Finally on the board for this spring. Roosted a tom last night but he was on a neighbouring property and across a road. I figured I was better off starting my morning at a different farm that I have heard quite a few birds on the few times I'd hunted it this spring. After spending the first couple hours there the gobbles had stopped so I took a drive by a couple other properties as I made my way back home. Just before getting home I see a red head out in a recently worked field in the area I had roosted the bird the night before. He had made his way onto the property I can hunt so I parked the truck and did some bushwhacking to get as close I as could to where I thought he was.
He was about 150 yards away on the opposite edge of the field with 2 hens. After a few calls I predicted that he wasn't likely to leave his hens so decided to challenge him. With the turkey tail fan from a tom I shot last year in front of me I started slowly creeping out into the field towards the tom. After walking on my knees hunched over for about 30 yards he finally noticed me approaching and that was all it took. He covered the distance to me within 30 seconds or so. There was a small dip in the terrain about halfway between us and when he went out of sight I laid down prone with my gun barrel sticking out below the tail fan. I let him get to about 20 yards and pulled the trigger. I understand there is a bit of risk with this technique but given the location and circumstances I was willing to accept it.
Finally on the board for this spring. Roosted a tom last night but he was on a neighbouring property and across a road. I figured I was better off starting my morning at a different farm that I have heard quite a few birds on the few times I'd hunted it this spring. After spending the first couple hours there the gobbles had stopped so I took a drive by a couple other properties as I made my way back home. Just before getting home I see a red head out in a recently worked field in the area I had roosted the bird the night before. He had made his way onto the property I can hunt so I parked the truck and did some bushwhacking to get as close I as could to where I thought he was.
He was about 150 yards away on the opposite edge of the field with 2 hens. After a few calls I predicted that he wasn't likely to leave his hens so decided to challenge him. With the turkey tail fan from a tom I shot last year in front of me I started slowly creeping out into the field towards the tom. After walking on my knees hunched over for about 30 yards he finally noticed me approaching and that was all it took. He covered the distance to me within 30 seconds or so. There was a small dip in the terrain about halfway between us and when he went out of sight I laid down prone with my gun barrel sticking out below the tail fan. I let him get to about 20 yards and pulled the trigger. I understand there is a bit of risk with this technique but given the location and circumstances I was willing to accept it.
9" beard and 15/16" spurs
The 'ol Reaper Creeper! Sometimes you've gotta get aggressive and make things happen -- way to adapt!
Nice bird sometimes just got to do what you have to do to get it done. Always be careful when your doing it even on private land. I had a guy trespassing on a property I hunt with a mechanical decoy that would fan and move. I had no idea it was fake until I got closer and realized it was the same movements. I just backed away and thought to my self people have balls to do crazy things even not on there land
"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life"
Way to go CD94, I've seen the reap work only once and with a buddy in front of me and me calling behind, had 2 Toms race in and only 1 left, I was already tagged out....It is a huge rush, as long as you're in a field where no one should be shooting at you anyway, have at it...
Right on. Congrats guys.
CD94 congrats, that’s a great story.
My old knees and hips are shot and can’t handle that. Nephew went in Ninja mode and I sat against a tree and told him I would cover his back. lol
"Only dead fish go with the flow."
Proud Member: CCFR, CSSA, OFAH, NFA.
Well finally saw a shootable bird today. At 640am Tom came out of bush about 60yds east of me, strutting. Figured this is it, but he keeps going straight out into the field going in and out of strutting. I get binoculars out and see he is following a hen. they go out about 500yds and turn the other way and then come back to bush and disappear. Weather is supposed to turn real nasty out at 1030 so at 10 I start packing thinks up, I look west and east before I stand up and there is a bird about 40yds away. Can't see beard as there is a bush in the way so put gun down and get binoculars out, I see the beard, so put binoculars down and gun up. He figures something wrong now and is starting for bush and away. I let go and it drops like a rock at 45yds. Not my biggest but it is a Tom. To close to the end of season for me to buy another license so my season is done. It was a great day, got home waited for the storm to pass, cleaned turkey hooked up to boat and went jigging SCR and got a limit of eyes, so check one item off my bucket list.
Well finally saw a shootable bird today. At 640am Tom came out of bush about 60yds east of me, strutting. Figured this is it, but he keeps going straight out into the field going in and out of strutting. I get binoculars out and see he is following a hen. they go out about 500yds and turn the other way and then come back to bush and disappear. Weather is supposed to turn real nasty out at 1030 so at 10 I start packing thinks up, I look west and east before I stand up and there is a bird about 40yds away. Can't see beard as there is a bush in the way so put gun down and get binoculars out, I see the beard, so put binoculars down and gun up. He figures something wrong now and is starting for bush and away. I let go and it drops like a rock at 45yds. Not my biggest but it is a Tom. To close to the end of season for me to buy another license so my season is done. It was a great day, got home waited for the storm to pass, cleaned turkey hooked up to boat and went jigging SCR and got a limit of eyes, so check one item off my bucket list.
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Originally Posted by CD94
