# Gobbler, Ninja style!



## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Every turkey season seems to present new challenges and adventures; I suppose thats why I keep coming back for more.
I have always purchased hunt 234 for as long as I can remember. Because of the longer time frame allotted and because of an annual commitment I have the last full weekend of April.
The weather this spring had me considering the ZZ season when it was finally time to pull the trigger and actually buy my license, I considered all of my options and stuck with 234.
Isaac_62 was chomping at the bit to return the favor of calling in a long beard for me so I waited until he could take the time away from work to join me and that was the first Friday, May 11th. After deciding where we would start we flipped a coin to decide who would be the first shooter for the day and wed rotate with each property we would hunt.
The first spot we hit is the farm Ive killed my last 2 birds on. A week earlier I scouted from the road and heard 5 gobblers rockin the woods at dawn, 2 days later I actually went in to the roost and watched a double beard fly down 40 yards away and walk to a farm field gobbling the entire time. Our anticipation was high for this spot to say the least. 
As dawn broke it was pretty quiet as we waited for the birds to sound off. The first was more than likely the double beard however, he was quite a bit north of where he was a few days earlier and on property we didnt have permission to hunt. As we scrambled our game plan a thunderous gobble came from over our right shoulders from the exact same location my 2011 bird had roosted the morning I killed him. We double timed it toward where he was only to stumble in under 2 satellite gobblers that were roosted tight lipped. The jig was up as those 2 boys went up and out and there vocal buddy went lock jawed.
The original bird we heard was still an option if we could get his attention so we headed back in his direction set up and called only to have a hen followed by a bashful jake appear and then disappear nearly as quick. This isnt what I was anticipating for the day and I was a bit disappointed in my rookie mistake. We made for the car and headed to another farm. That day, as well as the next two, would provide much of the same frustrations, gobbles on the roost in spots unexpected and then silence the rest of the day.
I left the following Tuesday to fish in Canada for a week and Isaac teamed up with phensway to fill his tag, I was now on my own to hunt without the restraints of another person to consider when game planning. While I truly enjoy the camaraderie of hunting with a partner Im much more proficient at killing when Im solo.
I wouldnt get a chance to hunt again until Friday May 25th and I planned to hunt 4 straight days if necessary to fill my tag. I wasnt seeing many birds around home in my travels and gobbling at dawn was rather subdued compared to past years. I knew birds were around I just couldnt nail down their exact location with the limited time I had committed.
I headed out the door at 4:30 a.m. to one of my ol trusty spots where I had seen and worked 4 long beards unsuccessfully 2 weeks earlier. I planned to sit quietly and let the birds dictate my next move. As dark turned to grey, and grey to dawn, I heard a hen fly down about 70 yards to my right. She proceeded to walk straight out in to the field I was set up on and away from me. As I watched her feed as she went, 2 more hens appeared and joined her as they crested a hill and disappeared. About then is when I heard a gobble. This dude was already on the ground and from the sounds of things closing the distance. I took out my #182 Natures Echo black walnut slate and gave him a little dirty talk, hed answer robustly each time but I could tell he was on a mission to rendezvous with the girls so I got up to cut the distance and try to persuade him that I was worthy of his attention. He hit the field with the hens and my best efforts were fell on deaf ears. Hed gobble every time Id talk but he was content to stay with his harem. This late in the season I wasnt surprised and I was convinced by now that killing him would require unconventional tactics.
As I watched the group feed out across the freshly planted soy beans and across a grass water way into the west half of the field I suspected that because of the solitude of this location that theyd be there for a while or until someone, or something, changed their plans. I made my way back in the direction of where I started. With the aid of the terrain and heavy foliage, I moved undetected 400 yards north then 500 yards west, and then another 200 yards back south so that I was now at the north end of the grass waterway with the birds south of me and on the opposite side. The gobbler continued to strut for his girls as they dusted and scratched at the fresh soy bean seed. There were some thick young willows at this end of the grass waterway that I crawled through to get a bearing on where the birds were exactly. Now I could formulate my next move. Once I determined that they were content where they were, I hit the dirt on my hands and knees as I closed the distance. The occasional muddy spot required some fancy duck walking but over the next 30 minutes or so I eventually positioned myself within 82 yards of the focus of my attention. I had the advantage of some thick grass and small willows to conceal my location so I decided to give him a couple of soft purrs and clucks, hoping, that at this distance, hed believe I was another girl late to the party and just on the other side of his line of site. Nothin doin! Hed gobble thunderously but other than closing the distance to about 72 yards (ranged) he wasnt about to commit. This was all I needed to know now as I was committed to stalking him and blowing his beak off.
Over the next 30 minutes the hens started to make their way south (toward my house). As they would go I would go, hands and knees when possible and belly crawling when necessary. As I approached the south end of the grass water way the grass was getting considerably shorter and my options were narrowing, I dropped my vest to reduce my profile. I knew that because my woods was so thick with hinge cuts that they would likely hit the wood line and go left or right, if they went right theyd continue away from me but if they turned left theyd cross back over the grass water way. 
There was a low spot that the farmer was using to access the east side of this field where I was certain theyd cross at approximately 50+ yards. As they dropped down in to that depression I belly crawled as fast and as far as I could, when I peered up out of the grass the first hen had crossed and the strutter was following up behind her. I was out of adequate cover to move any closer and I estimated that he was at 50+ yards.
I wasnt keen on shooting from the prone position and I knew Id need a sold rest at that distance to execute a clean kill so I decided then that if I could get to my knees for a shot without alerting the group, I would have earned the right to shoot. At that distance I wasnt going to attempt a desperate shot at fleeing birds. As luck would have it I was able to rise to one knee, steady my gun, and as the ol boy craned his neck to investigate the strange blob in the tall grass, I let the 12 ga. roar. He stumbled and went down and attempted to run, boom! I hit him again as he atempted to take flight, boom! Down he went in a pile of feathers.
As I approached him I was reaching for my phone so that I could send out the BGD to all my homies. Low and beholdmy phone was missing. I had just crawled through over a ¼ mile of mud, grass, willows, and farm field for the last hour plus, now the hunt was on, of course I had turned the ringer off so locating it that way was out of the question. I left my vest and gun with the bird and back tracked but to no avail. I returned home with my prize so that I could have my wife take a couple pics before she had to leave home for the day. 









