2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

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hunter_mike
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2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby hunter_mike » Thu Mar 09, 2017 6:46 am

2017 Beast TURKEY Contest and Lineup

This thread is for the 2017 Hunting Beast Turkey Contest.

**All posts that do not include your turkey harvest and/or story will be deleted. **
(Save the congrats for the Kill Zone Forum)

To enter the contest, just post a picture(s) of your legal turkey kill and your story of your hunt(s) below.

The Hunting Beast 500 club will vote for the winner of the contest after the turkey season is concluded.

Prizes are all donated and will be divided up into prize packages at some point before the end of the contest.

dan wrote:~~~Dans' disclaimer:
We are not responsible for prizes that are not delivered by the people donating them. If you can't make the dates available, or you dislike the prize, well, tough... Feel free to email or contact the donor prior to choosing your prize. Once you choose your prize, your choice is final. No (trip) prize can be sold, traded, or given to another person without permission of the donor granting the prize... Choose wisely.

*Winners outside the United States are responsible for shipping costs.

We reserve the right to exclude anyone from the contest for any behavior that is illegal or we deem un-ethical. The contest is for members signed up on the Beast, if you don't sign up, or are banned or evicted prior to receiving your prize, you loose your chance to win.

Carol has set up the contest as a poll because a poll cannot be altered, not even by us... There is no way to cheat this contest other than for a contestant to lie or violate. So please, do not accuse us or anyone of doing so. If you have a paranoia that the contest is "rigged" just do us all a favor and don't play.

Prizes are donated. Please thank donors when you get a chance, without them, there would be no prizes.... If you would like to donate a prize, post it here, or PM me or Carol.


Myself or Dan and any of the other Moderators will update this thread as we add prizes and other news.

PRIZES:
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Dan has donated 3 copies of EXTREME TURKEY TACTICS
Ever notice that today’s turkey video's all seem like the same video, just with different actors? This DVD was created for those guys who go the extra mile. The die hard hunters whom don't wait for the rain to stop.


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BEAST member burkhart is donating 3 paracord turkey totes

See his post: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=39490&p=574057&hilit=tote#p574057

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BEAST member thwack16 is donating a book by Tom Kelly. Tenth Legion

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From Tom Kelly's Website: http://www.tomkellyinc.net/catalog/prod ... a1bf1b3200

Tom got the rights to his 1973 classic, TENTH LEGION, back from Globe Pequot Press. They had been printing in paperback until last year. We purchased and sold what they had left in stock. We titled the new book, TOM KELLY'S -TENTH LEGION, "White Edition". The books will be signed by Colonel Tom Kelly.

Tenth Legion has long been considered the greatest - and most hilarious - book on turkey hunting. Yet until now it was only available in a privately published edition. Many people who hunt turkeys do so with an attention to detail, a regard for strategy, tactics, and operations, and a disregard for personal comfort and convenience that ranks second only to war. As for all cultists, it never occurs to them that they may be anachronisms. Supremely unconscious of the rest of the world, blind and deaf to logic and reason, they walk along their different roads in step to the music of their different drums.



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BEAST member Uncle Lou will donate a MARSH Bedding and a SWAMP Bedding dvd. And two $25 gift cards.

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BEAST member DeerDylan is donating this beauty of a box call!

DeerDylan wrote:I'm going to donate this Bill Barker long box caller. It's a Cedar paddle over a White Pine box. The caller has a distinct raspy yelp and can kee kee on the high end if played for it.


