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- Apr 8, 2015
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This past Friday!!!
I got to my spot nice and early, with the east horizon just barely lightening up. I Set 3 hen decoys out at about 10-11 yds from my tree.
I got settled in, and put on a stocking hat and gloves, as I started cooling off after the hike in.
After awhile, I heard the first gobble way off to my NW on the neighbors. Lots of owl hooting and several gobbles from that direction, but absolutely zero gobbling anywhere close to me!
It was several minutes after sunrise, I was half dozed off when the neighbors shot and made me jump!!
I waited a few minutes after that, and heard a gobble to the south, up on the ridge. I hit my Poor Valley Slate with the Osage Orange striker, but nothing fired back.
At about 15-20 min until 7, a gobbler fired up to my east at what I guessed was 100 yds thru the timber. He gobbled constantly, but didn't come closer at first. I cut him off a couple of times with my slate call, and it sounded like he'd closed the distance some.
At that point, I got my 20 ga Smoothbore flintlock fowler, Ol' Doc, up on my shooting stick, and up to my shoulder.
The Tom kept gobbling on his own, so I gave him the silent treatment.
After awhile, I could tell he was close, back over my left shoulder. Everytime he gobbled, it shook my hat he was so close!!
Pretty soon, he had worked his way directly behind me, on the back side of the pocket of trees and brush I was hiding in. I was pretty sure by then he had seen my decoys, by his triple and quadruple gobbling!!
I gave a few really soft yelps on my mouth call, and could hear his wing tips taking the ground. By now I was a mess, both knees shaking, and me trying to hold that 42" barrel as still as I could!! I have never had a bird gobble this much, this close!!!
After what seemed like 6 hours, he started back the way he had come, so I gave a few more soft yelps.
That did the trick, and I could hear him spitting and drumming to my left. He had finally committed to the decoys! As he spun in circles in full strut, I finally had the chance to get down on my gun, and find a sight picture with all the adrenaline going!!
He really liked the avianX breeder, lay down and upright hens! He headed straight for the breeder while eying the lay down!!
He spun his head away again so I swung the barrel his way, and cocked the hammer on the flintlock.
All he had to do was turn my way!
Finally, that bright beautiful red, white and blue head turned my way at 11 paces from the end of my barrel, as I let Ol' Doc eat!!!
The big strutter went down in a heap, as I ducked the big plume of smoke to see what happened!!!
He barely flopped after the load of #5 lead shot did its job from the cylinder bore barrel.
The bird weighed 21.4 lbs on my digital fish scales, with an 11 7/16" beard and both Spurs at 1 3/8"!
My Fowler, Ol' Doc, was built by Al Comer from central Mo. back in 1983, with an octagon to round, fine, thin barrel with double wedding bands, set in a dandy piece of walnut. It shoots turkeys dead!!!
I used 60 grains by volume of 2F Goex black powder, a 1/2" cardboard over powder card, 70 gr by volume of #5 lead shot with a thin over shot card. The fowler patterns well to 25 yds, but limit shots to 20 yds max. The 2 birds I've killed with it were both at 11 steps.
I got to my spot nice and early, with the east horizon just barely lightening up. I Set 3 hen decoys out at about 10-11 yds from my tree.
I got settled in, and put on a stocking hat and gloves, as I started cooling off after the hike in.
After awhile, I heard the first gobble way off to my NW on the neighbors. Lots of owl hooting and several gobbles from that direction, but absolutely zero gobbling anywhere close to me!
It was several minutes after sunrise, I was half dozed off when the neighbors shot and made me jump!!
I waited a few minutes after that, and heard a gobble to the south, up on the ridge. I hit my Poor Valley Slate with the Osage Orange striker, but nothing fired back.
At about 15-20 min until 7, a gobbler fired up to my east at what I guessed was 100 yds thru the timber. He gobbled constantly, but didn't come closer at first. I cut him off a couple of times with my slate call, and it sounded like he'd closed the distance some.
At that point, I got my 20 ga Smoothbore flintlock fowler, Ol' Doc, up on my shooting stick, and up to my shoulder.
The Tom kept gobbling on his own, so I gave him the silent treatment.
After awhile, I could tell he was close, back over my left shoulder. Everytime he gobbled, it shook my hat he was so close!!
Pretty soon, he had worked his way directly behind me, on the back side of the pocket of trees and brush I was hiding in. I was pretty sure by then he had seen my decoys, by his triple and quadruple gobbling!!
I gave a few really soft yelps on my mouth call, and could hear his wing tips taking the ground. By now I was a mess, both knees shaking, and me trying to hold that 42" barrel as still as I could!! I have never had a bird gobble this much, this close!!!
After what seemed like 6 hours, he started back the way he had come, so I gave a few more soft yelps.
That did the trick, and I could hear him spitting and drumming to my left. He had finally committed to the decoys! As he spun in circles in full strut, I finally had the chance to get down on my gun, and find a sight picture with all the adrenaline going!!
He really liked the avianX breeder, lay down and upright hens! He headed straight for the breeder while eying the lay down!!
He spun his head away again so I swung the barrel his way, and cocked the hammer on the flintlock.
All he had to do was turn my way!
Finally, that bright beautiful red, white and blue head turned my way at 11 paces from the end of my barrel, as I let Ol' Doc eat!!!
The big strutter went down in a heap, as I ducked the big plume of smoke to see what happened!!!
He barely flopped after the load of #5 lead shot did its job from the cylinder bore barrel.
The bird weighed 21.4 lbs on my digital fish scales, with an 11 7/16" beard and both Spurs at 1 3/8"!
My Fowler, Ol' Doc, was built by Al Comer from central Mo. back in 1983, with an octagon to round, fine, thin barrel with double wedding bands, set in a dandy piece of walnut. It shoots turkeys dead!!!
I used 60 grains by volume of 2F Goex black powder, a 1/2" cardboard over powder card, 70 gr by volume of #5 lead shot with a thin over shot card. The fowler patterns well to 25 yds, but limit shots to 20 yds max. The 2 birds I've killed with it were both at 11 steps.
