Jethro
New Member
This is kind of long but you need the whole story to get it.
The Boss & Gimpy Saga.
Last Wednesday me & my buddy took our annual turkey hunt out to western Iowa. This place has been very good to us and we have made some great memories on this farm. Our plan was to leave around ten o’clock on Wednesday morning and set up blinds and then hunt for four days or until tags were filled. Tuesday night changed our Wednesday schedule when I was loading up the truck with the final items and while carrying stuff to put in the truck I tripped on the loader bucket and fell and broke my right hand. To make a long story short after going to the hospital I opted to wait until I got back from hunting to get the bone set and the cast put on. Got back from the hospital and took off the half cast they put on and went to the archery target, cinched up my release and started shooting arrows to make sure my broken hand wasn’t going to affect me shooting. Well after 15 arrows I realized that as long as I could suck up the pain while pulling my bow back that I could still stack them in the target. I had a 3rd season combo tag and threw the gun in just in case my hand got worse after a couple of days.
Wednesday afternoon four hours behind our original schedule we were at the farm and setting up the blinds. While it was a chore with the pain and one hand to set up the blind we had blind #1 set-up. Heading back to park the truck, gather our things and set-up blind #2 for the evening hunt we spotted a two long beards (Boss & gimpy) in the bottom where we were planning to go. We glassed them and noticed that one of the toms (Gimpy) was limping really hard walking around while the other one was strutting around (Boss). We parked the truck and grabbed our gear headed to the bottom where we wanted to set-up and where they were at. At 4:15 p.m., a ½ hour after setting up I called and was cut off by two gobbles. Ten minutes later Boss struts himself thru the timber towards us and hangs up 45 yards out on the other side of the fence strutting, spitting and drumming the whole time with Gimpy tagging behind. After 20 minutes of calling with every trick in the book the hens showed up and we watched them melt into the timber.
Thursday morning we arrive earlier to blind #2 and move it to the east about 50 yards and settle in for the morning. At 5:40 a.m. the ridge lit up with gobblers. At 6:15 we start to here them fly down and had hens out in front of us feeding about. Peaking out the side of the blind I saw the terrible two coming through the fence following hens about 50 yards down the east. We watched as they followed the hens up the pasture hill with Boss strutting the whole time and Gimpy in tow. Hunted until around noon and I needed to head to the truck for a break and some pain meds. My hand was really starting to hurt and swell up. I told Charlie I was going to finish the day with the bow but if nothing happened I was going to switch to the gun for the next days hunt. That night again we set in blind #2 and other than an occasional hen out walking around was pretty uneventful until about 7:30 p.m. I had been calling and finally struck a gobble. Behind us in the food plot here come Boss & Gimpy gobbling and coming straight to us. Same thing as before with Boss strutting the whole way and Gimpy tagging behind trying to keep up. The excitement was short lived when two hens came up from the fence row and headed up the ridge with them following once again.
Friday a.m. we head to blind #1 for a change. This time I had the gun. That night was a rough one sleep wise. The pain and throbbing from my broken hand was starting to get the best of me and I was really wanting to get my tag filled before it got any worse. It was an absolutely beautiful morning and although we only seen two birds that morning it was nice to look at some different scenery. We hunted until 1:30 p.m. and decided to head to the truck take a break and more pain meds. At 4:00 p.m. we were back on our quest for Boss & Gimpy at blind #2. It was hot and I figured that when they moved it was going to be late. Again it was pretty slow until around 7:30p.m.. A series of calls and a there it was, two toms gobbling back at us. Peering out the back of the blind along the edge of the food plot we see them; Boss & Gimpy and once again they are heading straight toward us. They make it all the way to the fence and a soft cluck and a purr had them under the fence and strutting 15 yards next to the blind right into pretty boy and his girls. I asked which one do you want and Charlie said he wanted boss. The decision was made and all we needed was for them to split up so we could double. The next minute was one of the most memorable hunts I can remember. They both strutted directly to pretty boy and literally beat the crap out of him. They were all over him and neither one of us could get on our birds long enough to get our shots off. Finally it happened, they split apart long enough and it was 1,2,3 boom. And in a second the three day Boss & Gimpy quest was over. They were both really nice toms. Charlie’s bird weighed 25 lbs 2 oz. with 1” spurs and a 10 ½” beard mine weight 23 lbs. 8 oz. with a ¾” spur and a 1 1/8” spur and a 12” beard. The reason Gimpy hobbled around so bad was he didn’t have any toes on his left leg. Not sure what had happened to him but I figured with him and a bum foot and me having a broken hand that it was supposed turn out the way it did.
Me & Gimpy;
Gimpys beard;
Gimpys foot;
A beautiful Iowa sunrise from blind#1;
View from blind#2 where Boss & Gimpy were laid to rest;
Charlie with Boss;
The Boss & Gimpy Saga.
