2024 BIG GOBBLER FUN CONTEST - Leaderboard

[Turkeyjohn]

Tom #2 down yesterday morning and tagged out for the spring. This was a perfect roost hunt which rarely works out the way you planned but fortunately did this time. I saw 2 toms around 7pm Saturday evening and had an idea where they would be roosted. Went towards the spot I had seen them on Sunday morning and waited til the gobbling started. I set up about 200 yards from them across an open pasture and set up my jake decoy. The 2 toms gobbled a fair amount on the roost, flew down, and headed directly my direction. 5 minutes later they came right in and started beating up on my jake decoy. It took almost 5 minutes before they separated enough that I could get a shot. 2 more jakes showed up shortly afterwards and came over to have their turn beating up on my decoy. This caused the other tom to come back in and run the jakes around. All in all it was almost 30 minutes before I could even go get the bird I shot and made for an entertaining morning.
8 1/2" beard
3/4" longest spur
Shotgun
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Right on CD94, tagged out before the bugs keep us out of the woods..

TurkeyJohn

[Jerryklimczuk]

Went the last fours days both mornings and afternoon and seen little to o birds.
went out this morning and set up half hour before daylight and at legal time heard one distant gobble.
Then half hour later heard 3 more toms a little closer and sound like they were in the field behind the bush i was set up in.
Started calling with some soft yelps and the birds were going crazy, this went on for about an hour and then they went silent.
I got a little discouraged as they never responded again so I got up and had to have a leak I went back to my tree sat down and I see 3 dark shadows walking along the bush to left of me. I made a soft yelp and all 3 gobbled and walked to my decoy set up.
I realized there were 2 jakes and a decent Tom behind the jakes. the jakes made there way to beat up my Jake decoy and the Tom strutted in right behind them, within minutes I waited till they had there fun and made a loud yelp he raised his head and down for the count. When I walked up to him after the Jakes left the Tom I walked up to him and he had 2 beards.
Longest beard 9-5/8", second beard 5-1/2", longest spur 7/8" and weight 22-3/4lbs.
Tagged out time to fish.

Awesome!

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[Jerryklimczuk]

(Coffee bird down) May 6th
Not the most conventional hunt but fun regardless. The early morning was real quiet with not a sound. One distant gobble around 6:45am and one hen walking around with no Tom’s following. I wanted to stay as long as possible because the land owner said birds were coming out late morning to afternoon. As I’m enjoying the sun shinning the land owner sends me a text to come over the house and take a coffee break. As nothing is going on i accepted his offer but knowing my luck, I have a gut feeling something is going to come to my spread when I’m not there lol . 15 minutes into the coffee i notice 3 toms alone coming our way and walking in the direction of my decoys. I knew this was going to happen so i had to wait until they got out of sight ran to the truck to grab the gun. I then used a barn to hide me running to try and get in front of them before they go down hill towards my decoys. Now at this point I am at the base of this hill between the decoys and the Toms that I cant see and to top it off I don't know where they are or if they are gone. 3 minutes later that felt like two hours the birds crest the hill and start walking towards my decoys. I wait for them to get down the hill and I take the first Tom that separates from the bunch. Bird down not the biggest Tom but (who cares you can’t eat the beard!) and went back to celebrate with my coffee that I didn’t finish lol tagged out my season is done and now I could concentrate getting my friends on some birds and doing some fishing. Beard 8 1/4 spurs 1inch and weighed 21 pounds





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Nice Bird bud.

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[Jerryklimczuk]

Was out Friday although didn't actually see any birds got a couple gobbles in the morning and for the first time heard a gobble early afternoon. Felt a change in the mood of the birds and figured sooner than later they'll really turn on. Got out this morning and got settled into my my spot just before legal. The first gobble sound off almost instantly. Slipped the gun out at legal and loaded up. Let out a couple of soft yelps and the birds sounded off. made out four toms and at least a jake spread out infront. The spot is a cross road of paths on a ridge in the bush. Birds tend to use the paths to cross the woods so got lined up down the path towards the closest sounding gobble. As the dawn broke saw what look like a hen drop from the trees about 70-80 yards in front. That's when the show really started. Always amazed how bad live hens call. There was a chorus of yelps and loud cackling coming from a bunch of hens that got me thinking too much/too loud. The various toms were sounding off trying to cut the hens off to their direction. This went on for what seemed forever alot of audible action however no visual as the bush has greened up quite a bit. Things settled down and the birds seemed to drift off in different directions away from me. Things got quiet and had me thinking should I make a shift to the back door to catch the birds as the come around from the back side. Decided to let out a soft yelp to check my status and was reward with a close gobble coming from behind. Did a quarter shift around the tree to cover the path coming up the ridge. No sooner spotted a bird crest the rise. He half strutted and I couldn't make out the tail nor was able to see a beard. Figured must be a Jake but at this point any legal bird was coming home with me. He kept coming and as he did a quarter turn could see a decent beard dangling from his chest. The bird was less than 20 yards from me and was actively looking for the hen he heard from below. Got me regretting leaving the decoy in the jeep as could of used the distraction. I was buried in the shurberry and he wasn't able to make me out thing was really didn't have the gun up yet. Had to wait till he got behind a couple of trees and got into position. Almost on que he stepped out from behind the tree and stood at attention on the path for his picture to be taken. The gun sounded and he dropped like a rag, all that remained was to wait for the flopping to stop. What seemed like forever was all done by 6:45 am. Got to love turkey hunting when the birds want to play. Going to add pictures soon unofficial measurement looks like 15/16 inch spurs and 9 1/2" beard. figure a score of 37.75

Great hunt! Congrats.

