Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Monday in MO

Sorry to hear how your lucks been going MOGC.

I finally got through with my stinking work week and headed for the woods Friday night. Went over to Settles ford and tryed to put a bird to bed, but nothing felt like talking. Saw some fresh scraching so I wasn't too worried about finding turkeys in the morning. Got in real early and was drifting in and out in my truck when I was awoken by the sound of glass packs, and the smell of gas fumes. A couple of guys decided that they liked the looks of the area too! I asked which way they were heading so I could go the opposite way, and danged if they hadn't planned on going the same way I was wanting to go. Oh well. Whatcha gonna do? I headed the other way from them.

Anyways, to shorten the story a bit... I ended up cropping a nice jake at around 12:30. I'll post pictures as soon as the fiance gets back into town. she's the computer guru around here.

I went to another conservation area this morning and had a blast! About 6:00am the hillsides starting ringing with gobbles. I'd start one way and then hear another one that "sounded" better for some reason or other. Finally decided that I'd set up close to the one that sounded the hotest and also get inbetween a couple of other toms that were yelling loud. I slipped through stick and dry leave heaven to about 80 yards away from tom #1. I gave him some soft tree yelps and fired him up until I was sure he got the point that I was available.

I caught some movement at my 5 o'clock and slowly turned to see what was sneaking in on me. Three goofy doe's decided to bed down about 50 yards away from me. I suppose they wanted to watch and see what was going on in the neighborhood. As if turkey hunting ain't tough enough without an audiance over your shoulder!

Tom #1 pitches and starts strumming and drumming just out of sight. I let him gobble at me a couple of times without answering just to get him nervous and then I hit him with a soft purr. That did it! I heard him heading my way. Through the early morning light I saw him ghost into about 40 yards. I held tight and tried to keep it together as I watched him puff up and jogg to withen 20 steps. He went behind a tree and I got ready to line up on him. As soon as he was about clear of the tree I drew a bead on his wattles and was saying to myself "Man, it's almost sin to end all of my fun this early."

If I hadn't had been so focused on the bird in front of me I might have heard the one in the brush creeping up on me from behind. I was pressing the trigger on #1 at the same time that Bird #2 let out a yell from about 50 yards directly to my 6. This caused my sinal atrial node to kick my heart into a moment of V Tach!

Feathers flew as both birds tore out of the A/O. Dust filled the air where the three dumb deer had been watching the show from, and I was left shaking and grinning from ear to ear. You know...that Heavy shot leaves one heck of a tight pattern on the side of a Swamp oak! Best morning of turkey hunting I've had in a long, long time.

Good story! Thanks for sharing, you have been having some fun. Well, I heard that Saturday they really cut loose and were gobbling hard all around my neck of the woods. I'm going tomorrow with the little lady in tow. She took a day off and this will be her first turkey hunt. I think I'm more nervous than our first date, which was a long time ago. I really want to show her a good time...

Took the little lady turkey hunting for her first time today. Arrived about 20 minutes before first light on a 2 1/2 mile long ridge with a nice wide top and plenty of spur ridges leading off the sides into cool spring branch hollows. It was warm, humid, and still, there is a thunderstorm front moving in this evening. We listened as the woods came alive for a gobbler - nothing. We walked it out trying to shock a gobbler - nothing. We set up in some of the prettiest turkey woods you can imagine and did some soft calling in hour long stands - nothing. There is sign there, tracks, scratching, droppings, and a few long feathers laying along the ridgetop. Not one sign of another hunter having been on the ridge in this century. If she hadn't been a little tuckered and hot, we'd have dropped off into a few of those hollows looking for turkeys in the shade and down where there is cold water flowing. I didn't want to make this the Bataan Death March or anything so we took it easy along the ridgetop. I get to go again on Thursday so I plan on hitting some of those low areas and checking them out. Dang, a fella oughta hear a gobble now and then. Getting a little personally frustrating, I usually have a bird by now. I guess that's why it is called hunting and not shooting... All in all, we had a good time today even without a gobbler showing off for us.

Man sorry to hear about you and the little lady drawing a zero. I have been reading this post and sound like it is either feast of famon. Hope you have better luck next time out.

Got out there yesterday morning about 6:45 and it was already in the 60's. Walked about a half mile to check a field along the creek where I had been seeing a strutter. Sure enough he was there with some hens. I elected to duck down along the creek bank and close the distance. I worked along about 300 yds and got ahead of where the birds were slowly moving. Tried to crawl out to a spot that I felt would be close enough to draw the tom away from the hens.

I lost sight of him at one point and had heard a gobble from behind me. I wondered if he had moved past me so I slowly rose up on my hands for a better look. You guessed it, the tom was still there and had me picked off. He didn't run but walked away mildly spooked. Decided to leave him alone and go after the other gobbler behind me. Looped around to check that part of the field and no bird. I checked around the side of the metal shed that was there and the danged bird was walking over to where I had been 10 minutes before!

Snuck back around and he was out in the middle of the field. I had no cover except a low ridge that I was able to duck below. I crawled closer through the wet grass and peeked my head over the ridge. I gave a couple of soft yelps and he craned his neck around looking for the hen. He gobbled a few times and continued down the field slightly angling towards and past me.

I crawled some more and peeked over again. Same deal, he gobbled at my soft yelps and kept moving. There was a fence between us and I figured he might cross it. I slithered farther down the low ridge and peeked into the field again. No gobbler. Where did he go? I catch some movement to my right and there he is. He had ducked under the fence and was coming towards me at about 50 yds. I was on my knees but was totally out in the open. I wasn't skylined and I think my Mossy Oak Obsession camo blended in perfectly with the grass. I managed to ease my shotgun to my shoulder in full view of the tom as he closed to about 35 yds. Amazing! I lined up the fiberoptics on his neck and smoked him.

He summersaulted over and over down the ridge and trashed his fan. Half of the tail feathers fell out. I stuffed them back in for the picture. 1 1/8" spurs and 10" beard. Probably 3 yr old. This was bird #2 so I am done. I got completely soaked and got a couple of ticks but it was worth it. Good luck to everyone else!
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/sambo3006/TurkeyMOApril2320070820GaarRanch.jpg

Good going sambo! Congrat's on a nice hunt and good field decision making.

Congrats on a nice bird and a great hunt

Some days it just all falls together don't it! Congrats on the long tom, and sad to hear you have to put it up early this season. Hopefully there's a kid or a buddy that needs some help getting theirs.

Good shooting sambo!
Don't pack it up, find someone that has never been and take them once or twice. Calling them in for others is just as fun!