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Begin Posting Kills Stories Below:


“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby keepthefevercalls » Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:21 am

April 4, 2017

My father in law and I had been hunting hard for 4 days, and had yet to work a bird. They would gobble a little on the limb and then shut up-hens, hens, hens. Didn't matter what time of day, hens were the problem. I just kept saying, all it takes in one lonely bird! On day 5 we took the bass boat in to a WMA on a lake in South Carolina. We climbed a small ridge-one of the high points in the area-and listened. Unfortunately, the wind started to pick up and we couldn't hear a thing. So, we started walking. We followed the small ridge as it turned and became a nice hardwood stand and we started to get into turkey scratchings. The sun was starting to come up and things were clearing up, so we set up in the middle of all the scratchings and got to work brushing ourselves in. We put out a jake and a hen decoy and before we settled in I did some calling. While scratching in the leaves, I made a 50 yard semicircle while pretending to sound like a mixed flock of hens and jakes and then worked my way back to the decoys. We hadn't sat 10 minutes when a bird gobbled at 300 yards. I threw him some cutting and then some jake yelps and he gobbled back at both! I shut up and he shut up and I knew it was on! ;) 5 minutes later a train went by in the distance and he gobbled at 100 yards. :D I sent out fighting purrs, jake yelps, cutting and yelping and he double gobbled. I looked at my father in law (Steve) and said, "He is gonna die!" It wasn't long that I heard scratching in the leaves, and then a bright red head crested the hill in front of us at 20 yards. Steve was supposed to take the shot, but the way the bird worked in it was my turn, although I am pretty sure that was the way he wanted it. That bird headed straight for the jake, and kinda reminded me of the way a big guy looks at a little guy that has just trash talked at him. He stuck his face right in that jake's face at 15 yards and I could tell he was mad! It was a perfect set up. The sun was in his eyes and I was able to get my gun up and drop him with a 3.5" mag blend. We whooped and hollered and it was great to finally put a bird on the ground after days of hard work. This is #7 for me, hoping to kill #'s 8 and 9 this year in PA!
Afterwards we had to do some fishing, after all we were on a lake :D
Very thankful to my Creator!
10 inch beard, 5/8" spurs, 2 year old.
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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby muddy » Fri May 12, 2017 2:12 pm

Season ended for me about 3 weeks ago when I jacked up my back during the first week of season. We had good weather so I opted to get all yard work done, and I did. Then it rained amd got 40° for 5 days, then I hurt my back doing deadlifts at the gym. Apparently you don't warm up at 275#.

Anyway, I got some sweet vikes and muscle relaxers for my trouble, along with a 10# weight resteiction. Fast forward to this week, the middle of our last season here in Iowa. I can't carry a blind so for the first time ever I had 2 gun tags in my pocket.

Disclaimer, you can shoot as many bearded turkeys in Iowa in one day as you have valid tags. End of disclaimer.

A friend dropped some wings off yesterday and in the small talk he said head up to his place and try, I think he felt sorry for my hobbled up self. Today I dropped the kids at school and made my way north. As I drove down his drive I could see strutters behind his house in the freshly burnt (now green) CRP field. I formed a plan and went to execute it. After a long circle, a thigh deep creek crossing, and a 200 yard crawl I was within 100 yards of 5 strutters. 2 twos and a single. I got ready and popped the fan up. The result was nothing less than spectacularly perfect. Fans dropped, heads came up, and turkeys got mad. Immediately the single bird and the 2 closer birds began that "mean walk with authority" right at me, it was awesome. As they went thru a dip I got the barrel between the fan V and clicked the safety off, it was ON! Seconds later the 2 popped up at 30 and I let em keep coming. At 10 yards they went to full strut, white heads, full length snoods, and made the air buzz with angry drumming. I smiled, lined up the bead, and dropped em. I didn't really plan to kill them both but when I stood up 2 birds lay flopping while 3 other gobblers stood there at 20 yards away. Sure cant beat that with a stick! 45 minutes of driving for a 10 minute walk and a 30 second hunt. After the excitement wore off my back started to spasam a bit, I think it was worried about humping 50# of gobblers out!

Anyway, here are some quick pics.

Where they dropped on relation to my fan. The further one flopped back a ways, they were touching when they fell

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Bird 1

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Bird 2

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The lucky shell

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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby bowhunter15 » Wed May 17, 2017 10:33 am

A year of three gobblers in two states...

