Tennessee Birds(plural)

[DocHolladay]

Our season opened April 3rd and I decided not to hunt because I had to work. I hate hunting(anything) before work in case I don’t kill anything and want to keep going. I ended up going Monday and went to a property that I just got permission a couple of weeks ago.

The turkeys were crossing the field around noon every day, so I waited until 11 to get to the property. Well, the land owner told me that the turkeys had crossed earlier and I missed them. I found out where they went and sat up as best I could without crossing a fence. I called his hen back down the hill and out in front of me. 15 minutes later, I called the Tom down the hill and out in front of me for a shot. Well, I missed.... 3 times.

I left and went to a friends house to check my red dot and found out that a screw had fallen out sometime during me hunting coyotes with my shotgun and it was allowing the saddle mount to tilt toward and back. I found a screw and fixed it pronto and shot 2 more times to make sure it was 100% sighted in.

I headed to another property that I have been coyote hunting and got permission for turkeys this year. A long 15 minute walk and I was at my spot. I yelped a couple of times without hearing a sound. I then cut and got a gobble about 100 or so yards across the creek on the neighbors. I found a spot to sit and got ready. I waited about 5 minutes and yelped without a response. I waited another 3 minutes and cut again, this time he had closed the distance and sounded like he was almost on top of me. I sat for a few more minutes and softly yelped and purred. I repeated this roughly every 3 minutes without hearing or seeing a bird. I reached to grab my call and purr again and heard a spit. I replaced the call with my shotgun and prepared to shoot. 2 toms walked out in front of me and caught my hand movement grabbing the pump of the shotgun. They ran out in front of my and I used my diaphragm to cut and stop them. I shot the biggest of the 2 and my hint was over. In total, from first gobble to dead bird was 20 minutes. I didn’t have a helper to make good photos, but it also wasn’t my biggest bird so I settled for field pics.

19lb 7oz, 1” and ⅞” spurs, and 9 ¼” beard

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[Drycreek]

Be doggone, never knew that they made a turkey spur measuring device. Learn something new every day ! Congrats on a good bird Doc.

 

[weekender21]

I second that, pretty cool spur measuring device. I’m getting my butt kicked in NC at the moment. The birds are henned up and I don’t own where they want to be.

Congrats on your bird.


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[farmer]

Nice bird. We got another one down in va this morning

 

[DocHolladay]

Be doggone, never knew that they made a turkey spur measuring device. Learn something new every day ! Congrats on a good bird Doc.

Here y’all go. I love this thing...... unless you want to exaggerate a little.

https://thebeardedbuck.com/product/true-form-spur-gauge/


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[DocHolladay]

I forgot to clock in at work a week ago, as we were having a huge sale and I wanted to start helping with the 100’s of people shopping.... and making a mess. Well, we didn’t get around to correcting it until after my time sheet was turned in for pay day. The big boss told me to come in at 2pm instead of my normal 12pm this past Friday(4-16).

I decided to take advantage of the situation and turkey hunt. I hunted a property that I only hunt when the landowner calls and tells me when he sees things(deer, coyote, turkey) and wants them shot. I didn’t see or hear a turkey at his place and proceeded to move to my brothers cattle lease. The turkeys travel back and forth from fields to the barn and back to the fields. They do his multiple times a day looking for feed from/for the cattle. I got there at 8:15, picked my spot and waited, calling sporadically.

My brother came, fed the cows and picked up a bull calf he was selling. Well, as much as I like cattle, I hate them sometimes. Once he left, they started making their way back to the fields. In the process, they noticed me tucked in under a cedar tree and gathered around for the meeting we were apparently having. I could touch #5, but she wouldn’t let me. I finally had to stand up, pull my mask off and tell them that the meeting was adjourned, but they didn’t care. I had to find a stick and start swatting #5 on the rump to get them moving. 20 minutes later and I could finally sit down and continue my hunt.

I let the cattle get out of sight and everything settle down and keep calling sporadically without any replies back. At 10:40ish, I yelped softly and got an immediate response of 2 gobblers hammering back. I put my call down, grabbed my shotgun that was on my knee and watch the 2 birds walk the woods line and enter the field. They come straight to where I am, with one strutting on and off as they come. The non-strutter had a larger beard, so I shot him and left the strutter alone. If we were allowed more than one bird a day, I could have shot him too. Instead, I left him to carry on, putting and gobbling as he left. I wish there was a way to post video without having to save it to YouTube. I videoed the strutter gobbling and putting as he left. He wanted to fight, but was also scared by not knowing what just happened.

10 ¼” beard, ⅞” spurs, 17lb 9oz.


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