BAD BIRDS

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appalachianassassin
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BAD BIRDS

Post by appalachianassassin »

every year about this time I like to read all of my favorite turkey oriented books. one of my favorites being a book called bad birds by jim spencer. it makes my think back through time about my own bad birds, some of which I eventually killed or let a friend kill. but most of which im still cussing to this day. one of the very baddest was a bird named tiny.
tiny lived on a very familiar part of the mountain where I started my turkey hunting obsession years before. a place where I had taken my first gobbler and have killed a truck bed full there since. he was the first bird I heard gobble that spring and gobbled his feathery butt off every time I would go listen. I was sure to kill him opening day and thought all my other scouting efforts were for my 2nd bird of the season.
opening morning I found myself right where I knew I was going to be a month prior. I didn't roost the bird the night before, didn't need too. he had been in the same tree every day for over a month and had flown down too the same flat where I killed my very first longbeard more mornings than not.
As the mornings first light graced me with its presence. birds started chirping, crows were cawing, and yep......right in the middle of it, tiny was gobbling his tiny azz off. you may be starting to wonder how tiny got his name. well, its pretty self explanatory. he was and probably always will be the smallest mature gobbler ive ever seen. I mean as small as a large hen with a pencil thin 9'' beard . but, from watching him through the Nikons. I knew he had one of the finest set of spurs ive seen on a mountain bird to this day. back to the hunt.
there was tiny......gobbling his throat sore 50 yds above the flat that he loved to strut in and there was me trying to decide what bird I was going to hunt the next day, sitting on the far side of the small flat. this was going to be a quick kill. it wasn't...
I know some of you call to roosted birds. im a percentage hunter and my calling strategy is based on my own percentages. being that calling to roosted birds has mostly been the same as a kick to the nuts, I don't do it......ever
tiny came off the roost kinda early that first of many mornings and landed on a ivy covered knob that was level with his roost. again, being a percentage hunter, I don't call unless I think there is a good chance ill kill the bird. he gobbled a few times from the knob then headed straight up through a massive laurel thicket that covers most every ridge around here. I left having never made a sound.
next morning, same exact story. he hit in the same place, gobbled a few times and headed straight up the side of the mountain. on the third morning, I found myself sitting on the knob he had flown down too the previous 2 mornings. but, for the first time, he had hens with him and all of them went straight away. I wont bore you with the events of the next 6 days.
the reason I kept hunting tiny was simple, the other birds weren't gobbling. back up to day 5 hunting tiny. the first gobble he let out brought on another gobble across the road 1/2 mile away. finally another turkey to hunt. I remember point up at his roost and saying a few choice words. across the road I went and 1 hour later I had a turkey on my back. my best turkey to date with over a foot of beard and a bonefide 1 5/8 set of hooks.
for the next couple weeks I would start out set up on tiny, eventually hear another turkey fire up and happily go after it. it wasn't long until I was out of tags in two states. where tiny roosted was no joke within 30 yards of the tn/nc state line.
then one night I get a phone call from a guy wanting to hunt with me. knowing the guy and how he hunted(cornpile hunter) I thought to myself im gonna teach you a lesson. we set up in a spot I knew the turkey wouldn't come too. sure enough he started gobbling from his normal roost and I remember thinking to myself im gonna make every mistake I possibly can.
I made flydown cackles on 3 different calls, beat my hat on my leg, yelped as loud as I could, coughed, I knew we didn't have a chance. of chorse, tiny shut up and I had a grin a mile wide. the smile didn't last long, when in disbelief, I heard the unmistakable sound of a turkey drumming.
I was saying the f word over and over under my breath when the guy says I see him hes 20 yds. I was thinking you limey f-er, you don't deserve this turkey. well, it didn't matter. the Mossberg gave the report and there lay tiny in a pile of feathers. the bird ended up weighing a little over 11 lbs with a set of 1 3/8 fishhook spurs. he ranks in the top 2 or 3 toughest birds ive ever hunted. but youll never convince mr cornpile of that.
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OLE RASPY
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by OLE RASPY »

What A story I was right there with ya. Good read.
TURKEYS
COYOTES
DEER
SQUIRRELS
(all in this order)
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by RapscallionVermilion »

Fun read, thanks for sharing. Agree on Bad Birds. Great book.
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by Hoobilly »

I had a gobbler that I messed up on, and had so many wrong things happen I went on tabother gobbler and killed it. Told a buddy who didn’t get to hunt much where to go and he killed him like nothing. I feel the pain
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batsonbe
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by batsonbe »

Loved the story. Thanks for sharing. Not to steal your thread, but add to it. I hunted the same bird for 14 mornings before I killed him about 6 years ago. It was tough working till 10-11 at night and getting up at 330am to go chase him but persistence paid off for me.
It took me that long to kill him because the hens would always get to him before him to me. Nature of wildlife... the hen is suppose to go to the gobbler.
This was the Mac daddy in that creek bottom. The day I killed him I worked him for almost 4 hours. I watched him gobble and strut down in the bottom just out of range for what seemed like for ever. He finally broke strut and left the bottom to get up on this low level ridge and he would pace back and forth for probably 75 yards just gobbling, strutting, and drumming.
Around 10am the hen, who acted so interested in him, me, not showing up after so long of course he came to look for me. Lucky for me I guess he had already met all the local gals and I was the only one left.
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soiltester
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by soiltester »

Great read :thumbup:

