muddy
Well-Known Member
THA4, Blaster, Doubleaarchery, risto, and myself all met up at the Winnebago Indian reservation for some spring hunting. If it wasn't for frigid temperatures, high winds, sleet, rain, and crawling through tampon applicators (that story is all mine once the photos show up) I wouldn't have had any fun what so ever. We started Friday, but since it's mostly THA4's "special day" he wrote the story.
It's long and I locked the thread until the rest of the photos and stories show up.
DAY 1 Ol' Two Shot Thomas!
Derek (Blaster) and I got out to our spot around 10:30 am and decided to drive around and determine where we would start. We were on the same property where I killed my jake last week. Over the previous day or two, 2 inches of wet snow fell, which was expected to melt in a day or two but made things easier to see. We parked the truck on a hill top and began glassing. Almost right away, we spotted a lone longbeard headed to a location where we could kill him. We raced to that spot and set up. We called and called, and he gobbled a few times, but wasn’t moving. Finally, Derek saw him coming and he was on a string. He got to 55 yards and I didn’t feel comfortable shooting that far and he lost interest, turned and walked back over the hill. He then reappeared to my right. I figured him to be closer than he was before….. so I shot…..and missed….
After stepping it off, he was right at 65 yards and the ‘ol 10 ga couldn’t get it done….. I was very dejected, but glad to find a bird alone and workable!
We headed back to camp and met up with muddy as he had other plans that morning and was arriving late. That night we set up not too far from there with 2 DB blinds and 2 pretty boy set ups, one on either side of the blinds to be seen from either approaching direction. With Muddy in one blind and Blaster and I in the other and a few cold hours later, we heard our first gobble. As we were firing up this distant bird, a bunch of jakes appeared on a hillside not far away.
The distant gobbler appeared and Derek and I agreed it was prolly the same bird I had shot at that morning as he was still alone and appeared from the direction he ran off to earlier that morning.
The jakes heard the long gobbler and sprinted up to his location and proceeded to kick his butt!! After his whoopin, the longbeard sulked under a big tree for quite a while.
The jakes then came running towards us as we tried using a gobble shaker to entice them to approach. They passed us at about 100 yards never offering a shot while this meadowlark serenaded us in the blind.
As we turned around the longbeard had made it to our side of the valley and began to pass us at about 150 yards. When he passed the CRP field and entered into the cow pasture, I instantly began making my Pretty Boy dance as I had fishing line attached to his rear and head. The longbeard instantly broke into strut and began gobbling.
He started out way.
Now it was getting late, and fly-up was rapidly approaching. We were concerned that time was going to be out enemy as the bird very slowly worked out way. Finally Mud let me know he was at 65 yards and closing, (these guys graciously allowed me to redeem myself after my missed opportunity earlier that day.) The bird got to about 15 yards but was below a small drop in the terrain only allowing me to see the tip of his fan. I was still concerned. Finally he decided to walk the extra few yards I needed to make a clean shot. At about 10-12 yards I let the 10 ga eat and put him in a pile of feathers without a single quiver!
This bird would not have happened without Blaster working Pretty Boy, or the Mudster working his magical vocal purring and clucking!!!
There were lots of firsts for me on this hunt. This was the first actual “Limb Hanger” I had ever shot, spurs about 1 3/8 this was the latest in the day I had ever harvest a bird at about 7:45 pm and my first mature bird with a 10 ga! So I was jacked and sharing it with Mud and Blaster made it even better! Thanks guys as it was a three man bird!!!!
Again, temporarily locked until the other photos and such trickle in.
It's long and I locked the thread until the rest of the photos and stories show up.
DAY 1 Ol' Two Shot Thomas!
Derek (Blaster) and I got out to our spot around 10:30 am and decided to drive around and determine where we would start. We were on the same property where I killed my jake last week. Over the previous day or two, 2 inches of wet snow fell, which was expected to melt in a day or two but made things easier to see. We parked the truck on a hill top and began glassing. Almost right away, we spotted a lone longbeard headed to a location where we could kill him. We raced to that spot and set up. We called and called, and he gobbled a few times, but wasn’t moving. Finally, Derek saw him coming and he was on a string. He got to 55 yards and I didn’t feel comfortable shooting that far and he lost interest, turned and walked back over the hill. He then reappeared to my right. I figured him to be closer than he was before….. so I shot…..and missed….
After stepping it off, he was right at 65 yards and the ‘ol 10 ga couldn’t get it done….. I was very dejected, but glad to find a bird alone and workable!
We headed back to camp and met up with muddy as he had other plans that morning and was arriving late. That night we set up not too far from there with 2 DB blinds and 2 pretty boy set ups, one on either side of the blinds to be seen from either approaching direction. With Muddy in one blind and Blaster and I in the other and a few cold hours later, we heard our first gobble. As we were firing up this distant bird, a bunch of jakes appeared on a hillside not far away.
The distant gobbler appeared and Derek and I agreed it was prolly the same bird I had shot at that morning as he was still alone and appeared from the direction he ran off to earlier that morning.
The jakes heard the long gobbler and sprinted up to his location and proceeded to kick his butt!! After his whoopin, the longbeard sulked under a big tree for quite a while.
The jakes then came running towards us as we tried using a gobble shaker to entice them to approach. They passed us at about 100 yards never offering a shot while this meadowlark serenaded us in the blind.
As we turned around the longbeard had made it to our side of the valley and began to pass us at about 150 yards. When he passed the CRP field and entered into the cow pasture, I instantly began making my Pretty Boy dance as I had fishing line attached to his rear and head. The longbeard instantly broke into strut and began gobbling.
He started out way.
Now it was getting late, and fly-up was rapidly approaching. We were concerned that time was going to be out enemy as the bird very slowly worked out way. Finally Mud let me know he was at 65 yards and closing, (these guys graciously allowed me to redeem myself after my missed opportunity earlier that day.) The bird got to about 15 yards but was below a small drop in the terrain only allowing me to see the tip of his fan. I was still concerned. Finally he decided to walk the extra few yards I needed to make a clean shot. At about 10-12 yards I let the 10 ga eat and put him in a pile of feathers without a single quiver!
This bird would not have happened without Blaster working Pretty Boy, or the Mudster working his magical vocal purring and clucking!!!
There were lots of firsts for me on this hunt. This was the first actual “Limb Hanger” I had ever shot, spurs about 1 3/8 this was the latest in the day I had ever harvest a bird at about 7:45 pm and my first mature bird with a 10 ga! So I was jacked and sharing it with Mud and Blaster made it even better! Thanks guys as it was a three man bird!!!!
Again, temporarily locked until the other photos and such trickle in.