Last Wednesday me & my buddy took our annual turkey hunt out to western Iowa. This place has been very good to us and we have made some great memories on this farm. Our plan was to leave around ten o’clock on Wednesday morning and set up blinds and then hunt for four days or until tags were filled. Tuesday night changed our Wednesday schedule when I was loading up the truck with the final items and while carrying stuff to put in the truck I tripped on the loader bucket and fell and broke my right hand. To make a long story short after going to the hospital I opted to wait until I got back from hunting to get the bone set and the cast put on. Got back from the hospital and took off the half cast they put on and went to the archery target, cinched up my release and started shooting arrows to make sure my broken hand wasn’t going to affect me shooting. Well after 15 arrows I realized that as long as I could suck up the pain while pulling my bow back that I could still stack them in the target. I had a 3rd season combo tag and threw the gun in just in case my hand got worse after a couple of days.
Wednesday afternoon four hours behind our original schedule we were at the farm and setting up the blinds. While it was a chore with the pain and one hand to set up the blind we had blind #1 set-up. Heading back to park the truck, gather our things and set-up blind #2 for the evening hunt we spotted a two long beards (Boss & gimpy) in the bottom where we were planning to go. We glassed them and noticed that one of the toms (Gimpy) was limping really hard walking around while the other one was strutting around (Boss). We parked the truck and grabbed our gear headed to the bottom where we wanted to set-up and where they were at. At 4:15 p.m., a ½ hour after setting up I called and was cut off by two gobbles. Ten minutes later Boss struts himself thru the timber towards us and hangs up 45 yards out on the other side of the fence strutting, spitting and drumming the whole time with Gimpy tagging behind. After 20 minutes of calling with every trick in the book the hens showed up and we watched them melt into the timber.
Thursday morning we arrive earlier to blind #2 and move it to the east about 50 yards and settle in for the morning. At 5:40 a.m. the ridge lit up with gobblers. At 6:15 we start to here them fly down and had hens out in front of us feeding about. Peaking out the side of the blind I saw the terrible two coming through the fence following hens about 50 yards down the east. We watched as they followed the hens up the pasture hill with Boss strutting the whole time and Gimpy in tow. Hunted until around noon and I needed to head to the truck for a break and some pain meds. My hand was really starting to hurt and swell up. I told Charlie I was going to finish the day with the bow but if nothing happened I was going to switch to the gun for the next days hunt. That night again we set in blind #2 and other than an occasional hen out walking around was pretty uneventful until about 7:30 p.m. I had been calling and finally struck a gobble. Behind us in the food plot here come Boss & Gimpy gobbling and coming straight to us. Same thing as before with Boss strutting the whole way and Gimpy tagging behind trying to keep up. The excitement was short lived when two hens came up from the fence row and headed up the ridge with them following once again.
Friday a.m. we head to blind #1 for a change. This time I had the gun. That night was a rough one sleep wise. The pain and throbbing from my broken hand was starting to get the best of me and I was really wanting to get my tag filled before it got any worse. It was an absolutely beautiful morning and although we only seen two birds that morning it was nice to look at some different scenery. We hunted until 1:30 p.m. and decided to head to the truck take a break and more pain meds. At 4:00 p.m. we were back on our quest for Boss & Gimpy at blind #2. It was hot and I figured that when they moved it was going to be late. Again it was pretty slow until around 7:30p.m.. A series of calls and a there it was, two toms gobbling back at us. Peering out the back of the blind along the edge of the food plot we see them; Boss & Gimpy and once again they are heading straight toward us. They make it all the way to the fence and a soft cluck and a purr had them under the fence and strutting 15 yards next to the blind right into pretty boy and his girls. I asked which one do you want and Charlie said he wanted boss. The decision was made and all we needed was for them to split up so we could double. The next minute was one of the most memorable hunts I can remember. They both strutted directly to pretty boy and literally beat the crap out of him. They were all over him and neither one of us could get on our birds long enough to get our shots off. Finally it happened, they split apart long enough and it was 1,2,3 boom. And in a second the three day Boss & Gimpy quest was over. They were both really nice toms. Charlie’s bird weighed 25 lbs 2 oz. with 1” spurs and a 10 ½” beard mine weight 23 lbs. 8 oz. with a ¾” spur and a 1 1/8” spur and a 12” beard. The reason Gimpy hobbled around so bad was he didn’t have any toes on his left leg. Not sure what had happened to him but I figured with him and a bum foot and me having a broken hand that it was supposed turn out the way it did.
Me & Gimpy;
Gimpys beard;
Gimpys foot;
A beautiful Iowa sunrise from blind#1;
View from blind#2 where Boss & Gimpy were laid to rest;
Charlie with Boss;
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