My first gobbler

Stories of your favorite gobbler hunts.
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ICDEDTURKES
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My first gobbler

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

The story of my first gobbler starts well before I even killed the turkey.. In the late 80's early 90s turkeys had just begun to take a foothold in our area but were somewhat a rare sight.. Dad was learning the ropes and found a way to be successful each spring.. When I was 6 I remember wanting nothing more than a turkey call.. One day I was with dad heading to a sporting goods store and remember bugging and bugging for a turkey call the whole way there, while we were there and on the way home.. Needless to say dad said I didn't need a turkey call.. By some miracle as we pulled in the yard that afternoon, there was a flock of turkeys, the first ones we ever had in the yard.. Shortly after I received my first mouth call, a Perfection Camo Raspy..

After that, in the winters we started to feed the turkeys.. Our yard would be covered in turkeys.. They would roost in the pines on the edge of the yard and even on our house in which I have pics somewhere.. The turkeys would actually come to our glass slider throughout the day pecking on the glass indicating they wanted food.. Over the next few years I spent considerable time in the yard with the turkeys and my turkey calls.. I even developed a decent voice yelp back than listening to the turkeys, I believe puberty destroyed that. I loved as the weather broke in early spring being able to listen to gobbling outside my bedroom window.. When the weather broke they would depart for other areas.. This lasted for a few years until mom grew tired of our deck being covered in green goo.. After a few weeks of fire crackers they finally decided to take residence elsewhere.

Fast Forward to the spring I turned 12.. I was so excited that I had been drawn for a license.. Back then there was no guarantees of a tag and was a lottery.. I was so excited to have drawn the first season before the birds had become "educated and call shy".. I read alot of the popular hunting media back than and had bought into these perceptions.

We had permission to hunt a handful of properties within a few miles of the house and most folks thought you were nuts to go turkey hunting... With knowledge from my turkey hunting magazines, the evening before my hunt I knew I had to go roost a turkey for morning.. Seeings that I was 12 and could not drive, I walked across the road from my house with my trusty Brown HS Strut can hooter.. I crossed the river and rounded the bend and much to my shock stood 3 lone gobblers in strut.. I dove for some brush and watched them fly up.. I than proceeded to make an unneccessary step and hoot and make them gobble till the sky turned dark.. I ran home so fast I do not believe my feet touched the ground as I excitedly told dad of the turkeys..

Dad had decided that I could skip school that morning and hunt these turkeys by myself do to the fact I had handled a gun for my whole life and he would move to the back of the property a couple hundred yards away.. I woke up that morning on pins and needles.. I remember sitting on the commode that morning reading a turkey hunting magazine gathering any information I could last minute.

Dad walked me to a large cedar and loaded the SXS 12 gauge with 2 3/4 inch Remington high brass 4s.. I walked my Feather Flex Hen (the one with the huge head) out in the hay field 20 yards and moved back to the cedar.. I sat there nervously waiting for daylight. As daylight broke I remember hitting the owl call, because that was what magazines said to do, they gobbled.. I than proceeded to do what every new hunter is compelled to do, I yelped with my HS strut Mag 2.5 mouth call they gobbled, I yelped, they gobbled, I yelped they gobbled. This went on for what seemed like forever and I heard them pitch down in the cedars below me.. I yelped they gobbled, I yelped they Gobbled.. Finally after some time they marched single file up the small rise from the cedars into the hayfield where they saw my decoy.. They walked out to the decoy not 20 yards away and strutted in circles.. I had been warned of shooting birds in full strut and one finally picked his head up.. Probably to me shaking like I leaf.. I put the bead of the SXS on his head and closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger.. When my eyes opened my turkey was flopping... I ran out there and dad was just a few seconds getting up there.. He said he was going to the back of the property but sat 100 yards from me to take in the show.. The bird was most likely a 2 yr old as it had a 9 inch beard.. Back than with turkey hunting somewhat in its infancy around here, it was all about beard length. As dad and I admired my turkey we heard the bus honking at my house as a last call for school.. I spent the rest of the day hunting with dad instead..

Knowing now what I didnt know then I cannot believe all the mistakes I had made but was still successful.. The calling was probably horrible, but I did have considerable practice time in, in the proceeding years with the turkeys in the backyard.. The following years before I could drive, Dads friends would pick me up to call for them as in our state with no heritage of turkey hunting even the older guys were horrible on calls with no Dad, Grandad etc to show them the ropes..

Sorry for the long read guys.. Alot of this stuff just comes back to you once you start remembering how everything unfolded.
drenalinld
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by drenalinld »

Awesome story! I wish I had started at that age.
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Gobbler
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Gobbler »

Awesome X2 . Enjoyed that read.
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hawglips
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by hawglips »

Nice story!
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Hambone79
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Hambone79 »

I enjoyed that.. Thanks
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Stinky J Picklestein
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Stinky J Picklestein »

Sweet story, mang! I remember it being all about beard length back then, too. If fact, I didn't even save the spurs off the first few birds I shot.
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Thanks guys.. I still hunt there a quite a bit and we have shot a good number of birds over there over the years.

Few years back it was pretty cool.. I roosted 3 gobblers with hens in the same exact spot and had a very similar hunt minus alot of the mistakes.. I teared up a bit after that hunt thinking how much I have learned and have to learn about these birds.. And also how much more simple the sport was back than and life in general.. Alot of times now I take this sport so serious it takes alot of the fun out of it..

But for all that changed in the 15 or so years between the hunts, that feeling was still the same..
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FuzzSawyer
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by FuzzSawyer »

Stinky J Picklestein wrote:Sweet story, mang! I remember it being all about beard length back then, too. If fact, I didn't even save the spurs off the first few birds I shot.
Same here about the spurs. No telling what I threw in the ditch!
Roy
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Roy »

:thumbup:
" Y'all keep discussing it among yourselves...I'm sneakin' in to pop the noisy one. " - Stinky J Picklestein
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Hobie
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Hobie »

Great story
Do you have any pictures to go with the stories.I have one picture of my first gobbler that was from an instant camera wish I would of had a better camera back in those days
I thought you would be BIGGER
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ICDEDTURKES
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by ICDEDTURKES »

Yeah Hobie I do somewhere.. Funny back than dad never took pics of turkeys.. Didnt even know how to correctly pose em LOL I really need to get a good scanner and get some of that stuff put into digital..
Treerooster
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Treerooster »

A good story with a good cup of coffee starts a guys day off right.

Thanks. :thumbup:
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ncturkey
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by ncturkey »

That is a great story. Sound like you had a great Dad. It reminds my of my first turkey. My first turkey call was a Perfection mouth call too. I sure am glad them boys are back in hunting world. I too would love to see that picture. Them were the good ole days for sure. Thanks for sharing, Mike
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redarrow
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by redarrow »

Great read Tom . I well remember my first. Pure luck.
Put you plans in the nail scarred hands.
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Grover
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Re: My first gobbler

Post by Grover »

Good stuff there.
Great story.
"INFIDEL"
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