Well, the DIL got her bird this morning! I took off Friday and scouted and saw 3 gobblers strutting in a field in one of the burns. I dropped pins to my son and told him that’s where I’d be in the morning. He actually listened, lol.
They set up before daylight and said there were two birds to the East of the field and one slightly North. The two East flew down and went East across the drain, and the one North pitched down North. After a little calling once it hit the deck, ole boy gave them a couple of gobbles and shut up. They thought he was coming, but never showed or made another sound.
My son said they were about to leave and head to the other side of the drain and told Kayla he was gonna stand and call because that bird had pitched over a little hill. He said he didn’t know if just standing did it or not, but that bird answered and he sat back down. Two minutes later the bird was strutting in the field. He died there as well.



She said the shed was a paid actor…

Outstanding!^^^^^^

Was back in the woods this morning building a new deerstand.

Was sitting on a log taking a smoke break.
15_18 of them varmints came down a deer trail and walked by bout 20 yards. Right by my truck with the radio blasting.

4 mature Tom's.

Didn't have my .22 with.

Good for her WB.. Nice Bird..Good on you for scouting and putting them spot on.
SwampWolf I see that Tss is still laying em out. I agree it does kill them deader..Lol.
I bought a box of #9 Thursday morning and tried one out on a long beard Friday morning.

Congrats!

Post pics!

We’ve been shooting TSS before it became a public commodity. Started buying from Apex when our shot ran out and we couldn’t get anymore. Apex 1 5/8oz loads are the only ones that give me the pattern I want. I tried I don’t know how many other manufacturers loads I tested before finding them too, lol. It’s the only shot you can see a “mist” at impact. Absolutely deadly stuff!!

Well, my one son is just jinxed.
We went Friday evening and nothing talking. Finally heard one after walking out and almost to the truck. I pulled up OnX and got a direction and location with the compass mode.

Saturday morning had us set up waiting. We heard at least 5 different gobblers and picked the closest. Now remember nothing the evening before and now birds sounding off everywhere. We get set up and I hear a gobbler and hens. I’m thinking if we can get the hens to fly to us we are set!!
Well, our bird all of a sudden isn’t very vocal despite birds all around just hammering! The first bird flys down and I’m thinking that’s a manly looking hen. The second and third birds fly down and I’m like no way…jakes!!! The fourth bird hits the deck and breaks in strut. Another jake with about a 4” beard.
I still hear the hens so I’m thinking, ok, the gobbler didn’t gobble much because of the jakes. I let the jakes work off and the hens fly down across the creek. I hit them hard wanting to get a response from the gobbler I was guessing is still in the tree.
Instead I hear “the gobble” from my left and here comes this strutting jake and his 3 brothers. I give them a minute or two and stand up to run them off. I’m telling you, that Jake sounded like an adult bird!

We move off and put in about 4miles to find one of the other birds, but had no luck. We saw birds and they’d strut when I’d call, but keep moving the direction they’d travel. None would gobble.
We went back Saturday evening hearing nothing and cut it short and went fishing for the last hour.

Sunday morning had us in a different area along a creek where we saw gobblers crossing from a burn on ours side to a clearcut on the other side.
I’ll make this short and just say my son had two opportunities at two different gobblers, but being inexperienced, he never got a shot off…one as close as 15yds!!!

We plan to try tomorrow morning because the owners come in Wednesday through Sunday so no hunting while they’re here, except for my night hunting. Really really hope we can pull it off!!

Sounds like yall are chasing plenty of birds. I have learned 90% of my turkey hunting through messing up opportunities. He will be a regular old killer in no time.

I went to a local wma yesterday for a couple hours. Heard several birds about 300 yards across a slough. Think I might put some waders on and see if I can drag one out of there in the morning.

Liking the hunt stories WB! It'll happen soon.

Sportsman94,
I've messed up a bunch of killable gobblers over the years. You're correct...that's how we learn.

Birds are acting real funny this year. Gobbling on the roost and VERY little if any after flydown. Not a lot of evening gobbling. Last year an hour before roost time they were all gobbling fools. About the only thing producing gobbles is a crow call. I have yet to have one even hit the owl hooter. I can’t figure out if they’re already done or not yet started.
Saw this strutter from several hundred yards away in this spot Sunday morning. Put a camera up and he showed back up this morning. Hoping he’s around the same area in the morning.