My season started off in Minnesota, where I had 1st season shotgun tag. I played cat and mouse with a group of 3 toms and 5 hens on state forest land for a few mornings. Finally, on Saturday, with more time to spend in the woods, it was stormy. I had roosted the birds the night before and set up 100 yards away. They flew down the other way, and after a bunch of moving around I was finally able to relocate them between the thunder and a waterproof box call. The terrain and wet, rainy forest allowed me to get in close and spot the flock before they spotted me. I brought down the first tom that gave me a clear shot.
https://youtu.be/7JkIIEIgW4Y

Fast forward to Wisconsin. I drew a season C tag and bought a surplus tag for Season D. Once again, I played cat and mouse with a group of birds that would roost in an almost impossible to access area. They always seemed to fly down in an area I couldn't get to them, and I couldn't hunt long enough in the morning to wait until the hens left the gobblers. On Saturday, I got permission on a piece of private ground with a very similar terrain. After spotting three toms in an open field on Sunday around 10am, I got ahead of them and called. A short while later. three gobblers woke me up as they nervously clucked near my decoy. I shot one, which turned out to be a jake. They must have been different birds than I'd seen in the field.
https://youtu.be/aIPz-SRB6Nk

I found out that many of the birds I'd seen on that new private I had access too were actually roosting on some secluded, hard to access public land. On Friday morning, I got a good feel for how they were moving around near the roost site, but didn't dare sneak in close for the high risk of spooking the flock. So Saturday, after looking over the maps, I snuck in well before light near the roost. Turkeys started gobbling before I was fully in position, so I plopped down about 100 or so yards away, out of sight of the landing spot, hoping they'd follow the same path as the day before. After just a couple light yelps and cuts on the diaphragm call after flydown, I was rewarded with a nice tom who walked past at 20 yards.
https://youtu.be/-tl0JY0f-aQ
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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby keepthefevercalls » Wed May 24, 2017 12:49 am

Saturday May 20th, PA
Well it has been a long week. Every day but Wednesday has been a 3am wake up. Today it wasn't supposed to rain. I was under a normal roosting area by 440 and at 5:25 nothing had gobbled..then it started to pour! Went back to my truck and there was someone parked beside me. Waiting for a while and he never came outta the woods so I headed to a different spot and there was a truck there. Headed to another spot and there were 2 trucks! By now it was 6:45 and I had done nothing but drive so I took an hour nap. Those boys didn't leave so I drove up the mountain and found a spot that guys were leaving. Parked the truck and took another nap. The rain was supposed to break right around 9:45. Well it really lightened up so at 9:35 I eased into the woods 150 yards off the road. I have been getting sick and didn't have the strength to hike in where I wanted to be. As I walked I called here and there with no response. At 9:50 I hit the Hook's Slayer tube call and one gobbled 300 yards up the mountain in a big patch of laurel. I hoofed it to get above him, calling every now and then to keep dibs on him. He wouldn't answer anything but the tube! Once I was within 100 yards I set up in this patch of thick stuff where I could only see about 15 yards and starting calling softly. A jake started yelping, followed by the boss hen.I yelped her in to 10 yards with the heart throb, with the longbeard gobbling the whole time. She jumped up on a log and started cutting, looking right at me. Eventually she eased back and the jake came in. He looked around and caught me from the side and started putting. I kept up with the soft talk and eventually the drumming got closer and I saw a big ol white lightbulb pop up. That was my only chance and I took it at less than 20 yards. Down he went! Total time 11 minutes, talk about a plan that came together! Thankful to my Lord and Savior for creating these awesome birds and allowing me to pursue them. What a season it has been! 9.5 inch beard, 13/16 spurs. This bird had been shot at before. Found multiple bbs in his leg and one in his breast with a growth around it.
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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby northeast beast » Wed May 24, 2017 3:44 am

