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A little dad brag. 410 to the face! 30 yards and sat him right down.
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2024 Turkey Thread
- Thread starter Bowtie747
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2019
- Messages
- 8,133
Awesome! Proud for you both!
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2019
- Messages
- 8,133
Way to rip’em!!!! Congrats!!! Super long beard!!!
After two misses and quite a few close encounters, I knocked another one down.
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I might be in trouble. Waiting on the warden now because this guy has no beard. He’s coming to look at it. Awesome hooks at 1 3/16”
Awesome hunt! He gobbled a lot and came right in. Shot him at 5 yards!
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Awesome hunt! He gobbled a lot and came right in. Shot him at 5 yards!
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Roughly 5 years ago I called in a bird up from a valley. As he crested the hill I saw his big full fan and white head. Clicked the safety off and right before I fired I saw no beard. Had to let him go. He walked 10 yards right by me and I could see the long hooks he had. Bummer.I might be in trouble. Waiting on the warden now because this guy has no beard. He’s coming to look at it. Awesome hooks at 1 3/16”
Awesome hunt! He gobbled a lot and came right in. Shot him at 5 yards!
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This morning I heard the most gobbles I have ever heard in one morning. Had a Tom and two Jake’s fire off on the roost at first light and they did not stop gobbling. All three of them were double gobbling over top each other at times. Even after they were on the ground they barely slowed down.
They got to us about 7:00 and spent over an hour in front of us, gobbling most of the time. The Jake’s were sub 10 yards several times but the Tom didn’t get closer than 20 yds. I wanted him sub 17 yds with the recurve.
It was one of the most enjoyable mornings I’ve spent in the turkey woods though.
They got to us about 7:00 and spent over an hour in front of us, gobbling most of the time. The Jake’s were sub 10 yards several times but the Tom didn’t get closer than 20 yds. I wanted him sub 17 yds with the recurve.
It was one of the most enjoyable mornings I’ve spent in the turkey woods though.
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Honesty pays. Good deal
Good deal man, I was gonna be aggravated if he gave you a ticket for that of all things. I get a law is a law but still.
I’m curious though, did it have a place where a beard look like it went? Did it rip its beard totally off?
Absolutely nothing. No spot, no bump no anything. When I first walked up on him I thought maybe I had shot it off
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The start of my Wis. Turkey season I was blessed with a beautiful morning and a beautiful bird. I started out in a blind but It's hard for me to sit
when I hear a gobbler gobbling in the distance. I just had to go after him. About half hour of chasing him I got in his trust zone and called him within shooting distance. It's so exciting and fun!
We all get old but killing them birds never gets old for me. I feel blessed to still get out at my age.
On a side note, It sure is refreshing to see all the young dads and moms and older hunters getting the kids involved in hunting on this site. Keep up the good work!!
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- Jan 5, 2020
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I went for a noon hunt yesterday, and struck my gobbler up right off the bat. I called him in from 300 yds, only for him to hang up strutting at 75yds. This is the 5th or 6th encounter with him. I’m so done with this particular gobbler I belly crawled him to 40 only to get stymied by a Jake. I let him ease off, and went back after him this am.
I got in his back door this morning. I usually let the birds wake up on their own, but I hooted at him EARLY, and he gobbled in the dark. Got within 60yds of him, let out a series of tree yelps, waited until fly down time, and slapped my hat in the ground a few times. I saw him pitch out of the tree, and land right where I hoped he would. I needed him to move about 10 steps left, or right to get in the clear. I click the safety off, I have tension on the trigger. This bird is about to be flopping when all of a sudden a some goober comes tromping over the ridge right down my barrel. The bird takes flight, I said a few choice words, turned around, and walked off. SMH
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I got in his back door this morning. I usually let the birds wake up on their own, but I hooted at him EARLY, and he gobbled in the dark. Got within 60yds of him, let out a series of tree yelps, waited until fly down time, and slapped my hat in the ground a few times. I saw him pitch out of the tree, and land right where I hoped he would. I needed him to move about 10 steps left, or right to get in the clear. I click the safety off, I have tension on the trigger. This bird is about to be flopping when all of a sudden a some goober comes tromping over the ridge right down my barrel. The bird takes flight, I said a few choice words, turned around, and walked off. SMH
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Matki15
Well-Known Member
Saved the other wingbone from my bird for this project. Made some mistakes but learned a lot if I ever decided to do it again
Absolutely no reason for even a verbal warning. Esp. considering you called them to report the unique bird.
boxerboxer
Active Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2020
- Messages
- 100
I see where you’re coming from but if the regs say a legal bird must have a visible beard, which is how a lot of states do it for spring turkey, then it seems like the appropriate response. More than that would be against the spirit of the law (let hens live), and less could cause him or others to get themselves in trouble with a less understanding CO another year. I don’t think of a verbal warning as a moral judgement, just a reminder of the law to help someone make sure they don’t break it again.
I get that and if it was a situation where the officer was checking someone in the field with a bird like that, a verbal warning wouldnt be out of place. This scenario is different though. The bird is obviously a mature gobbler and in this situation a hunter called to report a unique bird. With minimal conversation the officer would be able to ascertain if the hunter is a seasoned turkey hunter or not. A simple reminder of the regs would be one thing but a verbal warning when a hunter has not in any way violated the intent of the law and self reported the kill I feel is excessive.
All the regs I have looked at use beard length or full fan as ID for a mature bird. IMO that's how it should be. If the turkey isnt or doesnt strut, ID by beard length, if it comes in strutting, full fan gets shot in the face.
boxerboxer
Active Member
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- Dec 4, 2020
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- 100
I just glanced at the VA turkey hunting page (Gator's got it listed as his location) and they say "bearded turkeys only". MN regs are the same as are MI. I think a lot of folks, myself included, wouldn't shoot a bearded hen anyway, but it makes ID/enforcement easier.
Yep, I have had several opportunities to shoot bearded hens but didnt back when it was legal for us to do so. Dont like that beard rule as a hard fast rule. If you have properly identified the bird, you should be ok to take it. The antler restrictions on a WMA I hunt provides a good analogy. The antler restrictions are a legal buck must have either a 15" inside spread or an 18" main beam. I passed a couple of different bucks this season because I was not confident either met the beam length requirement and one for sure did not meet the spread requirement. Both were in my estimation 3y/o 8 points and the intent of the rule is allow bucks to reach maturity. If a buck had to have 15" inside AND 18" it would suck to have to pass an obviously mature buck with 22" main beams because he had a narrow rack.