You know this I'm sure, but usually minimal gobbling after flydown means gobbler has hens around him. My guess is we are right in the middle of turkey reproduction.....right on schedule.

That’s the thing…we’re seeing them by themselves early…0900 and after but they won’t respond. Also seeing lone hens early, “hoping” they’re heading to nest.
It’s either that or we have a lot of crazy alphabet turkeys!!

I ended my Georgia season this morning on a nice public land bird before work. Went back where I had the birds across the slough the other day. Had waders and decided I wasn’t gonna let the slough stop me this time. I didnt want to get all the way down to the water in the dark because I knew turkeys used the high ground on my side of the slough often as well. Sure nuff I’m slipping down the hill and hear one gobble at 6:20. He hit it twice and was done for the morning. Then another fired up, and another, and another. Think I ended up hearing 5-7 birds, but to be honest, I lost track. I was only in the game for one of the gobbling birds, distance wise, anyways. I kept easing up until I was about 200 - 250 from him. . I’d have liked to get closer, but I was on the top of a little point and didn’t want to push my luck dropping down into the open swamp with him. He was on the next point over. Waited for it to get a little lighter then made some soft calls. He started double gobbling and tripping over himself. I thought, here we go. He kept gobbling, but never moved. Probably gobbled like that for 20 minutes and then they started getting fewer and farther between. I decided to loop around and get on the point he was on. By the time I made it, he was already walking the edge of the swamp away. I made a bigger loop to try to get in front of him. At this time another turkey started gobbling about 350-400 yards away so I decided I needed to try to get in between them. I set up in between the last place I heard this bird gobble and where the further one gobbled and let out some calls. The closer one cut me off and had made it past where I was. I could see further up on the hill where he was and knew I’d be too exposed so set up next to a big oak with some palmettos around. Let out a few more calls and he gobbled again closer. Shut up time. I’m pretty impatient so after several minutes of no gobbling, no walking in the leaves, and no other sign (I don’t think I am capable of hearing drumming), I decided to do some soft purring and clucking. He answered and I knew he was within 100. I could hear him moving; but couldn’t see him for awhile, then saw that white headed bopping around. I have a terrible time judging distance on turkey, but I thought he was in range when I first saw him. Decided to hang tight and see what he would do. He went behind a big log that was blown down and I knew he had a potential to leave if I gave him too long to pick apart my setup. He periscoped that head up over that log and I let him have it at 30 yards.

Fantastic! Great hunt story!

This is how ya do it^^^^^

And on public land too!!!!

Congrats S94!

Great hunt and write up!! I’ve got another week or so before my public opens.

Guess it was just a good morning all around!
With the owners coming to town tomorrow, I told my son it’s either today or wait a week or so. I took off half a day and he drove straight from work after he got off this morning.
We went to the spot the camera showed one strutting. We only heard one gobble early this morning and that was it.
I gave a call after we settled under a big oak and didn’t call again for a good 30-45min. When I did, my son said he heard one behind us in the burn. I never heard it, but as he was scanning behind us I saw movement about 150yds down the pine strip in front of us. Optics revealed two gobblers coming from the direction we’d heard a gobble earlier this morning.
Guess I don’t need to tell the rest of the story, the video covers it, lol.








Bird weighed 18.6# It had 1 1/8”spurs and Double bearded…9.5” and a 4”! You can hear him breathing heavy in the video!! Only took 8 hunts, but we finally got it done!!

Great job Zac! Must have been a bad morning to be a Georgia turkey.

It was, lol! It was a beautiful morning too. Just cool enough to keep the mosquitoes at bay and a light breeze. A fine day!

That must have been because your mosquitoes came up my way. Somehow between first and second set up my thermacell fell off my vest. I had no idea, but the buzz of their wings started getting louder and louder. At one point, I was questioning if any turkey on earth was worth dealing with those devils

I hunted yesterday am but all gobbling was where I don't have permission. Yesterday evening I set out decoys to hunt this am, but clock didn't go off. I get up and check game camera pic and had a big gobbler strutting for my decoys, so, just shot myself in the foot. I hope he'll remember the decoys and be back in the am.