So this bird goes back to 2016. I am a self taught turkey hunter. Anyway last season I learned that a nice tom was working this ridge almost every morning I hunted. It was hard to hunt him because the only access was to go right under his tree and getup on the ridge. Last year this guy gave me the slip. I was posted in the field on top of the ridge but it took him so long to get to me that my back started locking up and I was moving to much due to the pain that he spotted me and slipped off. This year I switched it up and tried going in 2 hours before light in the dark so I didn't bump him off. Well that didn't work!! It also spooked him to roost a ways down the ridge from that point on. I observed this bird for 3 hunts working that same ridge. I just couldn't get in close enough for a shot. On the 4th hunt I got in early and set up in between him and where he wanted to go. He gobbled off the roost but was so hard to hear with a stiff wind. I knew he would not get to me before I had to go to work so I needed to make an aggressive move to get closer. I jumped up and literally ran about 200 yards down the ridge that he was working After catching my breath and wiping off the sweat I did some calling.....nothing. I worked about 40 yards toward him and did some soft calling. He cut me off this time and I knew he was super close. I sat right down got my face mask on and gun up. He came in and I yelped once to get his head up and boom! He's a 3yd old 22lbs..10.5in beard and 1.5 in spurs. I killed him on May 18th at 6:30am in Genesee county NY what I have learned from the beast is that you have to be ready with an audible and to not be afraid to get aggressive and make those risky moves. To quote Dan " if your not pushing the envelope once and awhile your not going to be in the game". I am looking forward to putting this to use this fall when I hit the swamps after a mature buck.

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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby Outdoor814 » Wed May 31, 2017 1:16 am

2017 was a great turkey season for me! I had some amazing encounters and it was the first year I got to take a couple buddies out and call in birds for them. In total this year I called in 3 hens 2 long beards and 11 Jake's.
1 long beard and 3 Jake's were harvested by myself and 2 friends.

I shot my first bird of the season on the first Monday day before work. First bird ever shot before work.

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He was 21lbs 8" beard with 1/2" hooks.


That following Saturday I took a buddy out that hadn't shot a bird in over 4 years. We went to a spot I've seen birds when then weather is nasty. By 7:30 he was filling out his tag.


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Fast forward to the next Thursday and my co worker and I are following gobbles and some hardwoods that are surrounded by fields. We pause to listen for the gobble we had been hearing when we hear 4 gobbles about 60 yards in front of us. We sit down right there and at 6:30 we're taking hero shots before work.


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So again we fast forward to Tuesday the 23rd. I decided to hunt after work because the weather was no good for a before work hunt. I sat on a field edge that I had seen a long beard hanging out in. I sat on the edge of that field for about 5 hrs before a group of Jake's can rolling by. I took the best shot I had once they got in range and filled my last tag for the 2017 season.


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I had an awesome season and again want to thank Burk for sending me an awesome peg and pot!
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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby Ack » Tue Jun 13, 2017 8:09 pm

So you have a week off work and it's the Michigan turkey opener.......if you’re anything like me, there’s no question what you’re going to do.........hunt every single day!

So after all of my talk of extra preparation for season last spring, I ended up slacking a little and got a late start to my turkey season prep for this year. Some things never change from year to year….the properties, the calls, the gear…..these are all constants for me in the spring. But I did, however, decide to get out one of my old bows and set it up once again, which put me just a little behind with season quickly approaching. That wasn’t much of an issue, but the main reason I was running behind was that I decided to hunt the early season this year, something I haven’t done since 2005.

As some may recall, I bought my tag last spring on the same day I later located three giant birds on one of my properties. Everything worked out in the end and I still tagged one of those birds, but the two week wait hoping they would stick around was very nerve-racking. This year I held off to see what I had to work with BEFORE I bought the tag, and after getting at least five different toms on camera during the early weeks of April, I decided to give the first hunt a try, since the birds were all there “NOW.”

