Turkey hunting success pics(post em here)

[r00s7a]

Knocked one down this morning down on the Kiamichi River by Antlers. Set up in one place, spent bout 20 minutes making a good blind, about the time I sit down I hear him gobbling his head off but he was a good ways off and across a creek, a fence, and another gully. Sat there for a few minutes trying to decide what to do, finally just said screw it. Yanked up one of my decoys, jumped the fence and creek and came to an opening close to where I heard him. Hit the crow call and made him gobble and he was too close for comfort. I started to put the decoy out real quick and realized I had lost my stake on the way, so I just kind of sat her upright in the tall grass. Ran back and sat by a tree and not ten seconds later he popped out about 80 yards away. Just in time! He put on a show for a while and slowly made his way in. About 40 yards out I couldn't stand it any longer, so I dropped the hammer. Nice bird, 23 lbs, 10 inch beard, 3/4" spurs. My first eastern.

[Broken External Image]

 

[dennishoddy]

Nice birds guys!

 

[J.T.]

Right On rOOs7a!! First leg of the Okie Slam and a month left. You guys that know, how far east in OK does a guy need to go to be in prodominatly Eastern habitat?

 

[bigcountryok]

You guys that know, how far east in OK does a guy need to go to be in prodominatly Eastern habitat?

Not sure where the line is, but I've found them around Atoka and east in the past. If you've never hunted them before, they are very quiet birds and with change roosting paterns. Best bet is to pater feeding areas and strut zones and be prepared for them to come in dead quiet. Last several Easterns I've killed barely made a peep.

 

[bigcountryok]

Nice birds r00s7a and handelbar!!!

 

[r00s7a]

Right On rOOs7a!! First leg of the Okie Slam and a month left. You guys that know, how far east in OK does a guy need to go to be in prodominatly Eastern habitat?

J.T. - Check out this link and it gives you a map of breed distributions throughout Oklahoma. Was hunting around Little City which is Kingston/Madill area years ago and we called in three jakes. There was a substantial difference between a couple of the turkeys. The one I shot was a Rio and the one my buddy killed I'm pretty sure was a hybrid. I'd like to post the pic if I can find it because side by side the turkeys look quite a bit different.

http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/turkeydistribution.jpg

And bigcountry, I could not agree with you more. I am used to killing Rio's, and to me, they are loud and not as sly. I have hunted Easterns some, but to me they are a lot less vocal and tend to be on the sneaky side. This fellar I brought home this morning was very vocal, but I think he was an exception. Hell I was 75 yards from him last night when he roosted and he never made a peep. Thought I heard him fly up, but I called gently a couple of times and he wouldn't give it up. And like you said, they seem to roost somewhere different every night. Not sure if it is because there are a lot more trees to choose from down here in SE Oklahoma as opposed to western areas, or what, but they can damn sure outsmart a man.

 

[oneshotonekill]

Good job fellas!! Nice birds.

 

[dennishoddy]

Not sure where the line is, but I've found them around Atoka and east in the past. If you've never hunted them before, they are very quiet birds and with change roosting patterns. Best bet is to pater feeding areas and strut zones and be prepared for them to come in dead quiet. Last several Easterns I've killed barely made a peep.

A couple of years ago I guided a guy from Minnesota at Kaw Lake. He hunted easterns.
We went to the field, and I did the run and gun thing which totally freaked him out.
Second day, I told him that we would do it his way. We set up and did 13 hours in the same blind. Every hour he put out a little yelp, and a few clucks.
Then sat for another hour.
Nothing came around.
Next day he had to fly out at noon, so I took him to a private place that I had, and did a blind set.
We set up at 4 am and soon found out that the birds were 20 yds from us.
At fly down he shot his bird.
Easterns are different from Rio,s from what I've learned.

 

[sesh]

You guys that know, how far east in OK does a guy need to go to be in prodominatly Eastern habitat?

I hunt mostly down in Coal county and all I've killed is Eastern's, maybe they're hybrids but they sure look like eastern's. Not very good at posting pics but we'll see if this is good enough. You tell me, Eastern's or hybrid's or can you tell?

 

[stewball]

Got lucky again this morning. My hunting buddy and I have an ambush spot where the turkeys come every morning like clockwork. I killed mine about 7:15am and Rick killed his about 5 minutes later. This is my third season hunting turkey (ambushing is more like it, never called one in on this place). I've killed five turkeys with 5 shots, I've never been that lucky at any other kind of hunting. It really is an incredible place. Good luck to all, and nice pics of all the birds so far.


[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]