Team 7 - ''JAKES OR BETTER''

[goblueM]

Well not much to report on my end. Hunting has been tough for me so far. Had hens raining down from the roost around us on Saturday, but the gobblers had moved their roost from the previous week to another property about 1/3 mile away. Heard 2 shots from that direction, which doesn't bode well.

I learned last night that there are 2 other hunters hunting my other property (that I was previously unaware of) and one had shot a nice bird last week... which funny because the season didn't open until this week. I also found a blind with 2 decoys and 12 turkey fans in it, which was puzzling.

Luckily there are still some birds around so hopefully I can get on em.

[sticknstring]

12 fans? Seems a bit suspect to me, especially with someone taking a bird a week early. Maybe a call to the local CO is in order?

Sounds like you've got a good spot with plenty of birds around though. Keep at 'em and good luck!

What a beautiful day here in MN. Too bad the season doesn't open until tomorrow! I was up early and had a strutter with a lone hen out behind the house this morning and here I am driving 45 minutes away to hunt tomorrow!

[sticknstring]

I was able to punch my coveted MN A tag 3 hours into the season yesterday! I didn't have real high hopes as I wasn't able to get any scouting in and the weather called for some rain and wind. Knowing the property well, I hiked up the hill with all my gear and setup the blind in the dark. Around 6:20, I heard a gobble about 125 yds away. Sweet, there's one roosted where I had hoped! That boy gobbled and gobbled. Fly-down time came & I heard a few hens briefly & then they were gone. My bird was still in the tree though and still gobbling hard. Time went on... and on... and on. It was 8:15am and he was still on the limb gobbling. I knew he was waiting for me to come to him so I tried going silent...30+ minutes without making a peep. Still gobbling on the limb! I had had enough. I popped in the mouth call, opened the back port of the blind and did some cutting and series of yelps followed by a loud gobble on the gobble shaker. He gobbled back. A few minutes later, I hear wings flapping & he's out of the tree. Finally! It's 8:53am. Two minutes later, he gobbles again. He's at 60 yds. I give him a few soft clucks and put the call down. A minute passes and I can hear him drumming. I peak out & can see his white softball head bobbing through the brush. He gobbles again. I peak out again just as he's exiting the brush in full-strut. He sees the dekes & commits. I take one final glance and watch him for a few seconds as he puts on the most beautiful show I've ever seen. I draw my bow and wait for the shot - 15 yds...12...10... finally at 9 yds I touched off the release as he was squaring up to the jake decoy. He made it two steps and he was mine! It was 9:03am. Emotions flooded over me as they usually do after taking one of god's most beautiful creatures. I said a short prayer and went out to collect my prize. Nice bird - 9" beard w/ spurs just under an inch. 22.25 lbs. I spent some time taking some pictures and somehow made the trek back to the truck in one trip! I'm a little disappointed that my hunt ended so soon, but not that disappointed! Good luck to the rest of you! I look forward to reading some success stories with penty of pics!

[DonBo]

Way to go Matt! Been a great season huh?

[sticknstring]

Sure has! Makes up for the tough years when you have to battle!

I'm sad it's over.

[Archerysniper]

CONGRATS Matt great bird and pic's

[hugonian1]

Nice job- great bird.

Congrats

[Hoyt4]

Nice bird Matt, congrats

[DonBo]

I'm sad it's over.

Still plenty of opportunity over in Sconnieland...

[sticknstring]

I asked my wife nicely and she cut me off like a boss hen with NO!

Maybe I'll take her out during E season. If she's lucky.

[mrklean]

very nice job

[goblueM]

well at least someone is having success... I had a very frustrating week of hunting. Hunted every day (except Sunday, illegal to hunt Sunday in Virginia)

Whenever I zigged, the birds zagged. Plenty of birds around but always moving their roost location, were stuck on the wrong ridge across the valley/property line, etc.

Good news is there are birds where I am hunting, just got to put in more time I guess

[sticknstring]

Stay after 'em blue - I've got confidence in ya!

Good luck guys - give 'em heck!

[goblueM]

thanks sticknstring, I think your virtual vote of confidence did some good . Tagged a nice gobbler this morning before I had to run to some meetings. Pics and story (first with bow!) to come later today

[sticknstring]

Early congrats! Can't wait to hear how it all unfolded!

Look out... Jakes Or Better are commin...

[DonBo]

Good job on that first archery bird! Glad someone is gonna give us a little competition!

[sticknstring]

Gordie - How did Davey's hunt go? I think he was hunting 510A?

Still waiting back from Powerstroke's MO hunt and Paintbrush's SD & NE hunts too. JonP is on deck w/ MN E.

[goblueM]

Ok finally back home. As promised, story and pics (the long version )

Been hunting a bird that roosts in an incredibly steep (think almost vertical cut) ravine that backs up to the highway. There's a huge ridge/knoll that feeds down into the ravine, mostly grazed down by some horses. It's about 200 feet from the bottom of the ravine up to the top where we had set my blind up on the edge of the ravine in a small clearing. Maybe 100 yards from the roost. The birds have been going silent after hitting the ground and working down along the highway and off into the adjoining property.