So this whole early season thing put me a little behind on my preparation, but fortunately things all came together and I was ready to go come April 17th. With the week off of work, I knew I could put in some hours and be a little selective on birds if I wanted. One of the birds I had on cam was solid, sporting what looked like 1.25+” spurs, but he was a loner and was not very predictable in his timing. He was actually on the property the day before season as my landowner had confirmed, but come opening day he was nowhere to be seen…..only the four other toms that were always together and hanging tight to the main hen group.

So on opening morning I set up in the same spot I killed my bird last year and in no time the group of four toms plus hens were in my setup, knocking down my dekes and putting on a quite a show. But I held off and didn’t shoot…..I knew that big bird was around and I just couldn’t end my season that quickly.

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On day two I hunted a different property in the morning, only seeing a single hen, and then found my way back to the honey hole in the early afternoon and was completely overrun with jakes.

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On day three I tried yet another spot, and despite getting a response from a distant tom, I once again had only a single hen come into my setup to investigate.

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Day four brought a 1.5” downpour, so I pretty much drove around to take inventory of birds on the properties I could hunt. Mid-day I located a tom on one property, and even he was in a wet, muddy field, I decided what the heck and went after him, traveling light with only a mouth call, hen decoy and shotgun. I was able to get that bird to about 60 yards before the sky opened up and completely soaked both of us. Once the thunder and lightning started he had enough and ran for cover under some pines, never coming any closer. No worries though, as Friday was reserved for the honey hole once again.

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Come Friday, I knew I would be real limited on spots where I could set up because of all the water from the rains on Thursday. I decided on some higher ground on the back side of a pond where I knew the birds had been frequenting, which was also just off the trail that led to the area I set up in on Monday. I almost gave up this position because of the geese that were nesting just off the pond, as they were pretty upset with me being there….. carrying on and honking nonstop at me after daybreak. But I stuck it out and, sure enough, within an hour I see the group of four toms moving though the woods in my direction.

Now, I love being vocal with the birds and all, but I also cannot deny how much I love the draw and interaction of birds with a good set of decoys. As soon as the lead tom locked on to my dekes they were instantly on a string, and unfortunately no calling was necessary. It’s really cool watching these birds interact with the dekes, and is one of the reasons I love sitting back and getting it all on video. Honestly, I could care less if I had a weapon with me…….give me a camera only and I’d be good. But this time I had the camera AND the weapon, and with that, I’ll let the video of this hunt tell the rest of the story.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V36S58IHjcc


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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby huntinsonovagun » Wed Jun 14, 2017 11:10 pm

Before spring turkey season begins, you often dream of "running and gunning", striking a bird, working him, and then killing him...rarely does it seem to actually play out that way once season begins. I was fortunate to come across a bird that wanted to play this spring, and here's how it all went down.

A buddy and I hit a WMA in the northeast part of Oklahoma. There are birds there, but the northeast part of the state isn't particularly loaded like the western half of the state. What we were excited about was the chance at an Eastern subspecies. Rios are very common in most of the state, which makes Easterns the rarity, if you will.

We walked in a mile and split up , neither hearing a single gobble on the roost. It's no fun to turkey hunt when they're not gobbling. Anyway, we do our own thing trying to strike one up, but no luck. I circle back towards the trucks and let my buddy know I'm back, but he's still over 2 miles away. I tell him I'm going across the street...no sense and just wasting time at the truck.

I slowly pick my way through stopping every once in a while to toss out a few cuts and yelps, but by now the wind is beginning to pick up, making it difficult for this already-half-deaf boy hear anything. I get a half mile or so away from the truck, and decide to throw out one last set of cuts before I turn around to hear back to the truck. As I do, I thought I heard a dog bark...was it a dog, or a turkey, or my mind? I step a few steps closer and hit it again. I think that's a dog...but maybe it is a turkey. I almost convinced myself it was a dog and turned around, but something inside of me told me to hit it just once more. That was definitely a gobble that time! Sounded like that sucker must have started running to me or something! I'm in some abnormally open timber for this part of the state, but scramble for the highest point, sit and wait. I knew that bird had heard me and gotten a good pinpoint on my location so I didn't need to make a sound. I sat and heard him gobble 3 or 4 times on his own, each getting closer. I saw a little black dot moving my direction 200ish yards out. He's still coming and sings out one or two more times while he's directly below the little rise I'm set up on. Once I figure he's forty yards out or so (but can't see him due to the little knob I'm on) I scratch in the leaves a couple times, click my safety off, and wait for movement. Finally his red head pops up and he's looking so I shot him at 20 steps.

