heard a Tom about ¾ mile off, sounded like he was still treed
up. No hens heard. I gave some sexy clucks and instantly had 3
other toms answer, some even closer but all in different directions. This is a time to just relax…don’t let the
blood pressure go up and over call. My 3 hen decoys
were closely clustered in a small opening about 15 yards away, with a jake tom decoy which I hand painted BRIGHTLY, hovering close by them. I called and
clucked for 10 minutes as all answers went calm. This usually means they are walking in
quietly to check thigs out, or you dummy you scared them off! More time to just relax. Breakin the dawn quiet, I heard a
cluk/thump close on my left. Turning slowly,
there was a monster tom that was the first bird I heard: and he had flown across
the valley and landed within 15 foot of me.
Told myself to freeze as he went into full strut and brushed his fan
against the side of my camo blind…his eye looked to be 2” large, and his neck
was stretched so far up he was above my seated position…just freeze. After he had
eyeballed this strange looking Bear, he staggered toward the hen decoys. I eased the gun up (red dot was already
turned on to medium bright), choke adjusted to super tight. Just as I got the gun up he decided to circle
the girls and went behind a small thick bush. Well I figured,
either he is going to come out the other side or he is going to go straight
away back down the steep ravine he flew over, thereby denying me a shot, after
having given me quite a show. But he did come out
the other side of the bush but was no longer in fan display but with his head
tucked deep into his chest wings dragging ready for a quick thump or maybe the
thought he could get all 3 hen decoys????? Again, told my
heart to relax and wait, he was still only 15 yards away, and I wanted a head
shot. In a long 5 seconds he again went
into full fan display and his head slowly raised up. In fact, it rose up to my red dot, and my ancient 870
fired without my even thinking of pulling the trigger. With a broken neck
and stone dead he still thought it best to fly, so the powerful wings took the final flight as his body lay dead. One of my better birds,
21#, 12”+ beard, haven’t measured the spurs. He was too heavy for me to
carry with my gear, so it was a double trip back to the Ford. It was now just 20 minutes after opening
hour and my turkey season was over. Eating that second
Egg McMuffin now with the remains of my thermos coffee. Edited by BEAR - 09 May 2019 at 07:10 |
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d4570
.416 Rigby Joined: 27 January 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9403 |
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OUT STANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Remember: Four boxes keep us free ,the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, AND the cartridge box
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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Downside: I usually don't drink anything with caffine. So I am sensitive to that drug. But to keep my eyes open for early mornign drive and to keep me from nodding on stand, I have a 1/5 cup of regular coffee. Home now, and trying to grab a little nap...impossible too much caffine. Also on the double walk out, must have dropped my glasses while trying to write/fill-in the turkey tag! No big loss for a nice bird. and a near perfect hunt. Locals here do cheat, and illegally just walk back roads and call. When they hear a bird answer they trot toward the bird and stop halfway, then call again. illegal--stalk. BUT, I much prefer to call the birds all the way into a well camo blind set up with my wind moving decoys ( 6# mono fishing line suspension). For long distance I have a 'boat paddle' box call, and used it this morning. But once close I just use my own voice calling hen. seems to work and simpler than a diaphram mouth call. Well, done with turkeys, on to 'otes and fishing next week; going to DC tomorrow early. |
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RobertMT
.416 Rigby Joined: 12 March 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4413 |
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Is the requirement to stay on stand and call, a safety issue or just a quirk in the law, like no Sunday hunting, no semi rules or to limit numbers taken, like the noon close, in many states?
I can see stalking, run and gun, could greatly increase chances of shooting, by sound or shooting at decoy and hitting hunter. I've only done couple turkey hunts, can't hear well enough, to get calling down, but have had "hunter" sneak into decoys couple times. I see them quite often around house, while I could shoot these, opportunity birds, I pass, it's not really hunting. |
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Want to stop Drunk Drivers, from Killing Sober Drivers? Ban Sober Drivers from Driving. That's how Gun Control Works.
NRA Benefactor Life, GOA Patriot, SAF |
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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Spring Turkey hunting rules in PA.
Hunting is from 1/2 hour before sunrise to noon, MUST be out of woods by 1pm. This is to let bird get some breeding time, lay eggs etc. Toms only. shotguns only with bird shot BB or smaller (safety). crossbows and archery are also allowed. You can move, but NOT towards birds you have seen or heard; that is stalking. After the first 3 weeks you can them hunt all day. Same rules. We have a lot of Turkeys (winged version) so you can buy a 2nd tag, a month before opening day. My method is to 'scout' well before opening day to find flocks, especially to find roosting trees. I go in in darkness and get close to roost (200 yards). I set up deks, and then at 1/2 hour before sun rise, make some hen calls. Let the guys know there are girls on the ground that want to play. They tend to fly down when at first bright light, sunrise or later on cloudy days. I often get a flock of hens fly down and walk right into the decoys. If the girls don't come to my decoys, then seldom will the Toms. But after the first breed, Tom's are still looking for receptive hens and can be called back. Hens only seem to call when roosted in a tree, after that they cluck and make small stupid sounds. In the early spring season I seldom shoot a bird after 10pm, but because the hunting is fun, I stay till the end of time. Our season starts May 1 (unless it is a Sunday (blue laws). The birds seem to be breeding earlier and our later breeding lets hens have laying nests already. Walking out is my nest spoting time. Hens don't stay on the nest till there are 6-10 eggs. coons take a BIG toll on ground nesting turkeys; so I try to kill 30 or so coons befor april. Overall, I like the rules and prefer they not change anything. I would like to hwever hunt with a 22 rf rifle and take head shots.
