Official 2019 Wild Turkey Thread

I always do it at home, never in the field. Few hours before getting to prepping the bird isn’t a problem and I wouldn’t worry unless it is unusually warm out.
 
Cameron SS said:
So who here cleans their bird at the kill site amd who is taking their intact bird home to process?

How long are you comfortable leaving the guts in? Ive gutted and plucked my bird on the spot because I dont know why. Whats everyone else doing.
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Must be difficult to pluck in the field. If you can make it home in an hour or two bring a large lot of water to a boil and give your bird a quick dip. Feathers will come out much easier
 
Cameron SS said:
So who here cleans their bird at the kill site amd who is taking their intact bird home to process?

How long are you comfortable leaving the guts in? Ive gutted and plucked my bird on the spot because I dont know why. Whats everyone else doing.
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I usually do it at home and never had an issue. I always bring the proper utensils to clean it in the field, but I always seem to kill birds when the weather is miserable out and usually dont end up doing it because I want to get back to the truck. I have cleaned birds in the landowners barn in the past, but that was when I was with my dad and we had two birds to clean
 
RichardK said:
Must be difficult to pluck in the field. If you can make it home in an hour or two bring a large lot of water to a boil and give your bird a quick dip. Feathers will come out much easier
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Fair enough. Ive read many times about this boil bath to loosen up the feathers but figured it was for farmed birds. Who packs a 10 ga stew pot to boil water in the field...lol. i dont think I have a pot big enough for a whole bird.

In any event my little Cluck Norris weighed in at 10.5 lbs of meat once I got it deboned and ready for the grinder. Mmm sausage.
 
Dukester said:
RichardK said:
My first Turkey, decent little Jake

You broke the seal ! Many more on the way !

And did you shoot it on your own land ?

Congratulations !
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Thanks! It was on my property back where they farmed soy last year. This fall I may actually have some patience and not shoot the first beard i see! Lol. I just thought my pounding heart was going to scare them off.
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Congrats RichardK!!! Any issues with trespassers?

RichardK said:
My first Turkey, decent little Jake

YeM1ejy.jpg
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Jay said:
Congrats RichardK!!! Any issues with trespassers?
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Not since I chased away the first two, of course now all family and friends want to come for a hunt at my house! Hard to say no to family, lol.
As long as they are respectful I guess theres really no harm in letting them come for a hunt, now that I've got mine.
 
We’ll, Im tagged out! Just called in two toms with a box call I havent used in a long while. Both came into my decoys strutting away. I had to be patient to get a clear shot as they came from the opposite side from how I was sitting in the blind. Fortunately they didnt hear or see me moving around and kept focused on my decoys. The bird is considerably smaller than my first. Its mate stayed close by and gobbled like crazy during the photoshoot. And as luck would have it, a much bigger Tom came out from the opposite end. I let them have a gobble fest for about 10 mins and then I broke up the party and started packing up.

Tale of the tape....
8” beard
1 1/8” spurs
19.8 lbs

D1BD9556-1990-47A3-8202-ED4F1E5636AA_zpsxh8zczvh.jpg
 
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I am little behind here but congrats to Hoyt on that impressive bird.
Richard, good first bird, ain't nothing wrong with a jake.
Good job 1963 on tagging out, it is a good feeling. Kudos to Alvaro also
I have missed a few guys but good job on bagging birds especially for the ones that had young mentors with them, I have enjoyed the tales.

Cameron... the only thing that would make that story any better was if someone was running video. You're not the first guy who has ever engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a wounded bird, right Dilly ??

Only other comment I will make is that I am not a big fan of running after shot birds with a loaded gun, whether they are are down or not. If they are able to hold there head up then I'd consider tagging them again from where you sit.

Keep the stories coming
 
smokin'stoegie said:
Cameron... the only thing that would make that story any better was if someone was running video. You're not the first guy who has ever engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a wounded bird, right Dilly ??

Only other comment I will make is that I am not a big fan of running after shot birds with a loaded gun, whether they are are down or not. If they are able to hold there head up then I'd consider tagging them again from where you sit.