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[Jerryklimczuk]

Tom #2 down yesterday morning and tagged out for the spring. This was a perfect roost hunt which rarely works out the way you planned but fortunately did this time. I saw 2 toms around 7pm Saturday evening and had an idea where they would be roosted. Went towards the spot I had seen them on Sunday morning and waited til the gobbling started. I set up about 200 yards from them across an open pasture and set up my jake decoy. The 2 toms gobbled a fair amount on the roost, flew down, and headed directly my direction. 5 minutes later they came right in and started beating up on my jake decoy. It took almost 5 minutes before they separated enough that I could get a shot. 2 more jakes showed up shortly afterwards and came over to have their turn beating up on my decoy. This caused the other tom to come back in and run the jakes around. All in all it was almost 30 minutes before I could even go get the bird I shot and made for an entertaining morning.
8 1/2" beard
3/4" longest spur
Shotgun
Attachment 44815
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Attachment 44819

Well at least you got a show before your harvest.

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[Lenny]

More great birds heading into the heat and bugs!

CD94, jumps waay out in the lead, on both the single and double bird count!
finsfurfeathers and tom gobble in the race
Arcticcat all tagged out
And our newest entrant, cdougs tags into third place with her first entry, a nice tom with 9.5" beard and 1-1/8" hooks. I'll let her tell the story, but here are the pics, followed by an updated leaderboard

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All Entries
1 CD94 44.25
2 Lenny 43.5
3 cdougs 41.5
4 Genec 39.75
5 TurkeyJohn 38.5
6 finsfurfeathers 37.75
7 Arcticcat 36.75
8 tom gobble 36.5
9 Jerryklimczuck 35.5
10 Coonhound 34.5

Two Bird Totals:
1 CD94 76.25
2 Jerryklimczuck 52.5
3 Arcticcat 51.5

[sabmgb]

well set the alarm for 345 this morning, it was pouring rain so went back to bed. It stopped raining about noon, so decided to go for an afternoon hunt. I had to be heading back by 3 didn't leave a lot of time. Got all set up, jake and hen decoys out and sat down by 1. made a couple calls and waited, 130 couple more calls. At 140 I see something move 400yds out in the field. Glasses out to see what it was, all I could see was a white head. I ranged a spot I would use as a line of no return for the turkey. He kept coming slowly feeding but coming my way. He hits the point of no return, 44yds. comes about 8yds closer and stands up straight head high. So decided that was close enough. Let the winchester long beard 3" #6 fly. He dropped right on the spot. I got up and realized that I had marked the wrong spot, the bird was 52yds out. Must have read a spot lower than what I was looking at. Oh well it all worked out. Now I can just fish.

7/8 spurs 0.875x20 = 17.5
10" beard 10X2 = 20
Total 37.5
22Lb

[tom gobble]

Nice bird congrats

[Markster]

Wow, some nice birds being registered. Congratulations to all.

[Turkeyjohn]

Great morning this Sunday, had some birds gobbling in their usual spots… decided they’d come over for a looksie, one of the target Tom’s and 3 hens… no sooner were they meandering over but the two jerk Jakes popped out of the woods heading to the Tom… I’m thinking they’ve whooped him before, as once he saw/heard them, he headed for the hills…and those hussy hens moved towards the Jakes… they hung out in the decoys for a while and I could have easily tagged out on a Jake, like I could have for a dozen mornings on this farm…. Since it’s a working crop farm, the farmer and his wife came into the field to start the irrigation, so I start packing up… a quick visit and I find out the Tom is hanging at the bottom of the field, load the jeep and work a plan, sure enough there he is with a couple of new hens behind a tree island in the field…. I get my sneak in and work to the back of the island…. Sure enough, I can hear him drumming in the other side and he’s closing… gun at the ready and I wait… the drumming starts drifting off and I’m thinking the hens are pulling him away… I get to my knees and peak through the trees, nope, still there and at the 35 yard mark…the hens are clear, and he steps into an opening in the brush and the 870 barks, Tom down…move up to him and nice little surprise when I check the beard, not one but two, first double beard in almost twenty years….glad I didn’t settle for a Jake…Main beard 9 in, second beard, 4 1/2, 1 inch spur one side, 7/8 on the other, 19.08 lbs, happy hunter tagged out…








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