Turkey 23'

[dennishoddy]

View attachment 368699
He’s a bit too young to get out with him during youth season, but we got out yesterday. Had some big gobblers close first thing in the morning but little buddy couldn’t see them so they got a pass. Ended up with a Jake, but he got to see and participate in the whole thing. He held still and strictly followed instructions (which was a surprise, haha) and he was “calling” with his mouth every time I used a diaphragm, haha. We ate junk food, Found some sheds and shot some 22s too, pretty good day.

The look on your son's face says it all! Congrats Dad!

Big congrats to ElkstalkR's wife on the bird!

 

[Okie4570]

View attachment 368822
Wife filled her tag this morning. It was some work. Birds haven’t been working worth a hoot the last couple of days but got this one to finally commit.

Congrats! Nebraska or OK bird?

 

[retrieverman]

After spending the morning and half the afternoon funeraling and visiting with family I don’t see too often, I decided to give turkey hunting another try this evening. I set up in a different spot than yesterday, and with it being hot and windy, I didn’t have much hope of seeing anything. I was texting with Okie4570 and complaining about the heat, wind, and nats, and every once in a while, I’d hit my call. I heard what I thought was clucking behind me to my left, but because of the way I was set up, I couldn’t see that direction. I hit the call again, and about a minute later, this tom walked around my ground blind on my right. My blind was positioned under and behind a locust tree, and when the tom went around the tree, I was able to get my gun up for a shot. He stopped at 8 yards, and I dropped him with one of my handloads out my combo gun. The beard was 6.5” and the spurs were 7/8” and 1”.

 

[Okie4570]

After spending the morning and half the afternoon funeraling and visiting with family I don’t see too often, I decided to give turkey hunting another try this evening. I set up in a different spot than yesterday, and with it being hot and windy, I didn’t have much hope of seeing anything. I was texting with Okie4570 and complaining about the heat, wind, and nats, and every once in a while, I’d hit my call. I heard what I thought was clucking behind me to my left, but because of the way I was set up, I couldn’t see that direction. I hit the call again, and about a minute later, this tom walked around my ground blind on my right. My blind was positioned under and behind a locust tree, and when the tom went around the tree, I was able to get my gun up for a shot. He stopped at 8 yards, and I dropped him with one of my handloads out my combo gun. The beard was 6.5” and the spurs were 7/8” and 1”.
View attachment 368868
View attachment 368869
View attachment 368870

That's a good bird! I'm going to take partial credit for your success though, since I had to talk you through the onslaught of Buffalo gnats that you were experiencing

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Congrats Mrs Elk and Retriever on your birds!

 

[AER244]

Thank y’all. It was indeed a damn good day. Im hoping to brainwash him into loving this stuff as much as I do, so I take him every chance I get-weather permitting. It might be working, he was asking about deer season on the way home…

 

[AER244]

After spending the morning and half the afternoon funeraling and visiting with family I don’t see too often, I decided to give turkey hunting another try this evening. I set up in a different spot than yesterday, and with it being hot and windy, I didn’t have much hope of seeing anything. I was texting with Okie4570 and complaining about the heat, wind, and nats, and every once in a while, I’d hit my call. I heard what I thought was clucking behind me to my left, but because of the way I was set up, I couldn’t see that direction. I hit the call again, and about a minute later, this tom walked around my ground blind on my right. My blind was positioned under and behind a locust tree, and when the tom went around the tree, I was able to get my gun up for a shot. He stopped at 8 yards, and I dropped him with one of my handloads out my combo gun. The beard was 6.5” and the spurs were 7/8” and 1”.
View attachment 368868
View attachment 368869
View attachment 368870

That’s a great bird. He’s heavy! We’re not too far south of you and weve rarely shot one that heavy. Our bigger ones are usually 20-23lbs. And I’m surprised you had a gnat problem, the wind kept em down for us . It also ripped some siding off our house

 

[Okie4570]

That’s a great bird. He’s heavy! We’re not too far south of you and weve rarely shot one that heavy. Our bigger ones are usually 20-23lbs. And I’m surprised you had a gnat problem, the wind kept em down for us . It also ripped some siding off our house

They're nonexistent at my place only not very far away, but we've got zero water around, and he does so I'm sure that makes a difference.

 

[retrieverman]

They're nonexistent at my place only not very far away, but we've got zero water around, and he does so I'm sure that makes a difference.

They weren’t as bad yesterday on the south side of the river as they were on Sunday on the north side.

 

[Okie4570]

They weren’t as bad yesterday on the south side of the river as they were on Sunday on the north side.

They base off of water, so the hard south wind yesterday would have kept them on the north side of the river for the most part and it was much windier yesterday than the North wind on Sunday, and Sunday's wind probably wasn't hard enough to mess with them much.