Sometimes they wear me out with frustration, but I really appreciate the "easy" ones. This one was especially fun. From the handful of Easterns I've killed, it seems they're more aggressive or responsive to calls. They don't seem to gobble quite as much as a Rio, but it seems that when they do, you better get ready! Makes it that much sweeter to kill them on public ground!


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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby hunter_mike » Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:40 pm

My turkey hunt in WI was short and sweet this year. I had been doing some deer scouting during the mornings before work the weeks before and was not seeing much for turkeys. One morning while deer scouting, i did finally encounter some turkeys. I took note of their location and actually found a roosting area while i was out there. It was on top of a steep ridge and there were turkey droppings all over the ground. I devised a plan and put it on file in my memory bank of spots to go.

Opening morning of turkey came along and i still hadnt seen much for turkeys anywhere. So i headed up to the top of the ridge i had been on weeks before. I was running late and though it was still dark out, you could tell day was starting to crack. I was closing in on my spot when suddenly "flap flap flap" there goes one turkey off the roost. Then "flap flap flap crash" there goes another. I think i bumped a half dozen of them off the roost in a spot that i did not think they would be roosted. Dang i thought. Was kind of bummed but went and set my decoy up in the same spot i had planned to, only about 75 yds from where i busted the birds off the roost.

Quite a bit of gobbling a ways off that morning but not a peep around me. I didnt even do any calling because i just didnt want to give away my location. Then as the morning kept moving, i saw a tom walk out across the field in front of me, really far away though. Not much else was happening and i knew i only had about a half hour before i had to leave for work. I pretty much decided that today wasnt the day for me to kill and was content with just a morning well spent. I got up off my seat to go grab my decoy. I took two steps and then "bang---gobble gobble" a gunshot on the next ridge shocked a tom into gobbling and it sounded extremely close to me.

I did an about face and sat back down. I yelped a couple times and saw the tail fan almost at the instant i got the camera set back up. He strutted right in and i hit him with a shotgun blast. I had mistakenly aimed too high i think and ended up rolling him, having to make a frantic chase and follow up shot. As you can see from the footage it was somewhat comical. I was running on pure adrenaline. After taking this big bird all the way back to the truck, i was able to even make it into work over a half hour early. 8-)

Enough time to show him off and weigh him. We all agreed he was big but i almost couldnt belive the weight. On an old bathroom spring scale at work i measured a weight of 28 lbs. Gotta give +/- 2lbs of precision for that scale but either way he was a big one. Made plenty of jerky out of him.

I got my first self-filmed turkey hunt in the books. It is cool being able to go back and watch it over again. I made many other attempts later in the spring to try for a turkey but pretty much every time i ended up hunting untouchable birds that were on the wrong side of the public/private boundaries.

Here is the footage of my hunt.

https://youtu.be/mcuLrWqXo7o

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Thanks for reading
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Re: 2017 Beast TURKEY Contest

Unread postby flinginairos » Tue Jun 20, 2017 12:56 pm

April 15th. A hunt I won't soon forget!

Youth Day

I took my son to an area I had been getting lots of trail cam pics of different birds and it was a GREAT morning. Birds started gobbling early at around 5:50. They hammered hard all around us until they flew down then it was quiet. I called in a hen and had another fired up that had a gobbler with her but I couldn't pull them in. We had three jakes come in but no shot on them and a group of five bucks that walked by us at ten feet!
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After sitting a while, we decided to walk out the ridge but with no response to my calls we headed to the house.