BUT remember, turkeys don't read books :shock:
ever wonder where the white goes when the snow melts??
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by PennBirdy »

Very cool story! You never know when you’re gonna catch those tough ones in a “not so tough” mood. A good buddy of mine also recommended Bad Birds as a great read. I’ll have to pick up a copy!
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appalachianassassin
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by appalachianassassin »

PennBirdy wrote: March 4th, 2018, 1:26 pm Very cool story! You never know when you’re gonna catch those tough ones in a “not so tough” mood. A good buddy of mine also recommended Bad Birds as a great read. I’ll have to pick up a copy!
I also suggest illumination in the flat woods. you can get these at tomkellyinc.net
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SwampDrummin
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by SwampDrummin »

End of that story gave me that hollow feeling in my chest. Ugh, i’m Sick for ya over that one
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by SwampDrummin »

End of that story made have me that hollow feeling in my chest. Ugh, i’m Sick for ya over that one
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by ncturkey »

Great read. Sorry for ya. That Bad Bird want you to be bad and you did not know it. What did you learn from that Bad Bird. For me there are no rules in turkey hunting. Adjust, adapt, impervise and you will prevail. Most of the time that is. Turkey are just being turkeys.
Last edited by ncturkey on March 6th, 2018, 9:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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appalachianassassin
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by appalachianassassin »

ncturkey wrote: March 6th, 2018, 9:45 am Great read. Sorry for ya. That Bad Bird what you to be bad and you did not know it. What did you learn from that Bad Bird. For me there are no rules in turkey hunting. Adjust, adapt, impervise and you will prevail. Most of the time that is. Turkey are just being turkeys.
you got it :thumbup: what part on nc you in
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by makeumgobble »

im gonna be honest, i call to a bird, in the tree on the ground, across a river, on an island, wherever, and to watch a bird fly down and go away with out calling is ludicrus to me, i mean the day you called he came to you, lesson learned, but to each his own, im in the piedmont of nc, ever wanna swap a hunt, holler
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by strutnva »

Assassin,

Good read there, I will be waiting on your book when you write it.
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by DC1. »

soiltester wrote: March 4th, 2018, 7:43 am Great read :thumbup:

BUT remember, turkeys don't read books :shock:
Bad Turkeys write books Though! ;)
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by ncturkey »

I live in Gastonia, NC I hunt the mountains and the foothills.
Mike
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by Hoobilly »

ncturkey wrote: March 6th, 2018, 9:25 pm I live in Gastonia, NC I hunt the mountains and the foothills.
Mike thinks we need to add a Bad Birds post in the Hunting Tales forum.. anyone else think that is a good idea? I like that idea
Don't start none, won't be none!

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appalachianassassin
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by appalachianassassin »

ncturkey wrote: March 6th, 2018, 9:25 pm I live in Gastonia, NC I hunt the mountains and the foothills.
ive got a couple friends from Gastonia. Eustace Conway(mountain men) and his brother judson
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appalachianassassin
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by appalachianassassin »

hoobilly wrote: March 7th, 2018, 11:57 pm
ncturkey wrote: March 6th, 2018, 9:25 pm I live in Gastonia, NC I hunt the mountains and the foothills.
Mike thinks we need to add a Bad Birds post in the Hunting Tales forum.. anyone else think that is a good idea? I like that idea
I like the idea as well
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by ncturkey »

appalachianassassin wrote: March 8th, 2018, 1:34 am
ncturkey wrote: March 6th, 2018, 9:25 pm I live in Gastonia, NC I hunt the mountains and the foothills.
ive got a couple friends from Gastonia. Eustace Conway(mountain men) and his brother judson
Cool
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by ncturkey »

appalachianassassin wrote: March 8th, 2018, 1:34 am
ncturkey wrote: March 6th, 2018, 9:25 pm I live in Gastonia, NC I hunt the mountains and the foothills.
ive got a couple friends from Gastonia. Eustace Conway(mountain men) and his brother judson
Do they post much? I have not seen them on here much.
Mike
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appalachianassassin
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by appalachianassassin »

neither are members here. mountain men I was referring to is the tv show
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by ncturkey »

Gotcha
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by Jim Spencer »

Hey, all you turkey book readers: Bad Birds 2 is now available, and I don't see a lot of your names on my recent mailing list. They're here, waiting to be shipped to you. Send me an email (no PMs please, I don't get on here often enough.) modernmountainman@gmail.com.

Thanks, y'all. Papa needs a new turkey gun...
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Re: BAD BIRDS

Post by Jim Spencer »

Yoo hoo, anybody out there? Christmas is getting closer every day.

Bad Birds 2, the new book, is $22 plus $5 s&h whether by check or PayPal. Unlimited additional copies are $18 each with no additional postage. My other two turkey books (Turkey Hunting Digest and the original Bad Birds) are $12 each when purchased with a BB2. That’s a substantial discount, since Turkey Hunting Digest retails at $25 and Bad Birds 1 is $16.

To order, send the appropriate amount by check to Treble Hook Unlimited, P.O. Box 758, Calico Rock, AR 72519. If you want to go through PayPal, make your payment to the account of modernmountainman@gmail.com.

Either way you order, please provide a full mailing address, email address and what books you want and how you want them inscribed, or if you want them left blank. PayPal is inconsistent in providing important details like that, and if I don’t know what you want, I can’t deliver it.

Thanks, y'all. And by the way, Hoobilly, I think a Bad Birds section in Hunting Tales would be a good idea.
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