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RobertMT
.416 Rigby Joined: 12 March 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4413 |
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MT regs are pretty generous. Many areas only have turkeys on private land, so they're becoming too populated, with limited hunter access.
Limit – A turkey hunter may hold up to 12 wild turkey licenses per year. This may include: • 1 General Turkey License valid statewide (except for a portion of Region 4) for male turkey in the spring and either-sex turkey in the fall; • 1 Regional Turkey License in each of Regions 1, 2, 5 & 7 valid for male turkey in the spring and either-sex turkey in the fall (Region 5 license only valid in the spring); • 1 Female or Beardless Turkey License in Region 1; • 4 Female or Beardless Turkey Licenses valid in Missoula and Ravalli Counties; • 1 Female or Beardless Turkey License valid in Missoula, Ravalli and Mineral Counties; • 1 Spring Special Drawing Turkey License in Region 4. http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations/ |
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Want to stop Drunk Drivers, from Killing Sober Drivers? Ban Sober Drivers from Driving. That's how Gun Control Works.
NRA Benefactor Life, GOA Patriot, SAF |
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Wing master
Administrator AKA StraightShooter Joined: 10 June 2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 7481 |
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It sounds like you had a great day Bear. Congratulations.
Wing master
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I have always considered myself to be quite the bullshitter, But ocasionally it is nice to sit back and listen to a true professional......So, Carry on.
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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Robert....too complicated for me.
Well; as said lost my specs. So before going to pick-up wife at airport revisited the secne of the 'harvest'. Well, as I came into the clearing looking down for my glasses....there was a 8" bearded tom thumping a hen. actually had to 'break them up'. found the glasses, right were the blind had been. Off to visit my tax $$$ in DC, my favorite intelligence personel! Back for mother's day, then maybe another turkey with 2nd tag....but with an arrow. God darn it lots of ticks out there.
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d4570
.416 Rigby Joined: 27 January 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9403 |
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Did you use your horse spray ???
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Remember: Four boxes keep us free ,the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, AND the cartridge box
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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I heavily coated in permethrin for ticks. then sprayed my hat and face mask with 100% deet for sketoes!
When I get home, i shower in Tea Tree Oil...ticks jump off. I hate those Bast#$rds
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d4570
.416 Rigby Joined: 27 January 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9403 |
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Remember: Four boxes keep us free ,the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, AND the cartridge box
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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Since I shot that bird, it has been bothering me what shot size I used. Since I usually hunt close, enjoying calling them in close, the size doesn't matter and a low brass 6 works fine.
But the shell I used is about 30 years old, and I can read 3" and 1 7/8 oz, but the shot size is worn off. Going thru some shells yesterday when straightening up my magazine, I found an old box of duck loads with only 3 shells left...they matched the shell case head perfectly. #5 No wonder the 15 yard full choke head shot knocked him silly.
Edited by BEAR - 21 May 2019 at 14:22 |
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d4570
.416 Rigby Joined: 27 January 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9403 |
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YUP a 1 7/8 of #5 should do the trick.
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Remember: Four boxes keep us free ,the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, AND the cartridge box
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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A three bladed mechanical broadhead at 12 yaards works good also. Just shoot it thru the wing sockets; breaks both wings and kills in about 41 yards. I expect the bird to die quickly; but still use a florsenct String Tracker. 16# test line is easy to follow, especially if it is dead only 53 yards from my blind.
Nice smack to the blades cutting the feathers going in and coming out.
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Irish Bird Dog
.416 Rigby Too many Joined: 01 March 2009 Location: Midwest Status: Offline Points: 5511 |
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good job bear and nice stroy, well told.
WE have lottery draws for seasons here for Turkey. Mine happened again this year to fall when I was in Montana. So actually got back with one day left so didn't even try. Maybe next year.
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Irish Bird Dog
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BEAR
Administrator Joined: 07 September 2013 Location: Appalachian Mtn Status: Offline Points: 13734 |
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I tried to use D's story telling guide on my description.
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Irish Bird Dog
.416 Rigby Too many Joined: 01 March 2009 Location: Midwest Status: Offline Points: 5511 |
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then you had a good background to learn from.....
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Irish Bird Dog
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