The Baron
45 Cal.
- Joined
- May 10, 2004
- Messages
- 927
- Reaction score
- 15
Well, it took a while but after 6 hunts (and being close, but not close enough several times) I have wrapped up my flintlock turkey season.
A buddy and I hit the field dark and early again last Friday. We were set up to make an early kill, but the birds didn't come into the field by their "usual" route. After listening to a bird gobbling quite a bit from about 300 yards away down the field/other side of a woodlot, we made our move. 2 setups later, we had been calling within 150 yards of where we figured that bird was for over 2 hours, and not even a gobble. Maybe he was gone? Well, we moved past the end of the woodlot and checked the field - and there he was in full strut along the tree line. That quiet bugger! We tried calling from the corner (only about 100 yards from him) for almost an hour, but that bird never showed. We checked on him again, and he was still there - he hadn't budged! So, I decided it was time to take the action to him. I made the sneak down the tree line. As the field was dirt (freshly planted) I was able to move quietly, and use a small hill in the field and the overhanging trees/bushes as cover. When I was at about 40 yards from where I figured the bird was, I called aggressively on my mouth call. Sure enough, the red head poked up from just over the rise, and back down again - but he still wouldn't come to me. But, he was dumb enough to stay where he had the knoll between us, and he couldn't see me approach. So, a little more sneaking and I was at 15 yards. He heard me crunch a stick as I knelt to shoot and popped his head up over the knoll again - big mistake, buddy. Hammer down... dead tom!
Tale of the tape... just over 19 pounds, 7/8" spur on the left, 1" spur on the right and 10" beard.
The first pic shows the little grassy knoll where he was strutting. I didn't realize that it existed until after I shot, which is why this guy was able to disappear from the field edge perspective. And who ever said you can't sneak up on a tom turkey? :hmm:
All in all, it was another successful year with the flinter. An early season miss bruised my ego, but made me a better flintlock hunter as a result. I had 3 other easy shots on toms if I'd had a 12ga, but none were close enough for old smokey. But, obsessive determination won out again this year, over modern equipment. :grin: By having to wait for birds inside 20 yards, I extended my season by at least 6 more hunts, and no doubt learned a lot to use against the birds next year.
A buddy and I hit the field dark and early again last Friday. We were set up to make an early kill, but the birds didn't come into the field by their "usual" route. After listening to a bird gobbling quite a bit from about 300 yards away down the field/other side of a woodlot, we made our move. 2 setups later, we had been calling within 150 yards of where we figured that bird was for over 2 hours, and not even a gobble. Maybe he was gone? Well, we moved past the end of the woodlot and checked the field - and there he was in full strut along the tree line. That quiet bugger! We tried calling from the corner (only about 100 yards from him) for almost an hour, but that bird never showed. We checked on him again, and he was still there - he hadn't budged! So, I decided it was time to take the action to him. I made the sneak down the tree line. As the field was dirt (freshly planted) I was able to move quietly, and use a small hill in the field and the overhanging trees/bushes as cover. When I was at about 40 yards from where I figured the bird was, I called aggressively on my mouth call. Sure enough, the red head poked up from just over the rise, and back down again - but he still wouldn't come to me. But, he was dumb enough to stay where he had the knoll between us, and he couldn't see me approach. So, a little more sneaking and I was at 15 yards. He heard me crunch a stick as I knelt to shoot and popped his head up over the knoll again - big mistake, buddy. Hammer down... dead tom!
Tale of the tape... just over 19 pounds, 7/8" spur on the left, 1" spur on the right and 10" beard.
The first pic shows the little grassy knoll where he was strutting. I didn't realize that it existed until after I shot, which is why this guy was able to disappear from the field edge perspective. And who ever said you can't sneak up on a tom turkey? :hmm:
All in all, it was another successful year with the flinter. An early season miss bruised my ego, but made me a better flintlock hunter as a result. I had 3 other easy shots on toms if I'd had a 12ga, but none were close enough for old smokey. But, obsessive determination won out again this year, over modern equipment. :grin: By having to wait for birds inside 20 yards, I extended my season by at least 6 more hunts, and no doubt learned a lot to use against the birds next year.
