| Author | Message | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
|
Well... the gobbling has slowed to a stand-still for us. However... I located a bird Monday that I thought might be a good candidate to move in and setup on and just wait out. I knew he hadn't been hunted hard but he never gobbled on the ground. This AM I setup on the edge of a small field that I thought was probably his strut zone. I put 2 decoys in the pasture and setup my blind and told myself to just be patient and wait him out. Soft calling was all I was going to give him. Not a peep on the roost... anywhere... I held my ground and did a couple fly-downs with the wing and then gave a few soft yelps. About every five minutes I would give a few clucks and some purring. At 6:35 he walks into the corner of the field and slowly makes his way to the decoys. Never gobbles, never struts, just gets shot at 30 steps... Not your typical hunt but very rewarding none the less... 18 lbs, 10-1/2" beard, and 1-1/8" spurs.  | ||
| GN |
ATTA boy Freddy...this is when those tactics are supposed to work. Patince and persistance are the art of the deal. And this guy thought summer vacation had already started... | ||
| VA Hen |
Congratulations! Way to go honey! Amy | ||
| knight_va
|
Hey Man thats a GOOD bird!!!!.......Way to hang tough.... I was in 2 of my best spots this am & never heard a peep.....Its about over... Nice Job! Max | ||
| Ryan Tucker
|
Congrats! I see you got him! | ||
| Piedmont Gobbler |
I wasnt even going to go out Saturday, but seeing what you did, I think I will give it one more try. Nice Job Freddy. | ||
| turkey576 |
Good job Freddy. I'll try that down my way. They gobble some on the roost then get quite on the ground. Wish me luck. | ||
| t.picker |
nice 'un Freddy! Shoot all of those silent birds you can. That way they won't be around to breed and produce more silent birds. That's a good question. Do less vocal birds breed as much as vocal birds? If so are we (hunters) selecting toward less vocal birds by killing a higher percentage of gobbling toms? | ||
| Big Bird |
Way to go Freddy! That really is a nice bird, especially at the buzzer! | ||
| HODY |
Good job Freddy. Glad to know someone is still having success late in the year. PS If you pluck him we can eat hiim on the 8th. | ||
| Knight_va
|
LOL....good one Hody!....hehehehehe! Max | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
|
Thanks everyone... TP, good question... I think all our big, old birds gobble less and have a harem of 20 hens... they sure don't gobble like they used too... Sorry HODY... no time for plucking this AM...  We may have to settle for a butterball unless someone smacks one the next couple days... | ||
| m00sehead
|
Congrats Freddy...and everyone else who's been successful this year. I've certainly enjoyed keeping up with the board throughout the season...it's been the next best thing to being there! I'm kind of glad to see the season end...hoping that it will be the last that Uncle Sam forces me to miss out on. And by the way...an older gentleman that I hunt with occasionally when I'm back in VA and who I also respect a great deal as a turkey hunter occasionally mentions the same theory that TP brought up. The blabber-mouths don't last long...leaving ole tight lips to do the breeding and pass along those quiet genes. It could have some merit. Jeff |