Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 21

Thread: Feeling your heartbeat in your throat

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Kingstree,
    Posts
    1,465

    Default Feeling your heartbeat in your throat

    This hunt started on the 11 when I went to a new piece of property to check it out. I saw a pair of gobblers in a old cornfield. I was the plan was to take my wife Friday afternoon and or Saturday morning to try them.
    I watched them every morning that week and they would flip flop between 2 roost spots about 200 yards apart. Wednesday a third bird showed up but stayed away from the pair. So I figured I had a backup plan on a lonely gobbler.

    Friday we got set up and settled in a shady spot at 445pm. Not fully trusting her to not be a wiggle worm I say her behind some green briars and have her a small window to see the decoys. At 5 a bird gobbled on his own. I looked at her and said we are going to kill this bird. She was the shooter on this hunt and she had my Rossi 410. I yelped a few times and he cut me off. Shortly after I could see him across the field coming to us, she couldn’t see him. I helped get the gun pointed in the right direction and ready to shoot. He covers 100 yards pretty quick drumming and gobbling. I began to feel my heart beat in my throat. My hands started shaking and that feeling had took over. Still not able to see the bird at 50 yards she asked me “what the hell is wrong with you?” I said just wait you will find out. At this point he is 40 yards and just freezes in full strut. I had one hen and a funky chicken out trying to take a birds mind off of the lumps sitting by the tree. After seeing them the bird turns around and walks back the same way he came still strutting. She never could see him because we were his so well.

    I started cussing that dumb bird. As he walked back in the woods he turns around and runs back out as a second gobbler emerges and runs the first off. I Yelp a few times and he gobbled and starts our way with the third bird following. Got her ready again and here he comes....gets to 30 and decides he does not like the other bird following him so he chases him out into the corn....he never made it to her window.

    We watched these 3 gobblers chase each other around at 75 yards till 730 and they never acknowledged we were over there. Watched them fly up in their roost spot and got a blind set up for Saturday because the woods were burnt and nothing to hide in.

    Saturday morning they gobble their heads off and come in the field 200 yards away with 2 hens at 9 am. We just left them.

    I then proceeded to hunt these turkeys every day except Thursday of last week. It seemed like they knew what I was gonna do before I did....no calls would work nor decoys...Friday morning he was roosted in the same place as Wednesday so I would go in early Saturday and try to get fairly close.

    Walked in about 520 and it was still very dark so I just found the biggest tree I could and sat down. As it began to break daylight I herd the unmistakable, doooooooomfp, I had herd so many times from this turkey this week. I could feel it in my chest but didn’t know where it came from. As it was getting lighter I was able to see him in the tree as he kept drumming. I had sat 40 yards from his tree. He always gobbled fairly late into the morning and today wasn’t any different.

    I had a small clearing in the oak flat infront of me. He was over my left shoulder and facing the opening...I was anticipating him to just pitch down into that opening and make it a easy 30 yard shot for the .410. After his last gobble he does a about face on the limb. Great he is gonna go behind me into the burnt pines. Sure enough he pitches down behind me and lands 75 yards. As he flys down I move and get my gun on him before he lands. He struts a little and is walking behind the tree I’m already leaning around one side of. He goes behind a tree and I switch sides of my tree. Still about 60 but getting closer a hen flys down behind me and pulled him in on a string....when he got to 30 that heart beat was back in my throat and I killed my #70.

    I have never hunted particular birds this much until this year...like Tom Kelly said “I don’t care how much you’ve done it or how good you are at it, one of those birds is going to make you look real dumb,” he said. “If you get too much confidence, he’s going to break your neck with it”. This bird put it on me several times and I would do it again tomorrow if I could.

    Sorry for the long read

    11” beard
    1 5/16” spur
    18 ish lbs

    7B1C0982-3C1A-4620-B705-04ADC24089A6.jpg

    375593DE-5311-47A6-8776-1D4ECA2738EA.jpg

    F4FB3E15-829A-4362-913D-AA2FB2F1C3E4.jpg
    When in doubt, shoot him again!

