RedAllison
Well-Known Member
MAN WHATTA MORNIN!
This was a morning for the memory books. I've hunted thunder chickens for over 2 decades, killed probably 35 or so with 30+ of those being in southern MO and the rest of them being in northern MS. But today I finally got my first bird from my home state of TN and it was EXTRA SPECIAL for several reasons:
1). The gun I used was my paternal grandfathers (and namesake) he got in 1940 for his 12th birthday. It was a second hand Stevens 520 (John Moses Browning designed & patented, 520s were built from 1907-1932) 30" full choke. My grandfather always bragged about how tight this gun shot and how many turkey shoots he won "back in the day", so many in fact he said he was asked to quit bringing it. This old gun was reblued and finished many years ago by my grandfather (he passed away 21 years ago last month). Nothing fancy here but some no-mar camo tape I put on it. I left my 3.5", Nitro loaded, red dot cannons in the safe for this special trip. This bird was killed "GRAVEYARD DEAD" at 37 steps with one simple shot of Win Super X 1.25oz #6 "High Brass Game Loads".
2). This was the first bird killed on my farm since we bought it in fall of 2010.
3). This is the oldest bird I've ever killed and he truly was the "ol boss" of the flock.
He has 1 3/8" spurs & a 11 1/4" beard. I've killed much heavier birds in MO but I'd guess this west TN swamp bird in the 20# range, give or take a #. He's going to be mounted in full strut on a cypress limb in the living room of my farm house. The pic is of where he fell dead, I was sitting in the weeds on the left in the background at the waters edge. He was gobbling his head off from "pink light" and then he was the first to flydown in the farm road between the woods and my oxbow lake where most were roosted over. Then he REALLY started putting on a show gobbling and strutting. There was 2-3 more gobblers, a couple of jakes and about 6-8 hens that all flew down too him over about a 10 min period.
He flew down about 100yds from me and I could only stand there and wait for him to go into strut and turn around so that I could quickly sitdown without him seeing me. (All the while I figured I was screwed because alot of birds were roosted 100yds away in plain sight of me) He got as close as 75yds before other birds started pitching down from both the woods and the the lake. But they all landed on the otherside of him instead of between he and I. I honestly figured I'd watch them for the morning and then try and get him to come back into that strutting zone mid-morning after he was done with the hens. About that time here came a B-52 that sailed in and landed 40yds from me. (I kinda think the Lord & my grandfather musta been smiling down from above and "gave me some help") A GIANT hen, I mean she musta been the QUEEN BOSS HERSELF! She landed right in the road in front of me and I thought, "Well THIS just got ALOT better!" But honestly I still figured she'd likely go on down the road to the flock 50yds further past her. She never made the first sound yet suddenly here came the WHOLE FLOCK with of course the ol boss in tow. (I'd rather be lucky than good ANYTIME!) He'd gobble, others would gobble, other birds in the distance would gobble, struts here, fans there, birds everywhere. I was already in a shooting position but I had already made the decision to LEAVE THE CALLS in my vest! I already had THE BEST decoy known to man, the boss beyatch herself front and center & most importantly the birds were already easing towards me so "LET it happn cappn". I paid more attention on keeping up with which bird was this ol boss as the dozen plus birds made their way down the road toward me and the ol hen. (But it was no problem, his huge white head and being he was the ONLY one that gobbled repeatedly. I had him pegged and just waited til he closed the distance!)
By the time he was well within 50yds I had 3 juvie hens at 15-20yds and was afraid they were about to make me out. In and out his head would go in the sea of fans & other turkeys. I wanted to bust him but didn't want to kill any other birds in the process. FINALLY he stepped to the side, in the clear and the nearly century old Stevens ROARED across the cypress swamp. He barely even flopped, he fell as hard as ANY I've ever killed with much stouter guns and loads.
Yep this stuff is STILL addictive!!! :beer:
HL
1). The gun I used was my paternal grandfathers (and namesake) he got in 1940 for his 12th birthday. It was a second hand Stevens 520 (John Moses Browning designed & patented, 520s were built from 1907-1932) 30" full choke. My grandfather always bragged about how tight this gun shot and how many turkey shoots he won "back in the day", so many in fact he said he was asked to quit bringing it. This old gun was reblued and finished many years ago by my grandfather (he passed away 21 years ago last month). Nothing fancy here but some no-mar camo tape I put on it. I left my 3.5", Nitro loaded, red dot cannons in the safe for this special trip. This bird was killed "GRAVEYARD DEAD" at 37 steps with one simple shot of Win Super X 1.25oz #6 "High Brass Game Loads".
2). This was the first bird killed on my farm since we bought it in fall of 2010.
3). This is the oldest bird I've ever killed and he truly was the "ol boss" of the flock.
He has 1 3/8" spurs & a 11 1/4" beard. I've killed much heavier birds in MO but I'd guess this west TN swamp bird in the 20# range, give or take a #. He's going to be mounted in full strut on a cypress limb in the living room of my farm house. The pic is of where he fell dead, I was sitting in the weeds on the left in the background at the waters edge. He was gobbling his head off from "pink light" and then he was the first to flydown in the farm road between the woods and my oxbow lake where most were roosted over. Then he REALLY started putting on a show gobbling and strutting. There was 2-3 more gobblers, a couple of jakes and about 6-8 hens that all flew down too him over about a 10 min period.
He flew down about 100yds from me and I could only stand there and wait for him to go into strut and turn around so that I could quickly sitdown without him seeing me. (All the while I figured I was screwed because alot of birds were roosted 100yds away in plain sight of me) He got as close as 75yds before other birds started pitching down from both the woods and the the lake. But they all landed on the otherside of him instead of between he and I. I honestly figured I'd watch them for the morning and then try and get him to come back into that strutting zone mid-morning after he was done with the hens. About that time here came a B-52 that sailed in and landed 40yds from me. (I kinda think the Lord & my grandfather musta been smiling down from above and "gave me some help") A GIANT hen, I mean she musta been the QUEEN BOSS HERSELF! She landed right in the road in front of me and I thought, "Well THIS just got ALOT better!" But honestly I still figured she'd likely go on down the road to the flock 50yds further past her. She never made the first sound yet suddenly here came the WHOLE FLOCK with of course the ol boss in tow. (I'd rather be lucky than good ANYTIME!) He'd gobble, others would gobble, other birds in the distance would gobble, struts here, fans there, birds everywhere. I was already in a shooting position but I had already made the decision to LEAVE THE CALLS in my vest! I already had THE BEST decoy known to man, the boss beyatch herself front and center & most importantly the birds were already easing towards me so "LET it happn cappn". I paid more attention on keeping up with which bird was this ol boss as the dozen plus birds made their way down the road toward me and the ol hen. (But it was no problem, his huge white head and being he was the ONLY one that gobbled repeatedly. I had him pegged and just waited til he closed the distance!)
By the time he was well within 50yds I had 3 juvie hens at 15-20yds and was afraid they were about to make me out. In and out his head would go in the sea of fans & other turkeys. I wanted to bust him but didn't want to kill any other birds in the process. FINALLY he stepped to the side, in the clear and the nearly century old Stevens ROARED across the cypress swamp. He barely even flopped, he fell as hard as ANY I've ever killed with much stouter guns and loads.
Yep this stuff is STILL addictive!!! :beer:
HL
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