Keep the stories coming
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You know I was thinking about bringing my go pro, and in hindsight I think I would have shut it down after I thought the bird was down. Without the benefit of hindsight I don't think I would have wanted video of me packing up decoys so I bet even If I had video I wouldn't have captured the real action. If I ever do bring a camera I will be certain that its the last thing I pack up...

Not sure what your concern is about moving with a loaded gun, but to each their own. I do it all the time. In this case, as I said, I wasn't running, but was stalking slowly to close the distance because there was no good shot from where I was.
 
We are tagged out too... my son, took a nice two year old gobbler last night and a jake this morning... I took another nice gobbler in an interesting hunt. I had been watching a group of 15 - 18 birds for the past three days... there were three gobblers that had chosen a strutting ground each morning, they were accompanied by five jakes and eight or nine hens. I travelled to a high hill overlooking the area and glassed to be sure they were there and relatively stable and not travelling away. They looked comfortable so I made a big loop around sprinted a couple miles to come in from the backside of the bush... I had to wade a creek up to my crotch and then crawled the last 100 yards to a shooting position. Since they were along the creek their only option was to fly over the creek or to go by my position. I cleaned up a few twigs and opened shooting lanes in two directions with my Sierra Saw... then spent the next hour and a half on my knees watching and waiting. When I saw a hen walking down to the creek bank, my heart sank, sure enough, she flew across and landed in a tree... one by one all of the hens except one flew over the creek... I thought I was sunk... but was counting on the reluctance bigger gobblers have for flying unless they have to. The jakes began to move my way, and to my surprise the hens all glided out of the trees and back to the field most landing within 30 yards of me... the bigger gobbler was bringing up the rear... five minutes later, I was surrounded by jakes and hens and a couple two year old toms and the big bird was still not in a shooting position... I was waiting for him to step into a lane that I had cleared... the problem was, I had a hen 5 feet to my left and one 5 feet to my right and a couple jakes 10 feet behind me... I was pinned down and could not budge... the gobbler was getting closer to my lane when all of a sudden one hen started peering intently into my eyes from 5 feet... I tried not to blink but couldn't hold it, as soon as I blinked she started warning "putting." I knew the jig was up, the birds would spook in seconds, the gobbler was just entering my shooting lane, so I though "screw it"... threw the gun to my shoulder settled the bead on its neck and fired... the gobbler went down hard and the bush erupted with cackles and wings (and shyte bombs)... in five seconds it was just me and the dead gobbler... a little excitement for coronary health...
 
hoytcanon said:
We are tagged out too... my son, took a nice two year old gobbler last night and a jake this morning... I took another nice gobbler in an interesting hunt. I had been watching a group of 15 - 18 birds for the past three days... there were three gobblers that had chosen a strutting ground each morning, they were accompanied by five jakes and eight or nine hens. I travelled to a high hill overlooking the area and glassed to be sure they were there and relatively stable and not travelling away. They looked comfortable so I made a big loop around sprinted a couple miles to come in from the backside of the bush... I had to wade a creek up to my crotch and then crawled the last 100 yards to a shooting position. Since they were along the creek their only option was to fly over the creek or to go by my position. I cleaned up a few twigs and opened shooting lanes in two directions with my Sierra Saw... then spent the next hour and a half on my knees watching and waiting. When I saw a hen walking down to the creek bank, my heart sank, sure enough, she flew across and landed in a tree... one by one all of the hens except one flew over the creek... I thought I was sunk... but was counting on the reluctance bigger gobblers have for flying unless they have to. The jakes began to move my way, and to my surprise the hens all glided out of the trees and back to the field most landing within 30 yards of me... the bigger gobbler was bringing up the rear... five minutes later, I was surrounded by jakes and hens and a couple two year old toms and the big bird was still not in a shooting position... I was waiting for him to step into a lane that I had cleared... the problem was, I had a hen 5 feet to my left and one 5 feet to my right and a couple jakes 10 feet behind me... I was pinned down and could not budge... the gobbler was getting closer to my lane when all of a sudden one hen started peering intently into my eyes from 5 feet... I tried not to blink but couldn't hold it, as soon as I blinked she started warning "putting." I knew the jig was up, the birds would spook in seconds, the gobbler was just entering my shooting lane, so I though "screw it"... threw the gun to my shoulder settled the bead on its neck and fired... the gobbler went down hard and the bush erupted with cackles and wings (and shyte bombs)... in five seconds it was just me and the dead gobbler... a little excitement for coronary health...
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Well done! And what a hunt! You played that perfectly...and got balls deep in the water to get it done. Glad you guys tagged out after having had brutal weather to start the season.

