My First Turkey :)

D3smartie · 05-08-2007, 07:38 AM

Went to Idaho this weekend to try to get my first turkey. And it didnt take long

Saturday morning my dad, myself and my dad's friend Sam pulled up to one of his spots and at ten minutes to 5 heard our first gobble. He was quite a ways off in the distance but we quickly set off down a logging road to the edge of some heavier timber where they like to roost. Pausing every now and then to call along the way.
The little hill we were on had good roosting timber on the top edges, good feeding area on a little flat at the top and clear cuts around the sides.
We get to the edge of the clear cut and call again and quickly get a gobble right back. The sun is just coming up and the lake below us is alive with activity. Geese and mallards making a racket as well as the turkeys we are after. Quickly we skirted up through the edge of the timber to the top of the ridge and called again. The gobble made it sound like the birds were right on the next ridge over. So we got into the heavy timber, snuck around the top of the next draw and sat down to hopefully call him in.
Well either the birds had moved or we had heard in correctly but the next gobble we heard was again on the other side of the next draw. So we take off again chasing these birds.
We get to the top of the next draw and call, and a gobble comes back that is right over a little rocky outcropping ahead of us. The birds are maybe 70 yards away at this point. So i sneak up to the rocks and crawl up on to the knob peaking into the clear cut. I can see some movement down to my left so i sit down into a little depression and get ready. My dad sneaks up to my left and sits down as well. Sam backs up and calls again. Through the brush i can see 4 birds coming right at us, pausing to gobble and go into a half strut before they keep coming. I signal to Sam that they are coming and he slowly works his way backwards calling and drawing the birds in. For a moment it looks like they are going to head down to my right at about 30 yards, but instead they keep coming right at me. 4 birds all in a row. Well, i let them get to about 20 feet before the lead bird split off to the right and gave me a clean shot. And down he went in a hurry. On the shot, the 3 remaining gobble again, so my dad stands up from his position and whacks one more.
2 nice jakes on the ground by 6:00. A great way to start a morning

beardbuster · 05-08-2007, 07:54 AM

sounds like evrything worked out according to plan

Good Job!!

007SPRIG · 05-08-2007, 07:57 AM

Great hunt. Thanks for sharing the adventure. Can't wait to get back out there and chase some redheads myself.

sliverpicker · 05-08-2007, 04:21 PM

Well done!

Congratulations on getting a bird under your belt.

johndeeregreen · 05-08-2007, 06:35 PM

Great birds

Limbhanger · 05-08-2007, 06:42 PM

Congrats on your first bird......

BlacktailBowhunter · 05-08-2007, 06:54 PM

Nice job.

buckhunter · 05-08-2007, 07:58 PM

Nothing better than your first turkey! Another addict! BH

Art Vandeley · 05-08-2007, 08:50 PM

Congrats!! Theres nothing like turkey huntin in the spring.:grin:

duckboy · 05-08-2007, 09:12 PM

What a great picture too! Nice work on those birds... I am jealous.

duck_crazy101 · 05-09-2007, 07:21 AM

what they said

D3smartie · 05-09-2007, 03:48 PM

now i just want to get a longbeard that i call in myself. I can;t wait to get back out there.
if i could just get that damn diaphram call thing down... i swear i almost puke every time

sliverpicker · 05-09-2007, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D3smartie

now i just want to get a longbeard that i call in myself. I can;t wait to get back out there.
if i could just get that damn diaphram call thing down... i swear i almost puke every time

Get yourself a quality slate or other friction type call. They work wonders on love struck gobblers!

thehunt · 05-09-2007, 05:56 PM

Nice work buddy. It's a spring addiction that will never leave you.

Yeti · 05-09-2007, 06:55 PM

Sweet! I am going to go up and try to arrow one on the property we fished.

A new twist on cast and blast.

Limbhanger · 05-09-2007, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sliverpicker

Get yourself a quality slate or other friction type call. They work wonders on love struck gobblers!

Sliver is right on. You dont have to even own a mouth call to kill turkeys. A friction call will kill birds consistently......If you can't handle having the reeds in your mouth just forget about them and MASTER the other calls. A good friction call can reproduce ALL of the turkey sounds including a Kee Kee. It is all about practicing.
Good Luck.

Idahoan · 05-09-2007, 07:32 PM

Congrats!!!

D3smartie · 05-10-2007, 07:39 AM

good luck Yeti- that is some great country up there. I loved that little place.

Eric Strand · 05-12-2007, 05:58 PM

David, Congrats. Hunting turkeys in the spring time is addicting as fishing. I'm glad you got into some birds.

" Shoot em with their feet down "
Eric Strand

CombinationLicense · 05-14-2007, 11:42 AM

Kudos D3smartie, I know you're hooked like the rest of us now

BTW, I can't get the hang of the mouth call either but my boys and I have killed 5 birds this year. I like a slate call and they're inexpensive. I also have a gun mounted push button call that works great. On opening weekend (after we were tagged out) I called a nice Tom right into camp with it.... The slate did the trick last Saturday

"CL"

Super Fluke · 05-14-2007, 07:25 PM

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!