Black Hills Success!!! #2

[Jethro]

Me and my buddy got to the Black Hills April 12th and tagged out at the same time on April 15th at 11;37 A.M. We had worked this group of birds since 8:30 A.M. and finaly got caught up to them. Them birds can really move through them hills. Coming around a ridge i spotted a tom strutting in a timber clearing. we layed down on a rock shelf and started calling, he gobbled immediatley but was with a hen. We continued to call and he kept gobbling except this time we had four other toms gobbling on the other hill and closing in fast. In a matter of minutes we had five longbeard toms strutting 50 yards from us and coming in. We heard a hen yelp behind us which pretty much sealed the deal. A live hen yelping behind us with five strutting toms in front of us heading right toward us gobbling, spitting and drumming. It's what it is all about. We laid in sniper mode for about a minute and after a 1 - 2 - BOOM we had two logbeard Merriams laying 20 yards out in front of us. Mine was 15lb 8oz. with a 8" beard and my buddies was a 16lb 6oz. with 7" beard. Then we got back Thursday and Friday i killed a 26lb 9 1/2" beard eastern turkey. It was truly a great week of hunting.

 

[Limb Chicken]

Awesome! So I take it the gobbling activity was good!

 

[Jethro]

Actually, It wasn't that great. They gobbled first thing in the mornings and then shut up and then they would fire up around midday. Alot of the times we could only get them to gobble with a crow call. I think it was early and we were having alot of competetion with the hens. When you did find some hot toms you had to get to them quick before the hens did. We don't think the hens are nesting yet. we talked to some other local turkey huters out there and they said the same thing; that they weren't gobbling as much as usual. But all in all it wasa great time.