We got back and as I was unloading the Ranger I heard a gobble at the back end of our field on the edge of the woods. I yelped and he fired right back! Full on scramble mode and we take off for the field, belly crawling until we reach the top 1/3 right before the peak in the field. I staked a jake decoy right in front of us, yelped three times and five different birds all sounded off less than 60 yards away just over the rise. I told my son to take his safety off and get ready. It wasn't a minute and a bright red head popped up in clear view. With my voice shaking I told my son to shoot and at 25 yards he dropped it with a perfect shot! His very first turkey. A nice little Jake with 5" beard.
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April 17th. Opening day!

After Saturday's hunt with my son I was still getting pics of a big strutter in the same area we hunted for youth day so my plan was to set up there with the blind since rain was moving in and just wait him out
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I was setup before daylight in the blind and it was absolutely POURING the rain. As it got light the rain slacked off just a little and I decided to stick my head out of the blind and give a few soft yelps with the mouth call. As I stuck my head out of the window I was shocked to see the big gobbler standing at 40 yards looking at my decoys! A moment of panic hit me because my head was out of the blind and my face mask was off. Luckily he didn't see me and I was able to get back in the blind and get ready. He was in full strut and the rain was rolling off him in beads. It was pretty awesome to see! As he went behind a tree I positioned the camera and tripod and got the gun ready. He came out in half strut at a slow walk and I shot him at 30 yards. I ran and grabbed him and realized he was a lot bigger than I thought!

22lbs, 11" beard and 1 1/4" Spurs. My first legit limb hanger and in the pouring rain to boot! :lol:
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I even got lucky and dropped him right in a nice little patch of morels. BONUS!!
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April 26th Tagged Out!

One thing I have quickly learned about turkey hunting is that you just never know what is going to happen!

The week prior had been a tough one. It seemed the weather was bad every chance I had to go and then the days I did go, there weren't any birds interested. Sunday morning I took a buddy to a spot I hadn't hunted and ended up hearing several on the roost but after fly down they went silent. I kept one spot in particular in mind where I had heard a bird that morning and made a game plan for my next outing...

Finally, three days later the weather was going to cooperate and it was time to act on my plan. I was set up well before light but as luck would have it, not a single gobble from the roost! :doh: I was slightly discouraged since I had used vacation from work but decided I was going to sit and listen because you just never know...

At 8am I heard what I wanted to hear. A gobbler let loose somewhere below me and was gobbling on his own. Game on!

I moved from my original spot and got about 200 yards closer and could tell he was somewhere near the bottom of the ridge. I kept working my way down listening to him to pinpoint his location. Once I reached the bottom I realized he was across the holler and on a bench about half way up the other side. He was on FIRE but with the lay of the land I was afraid getting any closer would bust him. With no other option I sat down beside the fourwheeler trail with very little cover and pegged the Montana miss purr-fect decoy right beside me.

After about 15 minutes of listening to him he shut up so I just sat watching the hillside. It wasn't long and I spotted him walking across the hillside and starting to head away from me. I quickly zoomed in on him with my camera to get some footage as he got into an open spot in the timber. What happened next I will never forget! As he hits the open area he locks up, craning his head around a tree staring right at my decoy! He takes two steps backward never taking his eyes off the decoy and turns around. At this point I'm thinking "ok he's turned that's good...maybe he will walk down here..". He walks about ten yards and I can tell he's excited. Then all the sudden he takes flight and here he comes!

Pretty sure I said in my head "oh crap! Get the safety off this is gonna happen quick!" LOL. I clicked the safety off while trying to follow him with the camera and he landed right in the fourwheeler trail about 60 yards away just out of sight. At this point I knew he was dead if I just did my part. It wasn't a minute and he here comes strutting up the road. At around 20 yards I had a wide open shot and I dropped him with the Mossberg 500 20ga! :mrgreen:

I'm a little sad to see my 2017 over, but with two great birds and my sons first I am extremely thankful for the blessed season I had. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

19.25lbs
9" beard
1 3/16" spurs
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