I got a fist full of feathers

[dec]

Went turkey hunting this afternoon in an area that has been covered up with birds. Sure enough at 4:00, here come 9 long beards. In the wide open on a gravel flat. I was in the Double Bull, but could not get them closer than 50 yards. So after 30 minutes of watching them, they slipped away to about 100 yards and were going to work over a dirt berm and down a hill to the woods. So I made a risky move. I slipped out of the blind and went down the opposite side of the berm and set up at around 30 yards from where I knew they would come over. Sure enough here they came. Finally the last long beard stopped broad side at 25 yards. I drew and took carefull aim. Wouldn't you know it, he took one step right as I released an arrow. My arrow hit solid right in the bony area at the base of the tail feathers (I'll never forget the sound ). He flew up and my arrow went flying. The whole flock just stood there, they had no clue what happened. My turkey came down and just kind of walked around all dazed. So I reached for anther arrow and ... I had left my Alpine quiver back at the blind! I was out of bullets! So with birds in front of me, all I could do was sit tight and hope that my hit on my bird cut something so he would lay down. I watched them for another 15 to 20 minutes and could not move. My turkey acted fine, just minus a bunch of tail feathers. Finally, they took off. I retreived my arrow and all the feathers. I was pretty bummed, but then I got thinking about how hard it is to kill a turkey with the bow and that my bird will probably be OK, so I ended up feeling pretty good about it. I plan on heading back out tomorrow afternoon. There are pleanty more than those 9. The other day I counted 23 of them! Maybe tomorrow will pan out better.

What a rush though. ;D

[Woody Williams]

Sounds like you had a great hunt even though all you had to show for it was tail feathers.

Did you have any decoys out.?

Hope you get that tail featherless longbeard tomorrow..

[dec]

Yea, I had decoys out, but they wanted nothing to do with my set up or any types of calls that I threw at them.

Went out this afternoon and set up similar to yesterday. Did not see anything, until about 5:15. At the other end of the farm, probably 400 yards away, I saw a turkey fly up into the trees. So I quickly made my way to the other end, hoping to pick up a straggler turkey and maybe get a shot. 9 or 10 turkeys were all ready roosted when I got there. The flushed off the roost and flew forever. Oh well, hang up the turkey gear until the spring.

[Woody Williams]

In the last 4 or 5 years I have had turkeys all around me while bowhunting.

They even roosted in the same tree I was in.

There is nothing noisier than a flock of turkey flying up all around you. If the suckers would settle down on one limb it wouldn’t be too bad, but they don't.

Ms. Hen lands on one limb and sits for a while. I guess she then thinks "That limb over there looks more comfortable" and she flies to that one. WHOOP.WHOOP,WHOOP, WHOOP.

Now this year when they are legal can I get one within 40 yards of me in shootable position? No way, Jose.

The closest I got was a hen at 25 yards and she was in brush.

In KY I had 6 hens walk past me at 10 yards and I’m sitting there with only deer tags in my pockets. $50 for a fall turkey tag was a little too high after the $165 for license and deer tags.

At least now I wont have to pack in any turkey calls… and they will be flying up all around me again.