I know you have a long distance to travel to get back home....have a safe drive!
 
Cameron SS said:
.

Not sure what your concern is about moving with a loaded gun, but to each their own. I do it all the time. In this case, as I said, I wasn't running, but was stalking slowly to close the distance because there was no good shot from where I was.
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I know you didn't say you were running, I wasn't referring to you. I just said running after a turkey is something I would never do.
It was mentioned however to each his own.
 
hoytcanon said:
We are tagged out too... my son, took a nice two year old gobbler last night and a jake this morning... I took another nice gobbler in an interesting hunt. I had been watching a group of 15 - 18 birds for the past three days... there were three gobblers that had chosen a strutting ground each morning, they were accompanied by five jakes and eight or nine hens. I travelled to a high hill overlooking the area and glassed to be sure they were there and relatively stable and not travelling away. They looked comfortable so I made a big loop around sprinted a couple miles to come in from the backside of the bush... I had to wade a creek up to my crotch and then crawled the last 100 yards to a shooting position. Since they were along the creek their only option was to fly over the creek or to go by my position. I cleaned up a few twigs and opened shooting lanes in two directions with my Sierra Saw... then spent the next hour and a half on my knees watching and waiting. When I saw a hen walking down to the creek bank, my heart sank, sure enough, she flew across and landed in a tree... one by one all of the hens except one flew over the creek... I thought I was sunk... but was counting on the reluctance bigger gobblers have for flying unless they have to. The jakes began to move my way, and to my surprise the hens all glided out of the trees and back to the field most landing within 30 yards of me... the bigger gobbler was bringing up the rear... five minutes later, I was surrounded by jakes and hens and a couple two year old toms and the big bird was still not in a shooting position... I was waiting for him to step into a lane that I had cleared... the problem was, I had a hen 5 feet to my left and one 5 feet to my right and a couple jakes 10 feet behind me... I was pinned down and could not budge... the gobbler was getting closer to my lane when all of a sudden one hen started peering intently into my eyes from 5 feet... I tried not to blink but couldn't hold it, as soon as I blinked she started warning "putting." I knew the jig was up, the birds would spook in seconds, the gobbler was just entering my shooting lane, so I though "screw it"... threw the gun to my shoulder settled the bead on its neck and fired... the gobbler went down hard and the bush erupted with cackles and wings (and shyte bombs)... in five seconds it was just me and the dead gobbler... a little excitement for coronary health...
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Congrats, with this cool weather wading through the creek is pure dedication. WTG
 
Congrats to all so far who have put one in the bag. Keep the stories coming so I can live vicariously through them as I got deployed for the floods. Hopefully the water will go down and I can squeeze in a day at the end of the week maybe!
 
1963beretta said:
It happens...good on you for taking on the challenge of taking a bird with a long bow. I love how so many hunters make an extra effort to make a hunt more challenging. Good on you for not taking the easy road in filling a tag
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It was a learning experince to say the least. I did not even use a blind....i was set up in a creek bed and behind a big oak tree. Had i waited until the Tom got jiggy with the decoy, i might have gotten him.....but i rushed everything, so thats on me.....lol
 
shockwave said:
It was a learning experince to say the least. I did not even use a blind....i was set up in a creek bed and behind a big oak tree. Had i waited until the Tom got jiggy with the decoy, i might have gotten him.....but i rushed everything, so thats on me.....lol
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Yeah, bowhunting requires good timing... my son and I have taken birds with compounds, but I started with a homemade longbow (selfbow), and took my first bear with it exactly 40 years ago this month... progressed through better longbows, recurves, a few custom takedown recurves, shot a Jim Brackenbury Bubinga/Cocobolo TD recurve for many years... and then switched to compounds... I keep feeling the itch to go back to traditional gear, but always put it off. Anyway... good luck arrowing your bird.
 
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