    Work like it's all up to me, but pray, like it's all up to him!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Clarendon County
    Posts
    8,402

    Default

    Great stuff buddy!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Anderson sc
    Posts
    1,813

    Default

    Great read there. Congrats

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    beaufort,sc
    Posts
    789

    Default

    Nice bird congrats.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Manning
    Posts
    2,176

    Default

    The ones that cut your tail are the ones you remember.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Horry, SC
    Posts
    5,516

    Default

    Good stuff!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Greenville
    Posts
    4,803

    Default

    I like it. Did you always keep count or go back and reconstruct? I have no idea what my numbers are on turkeys or deer.
    Carolina Counsel

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Posts
    1,170

    Default

    Great read, way to stick with it.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Kingstree,
    Posts
    1,465

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Carolina Counsel View Post
    I like it. Did you always keep count or go back and reconstruct? I have no idea what my numbers are on turkeys or deer.

    In 07 I made a log book for everything I hunted. Deer, ducks, turkey, doves and hogs. Turkeys are the only one I kept up with. I used to keep up with date, weather, gun, shell, call, beard/spur length, weight and location. That has changed to just writing the # on the shell, date and location. I tend to remember the hunt better than the logistics of the bird.
    When in doubt, shoot him again!

    Work like it's all up to me, but pray, like it's all up to him!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    GreenHood
    Posts
    13,833

    Default

    Enjoyed the read.

    I too, have kept a log for about the last 7yrs. I only write down kills in mine. I’ll write down place and time, who I was hunting with etc. I also started saving spent brass from a deer or turkey kill. I cut the brass of the hull and I’ve got a glass jar I keep them in. There’s also a handful of bullets in there that I’ve recovered from deer when I cleaned them.

    If I live long enough to be a decrepit old man I think I’ll enjoy pulling out the book and reliving those memories
    Houndsmen are born, not made

    Quote Originally Posted by 2thDoc View Post
    I STAND WITH DUCK CUTTER!
    Quote Originally Posted by JABIII View Post
    I knew it wasn't real because no dogbox...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Posts
    957

    Default

    I just make a note on my phone of details of every deer and Turkey hunt. I find myself referring back to them often

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blythewood, SC
    Posts
    6,009

    Default

    Great read. Congrats.
    When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home. -Tecumseh-

    Quote Originally Posted by Griffin View Post
    You're also one of select few clemings with sense.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Horry SC
    Posts
    278

    Default

    Great bird. Thanks for the details, makes for even better reading

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Posts
    2,192

    Default

    Really cool, nice work!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    North Kackalacky
    Posts
    3,473

    Default

    Very nice!
    Vegetarian: Native American for Piss Poor Hunter

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Under the Roost
    Posts
    23,839

    Default

    Beautiful sir !


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

    I wish I could breathe life back in him, if I could I'd hunt him again tomorrow. - Ben Rodgers Lee

    www.springallurecustomcalls.com

    https://www.facebook.com/springallure.customcalls/

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Fort Kickass
    Posts
    50,993

    Default

    Very nice. Thanks for the story.

    I had one like that this year, and last year. I'd juke, he'd jive. I'd jive, he'd juke. Had him at 10 yards but I could only see his head. Needed a beard or fan to confirm it wasnt a jake. He made me and ran off before I could pull the trigger.

    I kept my last tag waiting on him...After the boy and I set up on him and he embarrassed me again, we found a pair of strutters in a field and killed them. He's safe for another year.
    "Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration" -Izaak Walton

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Greenville
    Posts
    4,803

    Default

    That's a good idea on the log. I used to keep a log book of every deer hunt, kill or not. Oh, the days before a family of 6 . . . but I do need to do something like you are.
    Carolina Counsel

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Ruffin
    Posts
    1,035

    Default

    TOP JOB SIR

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Summerville
    Posts
    5,873

    Default

    Nice work and great story
    Member of the Tenth Legion Since 2004

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •