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Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 8:34 am
by poorcountrypreacher
I haven't posted here much lately; been too busy turkey hunting to keep up. I did have another good season in AL and managed to get my limit of 5 gobblers. I really didn't expect to be able to do that before the season. I've got several health issues that have really slowed me down, and I didn't know if I'd be able to hunt effectively or not. I had to hunt a lot differently, but I'm thankful I can still hunt at all.

Several things helped me a lot. One was an electric golf cart. I've used one for years, but this year I used it a lot when I would have been walking in the past. I also became totally dependent on my Gobbler Lounger. I have also used it some in the past, but its all I use now. I find it is almost as comfortable as my recliner at home, and it allowed me to sit a lot longer than I could have on a stool or something. I also left the SBE in the safe and hunted exclusively with my little sxs Yildiz that weighs just 5 lbs 6 oz. Its much easier carrying and shooting than the SBE.

Turkeys did not gobble well on the tracts of land I hunt. Only 2 of the turkeys that I killed gobbled and provided me with classic-style turkey hunts. Of the other 3, one flew down in gun range before I even called, one came in quietly, and one came in drumming. There is a lot of talk of reducing the limit in AL, so I don't expect many more seasons like this one. The good news is that I am getting too old to hunt effectively anyway. :)

Good hunting to all!

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Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 9:49 am
by hobbes
I hate to hear that you're having health issues but glad to hear that you were still able to have a good season.
Congrats on your AL limit. I hope there are many more filled tags to come.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 11:32 am
by appalachianassassin
seems like you hunt very effectively walking a lot less miles per bird than me. congrats on a slammin season. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 11:42 am
by soiltester
You're still making the most of it and congrats on a limit :thumbup:

They cut SC to 3 toms this year and really doesn't matter where I hunt in the upstate, as birds are fewer every year & I suspect it's the fall deer season that makes all the hunters thankfull at Thanksgiving :banghead:

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 1:45 pm
by Reloader
Congrats on a great season Steve. Good to see you're still able to chase them despite health downfalls. Hopefully you have many, many more seasons left in you.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 3:12 pm
by strutnva
great season, congrats

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 4:37 pm
by hawglips
Congrats on another great season Steve!

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 5:35 pm
by GLS
Steve, way to go! Are you still having regulation issues with barrels poi/poa??
In looking at the cart, I think you could put a large cardboard fan on the back of it, wear a white and red ski mask, and slowly drive straight into a stutting bird. Check your local regs first. :wink:

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 6:13 pm
by pedro
Productive yet comfortable hunting. Congrats on a good season so far!

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 9:11 pm
by N2deer
Congrats Steve. I'm sure you have many more in you.
You get to where it's tough let me know and I will come help you out. I sure I could learn a few things.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 9:19 pm
by crenshawco
N2deer wrote:Congrats Steve. I'm sure you have many more in you.
You get to where it's tough let me know and I will come help you out. I sure I could learn a few things.
X2. If Brandon can't make it I'd be glad to spend a day in the woods with you. Congrats on another limit and good luck out west

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 27th, 2016, 10:25 pm
by JTown21
Keep on keepin' on PCP.
I don't see anything that's slowing you down. Congrats on an excellent season....and I too love my Lounger!!

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 28th, 2016, 7:16 am
by WoodMoose
great season, glad you had fun and have many more!

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 28th, 2016, 7:58 am
by Spuriosity
Steve, great to hear you didn't let your disabilities keep you down. Way to get out there and get after them. Congrats on a great season. I'm with you on the light shotguns. I haven't carried my 8.75# 1187 in three years. All I carry is my 6.75# O/U, and your Yildiz makes it seem heavy.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 30th, 2016, 10:13 am
by poorcountrypreacher
GLS wrote:Steve, way to go! Are you still having regulation issues with barrels poi/poa??
In looking at the cart, I think you could put a large cardboard fan on the back of it, wear a white and red ski mask, and slowly drive straight into a stutting bird. Check your local regs first. :wink:
Gil - Great idea on making the cart into a decoy, but it wouldn't be legal in AL. :)

I gave up on ever getting the Yildiz to shoot straight and decided to just let it shoot where it wants to shoot. For those who weren't around here when I first tried to set it up, the problem I had was the same I've had with almost every SXS I've tried with tungsten turkey loads - the left barrel shot way to the left and the right barrel shot to the right. Its just a characteristic of lighter SXS guns; 2 different Berettas I tried did the same thing, as well as several other cheaper guns.

I had Briley's make eccentric chokes for it, but their formula didn't work on this gun with these shells. I tried filing the chokes to pull the patterns back to center, and that did work. Unfortunately, it greatly degraded the patterns. I was only getting about 150 hits with tss#9, so I junked that idea. One of the chokes the Briley's made threw the pattern in the left barrel about 8" to the right. Their formula greatly over-compensated for the gun shooting left. I got to thinking that the left barrel was hitting about where the right barrel was with a straight choke, so I started working on it to try to set it up so that the POI was actually 8" right on both barrels. I had to file the eccentric choke a little to make it shoot to the same place as the straight right tube, but I finally got it right before this season.

So the gun shoots 8" right, but I am able to correct that with the FF sight. The right barrel with a flush .585 choke puts about 300 in the 10" circle at 40 yards. The left barrel .575 eccentric choke is erratic, and puts anywhere from 125 to 200 in the circle, but it least its to the same place. So the .585 chokes throws my tight pattern and the .575 choke throws the open pattern for close shots. :)

I don't have much confidence in the eccentric choke, so its just a backup barrel in case I need a second shot. I just shoot the right barrel and treat the gun like a single shot. Fortunately, it made clean one shot kills on all that I shot at so far. I'm going to OK with a group next week, so I hope I didn't jinx myself by saying that. :)

Thanks for all the replies, and good hunting to all!

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: April 30th, 2016, 12:50 pm
by guesswho
Congrats on a fine season.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: May 1st, 2016, 6:50 pm
by Tail Feathers
Way to improvise, adapt and overcome! Congrats on a great season.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: May 1st, 2016, 8:00 pm
by hookinembig
Great job on tagging out. I love the murdered out golf cart. The gobbler loungers are about the best thing since sliced bread as well. Also great job on not letting your health issues get in the way of doing what you love. Congrats again.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: May 2nd, 2016, 11:22 am
by Shooter
Way to get it done Steve!!! :thumbup:

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: May 2nd, 2016, 1:44 pm
by Gobbler
Awesome to read this. Congrats on a great season.

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: May 2nd, 2016, 6:19 pm
by GOLD HUNTER
:thumbup:

Re: Had a good AL season

Posted: May 3rd, 2016, 12:37 pm
by quavers16
5 toms!--- I really need to move to Alabama.