# LFTS 5/3



## Flight of the arrow (Feb 11, 2008)

I’m in, same spot as yesterday for now, it’s breezy and it rained last night no gobbling on the roost so far this morning. The plan is to hunt here a few hours then move to the south side of the farm, good luck to anyone lucky enough to make it out today .
Flight


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## LabtechLewis (Nov 20, 2008)

The good news is I saw four longbeards fly down. The bad news is they watched me walk in and set up. They're safely on the other side of the property. For now. Maybe a different bird will sneak in. Only gobbles were following a crow. I hear hens.


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## Flight of the arrow (Feb 11, 2008)

Yesterday the gobbling was fast and furious, there was a bird that gobbles non stop with almost no break between gobbles. I told myself to go after that bird this morning, he is right where he was yesterday morning and he is going non stop. I sitting in the blind kicking myself because I didn’t want to get wet this morning.
Flight


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## LabtechLewis (Nov 20, 2008)

He did, in fact, slip in from the side. Wow, I was quick on the trigger! Turkey fever!


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## Flight of the arrow (Feb 11, 2008)

Looks like I’m all alone now, Congratulations Lab !
Flight 
Ps. I can still remember when Norm used to hunt, wasn’t that long ago


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

I'm heading out whenever the rain let's up..

Sent from my SM-G892A using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

LabtechLewis said:


> He did, in fact, slip in from the side. Wow, I was quick on the trigger! Turkey fever!
> 
> View attachment 765524


Congrats!

Sent from my SM-G892A using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

old graybeard said:


> I'm heading out whenever the rain let's up..
> 
> Sent from my SM-G892A using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


You are such a fair weather hunter....LOL.


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## Flight of the arrow (Feb 11, 2008)

What a difference 24 hours makes, you would think there isn’t a bird in the county.
Flight


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## retired dundo (Jul 21, 2015)

LabtechLewis said:


> He did, in fact, slip in from the side. Wow, I was quick on the trigger! Turkey fever!
> 
> View attachment 765524


Congrats that didn’t take long


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## timbrhuntr (Feb 4, 2009)

Flight of the arrow said:


> Looks like I’m all alone now, Congratulations Lab !
> Flight
> Ps. I can still remember when Norm used to hunt, wasn’t that long ago


If you can smuggle me in I'll keep ya company ! Must be some big birds where I hunt in Lenawee since I haven't hunted them in 2 years and I'm the only one that does !


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## timbrhuntr (Feb 4, 2009)

I can't believe a bird came in with that funky chicken there ! Man shows how dumb they can be lol


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## jscheel (Sep 3, 2008)

LabtechLewis said:


> He did, in fact, slip in from the side. Wow, I was quick on the trigger! Turkey fever!
> 
> View attachment 765524


Congrats! you are the first person I have seen use the funky chicken, have you successfully used it before today?


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## fishinfanatic19 (Jun 4, 2014)

LabtechLewis said:


> He did, in fact, slip in from the side. Wow, I was quick on the trigger! Turkey fever!
> 
> View attachment 765524


Gettin’ funky! Congrats!


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## LabtechLewis (Nov 20, 2008)

old graybeard said:


> Congrats!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G892A using Michigan Sportsman mobile app





retired dundo said:


> Congrats that didn’t take long


Thanks, men! It did not take long. Probably shot around 6:35am? Sometimes it's like that. They just come right in. I guess if I was more discriminating, then maybe I'd have let him walk away, but I'm not a great judge of a lone bird. 😁




timbrhuntr said:


> I can't believe a bird came in with that funky chicken there ! Man shows how dumb they can be lol





jscheel said:


> Congrats! you are the first person I have seen use the funky chicken, have you successfully used it before today?





fishinfanatic19 said:


> Gettin’ funky! Congrats!


Several years ago, I was working in our Alabama plant and one of the young guys in there told me I needed to get the funky chicken because he had numerous successful hunts with one. So, when it went on sale at Cabela's, I picked it up with points. I have used it a few times before, but don't remember anything coming in close enough to see it. Today, I set it out along with that cheap hen decoy. What a mess. I think I lost the bottom half stake of the funky lil jake, so it is sitting really low to the ground. The field is so dry, I could only get the hen's stake in a few inches, so it is sitting really high up in the air. That was the set up. Once the birds flew down and went the other way, the only calling I did was 5 light yelps, pause, 5 light yelps with this A-way call:









I did that just to let unseen and unheard birds know I was up in the strut zone waiting. It was probably 10 minutes or so later and I caught movement coming from behind to my right at about 30 yards. It was a tom. It walked right towards my decoys. Never made a sound. Never went into full strut. I ranged it once. Then I was fumbling around with my binoculars to try and look at the spurs. I couldn't see anything noticeable. Then it seemed to look into the blind at me. At some point, I eased the shotgun up as it was walking away slowly. I had to decide quickly. 

So, it certainly wasn't a textbook call-'em-in, beat-up-the-decoy hunt, but I have _definitely_ had toms enter the field on that same trail and hug the edge of the woods while walking out to the main crop field, so I know the decoys had juuuust enough attraction to seal this one's fate.

Yes, they can be dumb sometimes. Quite often actually. But, last year's struggle to get one in range lead to this year's impatience behind the trigger. No doubt about it! Every one is unique in it's own way.


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## MPOW (Dec 27, 2016)

push button box was a David Hale favorite 😉 makes a great little yelp


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## bmoffit (Dec 3, 2007)

Where’s the hero shot @LabtechLewis ??


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Just stepped into this open wood lot and came face to face with a big tom. One quick shot and a miss. I'm sure he's still running for his life.


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## LabtechLewis (Nov 20, 2008)

bmoffit said:


> Where’s the hero shot @LabtechLewis ??


No good field photos because I wanted to avoid a sudden downpour. I stayed home from work today to honor my wife's wedding anniversary. She woke up and said, "I guess you didn't go hunting, eh?"

I said, "I went. I killed one and came home."

She said, "Yeah, right. Liar."

At least she took the pic for me in a drizzle. 










I think I shot a runt. 19#. Fan seems really small. I don't know. Maybe just because I am sitting on a hill.


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## Badfishmi (Oct 28, 2012)

Beautiful bird and job, sounds like a hunting story as great as any!


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