Turkey Tag Filled

[BlacktailBowhunter]

The pics are not the best, because my camera battery went dead on me while I was taking a picture of one of my construction projects.

I had the opportunity to schedule a couple of meetings for the opener down in Roseburg and Bandon, so I was able to take advantage of hunting the first 3 hours of daylight and the last 2 hours of daylight and work in between.

I was in blind at 4:50 a.m. After fly down first thing, I had a hen yelping her butt off, so I matched her yelp for yelp and cut her off a few times. I was able to pull a group of Jakes in to 20 yards before the hen took them with her. This group looked to have 4+ inch beards, but there were 4 nice toms that went the other direction a few minutes earlier and were still at about 200 yards, so I held off on the 4 inchers, because I was hoping to pull a big tom in, but it didn't happen. No bird for the morning hunt.

After working all day, I was able to return and get into my blind just before 5:00pm. My friend Rick had sat this blind with a youngster on Saturday evening and told me he had a nice gobbler just out of range that came from the opposite side of where we had put the decoy the morning that Robert and Nick got theirs, so I took advantage of this info and set up accordingly.

It was slow and I heard distant gobblers. I was calling about every 15 minutes and finally at about 7:00pm I got a gobble that sounded like it was within 100 yards. I started to call to it and it didn't respond, so I just got quiet and waited figuring he was close enough to hear me and know exactly where I was, so I didn't want to over call. I kept checking my peep holes on the blind and finally at about 7:35, I saw a bird, then another, and another, and then I saw all six jakes.

All but one had what looked like 4+ inch beards, so I decided to take one. I looked through my peep hole and when they got within 10 yards of my blind, I drew my bow and waited for them to pass my open window. They were bunched up and going into strut for my Dave Smith Decoy. I waited until the lead bird got a half a step in front of the other and let him have it with my Hoyt Ultratech tipped with a Rage expandable broadhead.

He dropped in his tracks. That Rage did the trick and a couple of the other birds jumped and kicked at the dead bird while he flapped. Then the others kind of sat there looking around, so I held still for a minute to let them settle. Then I reached for my cam corder, so I could atleast get some footage, but the batteries were dead. The batteries in my digital camera were dead as well. After the weekend, I got home for 1 night and when I left town again, I just threw my gear in my work car and forgot all about recharging the batteries in the cameras and didn't have the charge cords with me. It is a sick feeling when field photos are so important.

After the harvest, I jumped in my car, grapped some ice for the bird, and drove back home. I had Robert take these in my back yard this morning. It was a fun hunt.


4 1/2 inch

[AtItAgain]

Congrats on the bird!

I can not wait to get out later this week.

[beardbuster]

Nice work Paul. Only two more tags to fill

[DukAddict]

Congrats Paul! You have had an awesome turkey season so far from Youth hunts to your very own tag, youve done a great job

Brett Neffendorf

[micah]

Nice turkey Paul! Are you going to try to bag your next one with the recurve?

[Fishing With Larry]

Looks like you're hunting in a high fence area!

Just kidding, good work. I hope to have my turn on Friday but it will need to be a dumb one and give me an extra second or two to shoot left handed since I still can't shoulder a gun with my right since the surgery. I might end up being the designated caller and photographer.

[spit&drum]

Nice job, the big one is out there waiting for you. My next bird is with the bow after i call one up for elk guide and my son. nice bird.

[STRUTTIN-1]

[Art Vandeley]

Nice Work!

Mitch

[RidgeRunner]

Congrats on your turkey.

[Newbs]

Nice bird...

What are you doing with the feathers?? I'm a fly tier!!! I use the long white tipped tail feathers for stonefly wings... If you're not going to keep them send me a PM.

Jim

[Johnandhis4x4]

Nice bird, congrats!

[jjelkhorn]

Great going Paul!

[mount'em]

Great job with a bow

[BlacktailBowhunter]

Thanks guys. I am heading out this afternoon for an extended weekend and should have more photos up Sun or Mon. My ol'lady is going with and this will be her first turkey hunt.

[Don Becker]

Very nice bird. Congratulations. Don

[Tilla]

That's real fine!

[Joe]

Nice work! One of these days I am gonna have to kill a turkey with my bow....