# Got him...  (thought I'd share with my AAA buds)



## BANDERSNATCH (Apr 30, 2013)

Got him Saturday morning.   My son and I roosted this bird (as we had many times before) the night before where he has been roosting for the last year.    My son setup on him about 60 yards from where he roosted in a bottom, and I setup (along with Madsnooker, avid Ohio State fan whom some of you may be acquainted with from the sports forum) on a small field inside a pine block where he usually went to in the mornings.    When he flew down, he landed just out of my son's gun range, then made his way up to the pines.   After about an hour he came walking to the field we were on.   This bird, all season, has never gobbled once he flew down, and we were just about to make a move when Madsnooker caught a glimpse of him coming through the freshly thinned pines.    We hit the ground and got setup again, as the bird continued toward the field.    When he got to the small field he turned and came right down the road we were setup on.        What a great feeling it is when a gobbler steps within that 40-yd radius!       I let him get to about 25 yds then squeezed off.    

One of my best birds ever, with 11" beard and 1.25" spurs.


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## JB0704 (Apr 30, 2013)

NICE!  Congrats.

I went on my first "real" turkey hunt a few weeks back with a couple fellas you'd recognize from this forum, and even though we didn't kill a bird, that's about the most exciting huntin' I have done in years.


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## Four (Apr 30, 2013)

Darn, i've been wanting to get into turkey hunting.. nice bird.


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## stringmusic (Apr 30, 2013)

Awesome bird Bandy! Congrats


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## BANDERSNATCH (Apr 30, 2013)

JB0704 said:


> NICE!  Congrats.
> 
> I went on my first "real" turkey hunt a few weeks back with a couple fellas you'd recognize from this forum, and even though we didn't kill a bird, that's about the most exciting huntin' I have done in years.



ok, i bit.  lol    What's a "real" turkey hunt?


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## JB0704 (Apr 30, 2013)

BANDERSNATCH said:


> ok, i bit.  lol    What's a "real" turkey hunt?



One where somebody knows what the heck they're doing. 

I've been before, once or twice, but kind-of just approached it like deer huntin'.....with some odd calls thrown in the mix.  No decoys, no turkeys, just some fool in the woods wasting time.


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## BANDERSNATCH (Apr 30, 2013)

JB0704 said:


> One where somebody knows what the heck they're doing.
> 
> I've been before, once or twice, but kind-of just approached it like deer huntin'.....with some odd calls thrown in the mix.  No decoys, no turkeys, just some fool in the woods wasting time.



Oh!  lol    Well, I'm no expert by a long shot, but my harvest-per-season rate went way up when I started giving waiting them out.   I've harvested lots of birds after 10am and in to early afternoon.

Something I may ask the Turkey forum guys is this, though...      Saturday morning and Sunday morning we heard several birds gobbling within earshot of where we were hunting.    Monday morning (after the Sunday rain and being overcast and 'muggy') guess how many gobbles we heard?     Correct......NOT EVEN ONE!

Why does weather shut down the gobbles?    We hit them with our best owl calls, crow calls, yelps, whistles....everything!


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## stringmusic (Apr 30, 2013)

BANDERSNATCH said:


> Oh!  lol    Well, I'm no expert by a long shot, but my harvest-per-season rate went way up when I started giving waiting them out.   I've harvested lots of birds after 10am and in to early afternoon.
> 
> Something I may ask the Turkey forum guys is this, though...      Saturday morning and Sunday morning we heard several birds gobbling within earshot of where we were hunting.    Monday morning (after the Sunday rain and being overcast and 'muggy') guess how many gobbles we heard?     Correct......NOT EVEN ONE!
> 
> Why does weather shut down the gobbles?    We hit them with our best owl calls, crow calls, yelps, whistles....everything!



Because they are some of the oddest critters in the woods!! LOL

Sometimes they just don't want to gobble, who really knows. I personally, along with a lot of other turkey hunters, think it has a lot to do with barometric pressure, and even that's not 100%.

Check the pressure from a weather app on your phone and if the pressure is at or above 30, you *should* hear some gobbling.

Overall hunting pressure, and pressure from predators also can have alot to do with how vocal turkeys are.

So, my best answer is "pressure" in one form or another. LOL


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## BANDERSNATCH (Apr 30, 2013)

hmmm....i'll keep that in mind, String.    Very little pressure on these birds, and they had been gobbling a lot the two days prior, so it was no doubt weather related.   Cost me a hard-earned vacation day that I wish I could have back   lol  

Now, I'm gonna work on those birds near my house that I bow hunt.   I've missed twice...maybe I can connect before the season goes out.


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## stringmusic (Apr 30, 2013)

BANDERSNATCH said:


> hmmm....i'll keep that in mind, String.    Very little pressure on these birds, and they had been gobbling a lot the two days prior, so it was no doubt weather related.   Cost me a hard-earned vacation day that I wish I could have back   lol
> 
> Now, I'm gonna work on those birds near my house that I bow hunt.   I've missed twice...maybe I can connect before the season goes out.



Good luck brother.

 They are hard enough for me to kill with a shotgun. LOL


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## ted_BSR (May 4, 2013)

Four said:


> Darn, i've been wanting to get into turkey hunting.. nice bird.



Take up golf Four. It is far less frustrating, and you can drink beer while you do it.


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## bullethead (May 4, 2013)

Awesome job Bandy. The weather in WI went from gorgeous to terrible but I and a buddy were able to each kill a gobbler before the temp dropped 53 degrees and the sunshine was replaced with snow and ice. Had to cut the trip short but as you can appreciate....still worth it!!
Congrats again on your success.


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## stringmusic (May 5, 2013)

bullethead said:


> Awesome job Bandy. The weather in WI went from gorgeous to terrible but I and a buddy were able to each kill a gobbler before the temp dropped 53 degrees and the sunshine was replaced with snow and ice. Had to cut the trip short but as you can appreciate....still worth it!!
> Congrats again on your success.



Congrats Bullet!


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## Thanatos (May 5, 2013)

Awesome! Congrats!


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## hummdaddy (May 5, 2013)

congrats on a fine bird


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