Today we got up early and got set up with some dekes an hour before first light. At 6:02 he gobbles, probably 75 yards away on the roost. He's at the top of his tree, but due to the steepness of the ravine, probably level with us on top of the ridge. At 6:15 he's gobbling regularly, double, triple, even some quadruple gobbles. I gave a few tree yelps, he didn't really respond immediately. Decided to shut up until he was on the ground. At 6:21 we see him pitch off the roost and glide down through the trees onto the ravine top, but maybe 100 yards downhill from us. Gave a flydown cackle, followed by some soft yelps a few moments later. Nothing. Hmph. Still nothing at 6:53. We figure he went off the back side of the ridge and is out in the other property (a church).

At 7, I decided to give some loud yelps and cutts, follwed by a jake gobble. No response. However, 5 minutes later a hen pops into view about 20 yards away (the max you can see in the clearing before the ridge drops off precipitously). She works her way toward the decoys, feeding. Suddenly I see a huge white and red head emerge behind some brambles! He's in full strut, following the hen about 30 yards away. He's working parallel to the ridge top, half-hidden from view. She keeps working toward us, and is at about 3 or 4 yards. He's in range now but still strutting. She starts to go around a clump of brambles and looks like she is heading away from the decoys. I'm worried she is going to draw him away from us, so I start to draw. She busts it and starts putting and heading for the woods. I immediately cutt and yelp, he gobbles as he's coming out of strut and turns quartering toward the ravine. Now or never. Let it go at 20 yards, he explodes in some feathers and takes off from the ridge top with the arrow sticking out of him!! dump. We watch him crash awkwardly through the tree tops (at our eye level due to the ravine) and cross the 4 lane divided highway. Uh oh. How did I not get a pass through with a Rage 2-blade and 60 pound draw?!

My buddy has a decent bead on the line the bird flew out on, so we visually mark a dead tree about 400 yards on the other side of the road, clamber down the ridge, cross the highway, and scamper up the other side. It was literally almost straight up. If it had been even slightly more vertical we couldn't have gotten up, as it was had to go on all fours.

We get to the tree where we thought it went down, find a deer trail running parallel to the cliff face, and prepare to to a lengthy grid search. My buddy takes about 10 steps and yells THERE HE IS!! hahaha crumpled up right in the deer path. Pretty impressive that he'd seen the direction he went, and guess the spot within about 25 yards, given that the bird flew about 3-400 yards and crossed the highway.

Anyways it was a huge relief to find him so easily. I guess that as he'd turned, I released, and hit a few inches low and a couple inches back, and clipped the back of the thigh meat, entered the body cavity, and hit the gizzard dead on. If you're wondering, apparently a turkey gizzard is enough to stop an arrow cold at 20 yards.

Final stats 19 pounds, 9 and 7/8ths inch beard, 1 and 1/8th inch spurs. Almost identical to the bird I took with the shotgun last year.

[Archerysniper]

Well gizzards are normally full of gravel plus if you hit any of the bigger bones like a thigh they are hollow and slow arrows down really fast. Congrats on a great bird and way to stick with the recovery and a first archery bird to boot.

[Gordie]

Gordie - How did Davey's hunt go? I think he was hunting 510A?

Still waiting back from Powerstroke's MO hunt and Paintbrush's SD & NE hunts too. JonP is on deck w/ MN E.

Davey is hunting 510C son this comng weekend

[sticknstring]

Great looking bird blue and congrats on your first with the bow! Hopefully the first of many. Better buy your buddy a beverage for marking that bird so well - memorable recovery for sure!

My first turkey I ever shot with the bow died in mid-air like that. While tracking, I snuck within 20 yds and put another arrow in him. He pitched off the side of a ravine and took flight over a picked cornfield. Watched him fold up 30 ft in the air. Tough birds!

[goblueM]

my buddy is an amateur taxidermy guy, he skinned it out to try doing a mount. We found some shotgun pellets in the breast, and the left wing had been broken by a shot, re-healed over the pellets. Tough birds indeed!

[Gordie]

Davey is hunting 510C season this comng weekend

My bad 508C

[sticknstring]

Either way, I'm expecting a nice bird from Davey! How's that for pressure on the guide?

[Archerysniper]

Daveys going to have a nice blind to sit in that has a few bow kills out of it. That way they don't get busted when the old fart guide falls asleep

[Gordie]

when the old fart

I promise to leave a nice scent in it for you

[Borch]

Nice scent? Well it'll smell like something....

[goblueM]

Well, was on a really nice bird this morning, roosted 100 yards away, talking to him and his hens, saw them fly down 75 yards away.

And then some guys drove down the church driveway at the bottom of the hill (about 60 yards away) and poached the bird.

Well, I'm assuming they got him, I couldn't see anything but the fact that it was a gray or silver vehicle that wasn't a pickup truck, they were out of there really fast. Packed everything up and went down there and there was a 3 inch #4 shell from a 12 gauge. They must have been aiming just about at my blind, thankfully there were a lot of trees and a bit of elevation in the way otherwise I might be just more than ticked off

[sticknstring]

Some crazy stuff going on in the Virginia hills! How many birds can you guys take legally there in the spring?

[goblueM]

3 bearded turkeys per license year, which includes spring and fall. I've been here for 2 full hunting seasons and I've had a treestand and a trail camera stolen and a bird poached from under me. And I haven't even been hunting public land much