After the hero shots I grabbed a broom handle out of the garage and returned to look for my phone. Amazingly it laid on the ground where I had rose to my knees for the shot. 
Since starting turkey hunting in 1996, Ive never gone without killing a bird but this season was beginning to test my resolve. I guess the uncertainty and the need to adapt to the different situations is what the appeal is for me anymore. It sure is fun trying to match wits with such a stupid bird.


T


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

That's great Tony!

Boy, if you only carried a single shot into the woods, you'd come home empty handed more often...:lol:

Congrats!


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Firefighter said:


> That's great Tony!
> 
> Boy, if you only carried a single shot into the woods, you'd come home empty handed more often...:lol:
> 
> Congrats!


Tell me about it!:lol:


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## huntinlady (Nov 10, 2007)

Great story!Congrats on a nice bird!


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Cool beans, great story, congrats!


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## TRKYKLR (May 11, 2012)

Congrats! IMO, that's a much better and more rewarding method of killing a gobbler than sitting in a tent with a flock of decoys to do the work for you. Good job!!

Mike


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## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

Nice job and congratulations!


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## Bowhunt (Jul 27, 2010)

Congrats Tony! There are many memorable ways to have a successful turkey hunt. None necessarily better than another. If they were all cookie cutter copies of each other, what would be memorable about any of them? Way to be persistent.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Horseshoe (Oct 15, 2003)

Nice work with the Mohican sneekum!


_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors._


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## koz bow (Nov 18, 2006)

BBs or duplex shells this year?



Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

Congratulations once again Tony! Geez, that's almost a full box of shells in two seasons! :lol:


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

I can just picture you doing the duck walking partNothing like dragging your season out to the end, it gives you more experienceCongrats on what looks to be a nice bird!


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## 00Buckshot69 (Dec 30, 2007)

Congrats Big *"T"*. You had to earn that bird witch only makes the hunt even sweeter. 
Bucky


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

koz bow said:


> BBs or duplex shells this year?


Copper coated #5s!





Ack said:


> Congratulations once again Tony! Geez, that's almost a full box of shells in two seasons! :lol:


No...almost 2 half boxes!:lol:

I've used more shells on turks in the last 2 seasons than I have in the previous 6!:yikes::lol::lol:


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

old graybeard said:


> I can just picture you doing the duck walking part


I'm guessing that the footage would be worthy of Funniest Home Videos.:lol:


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

QDMAMAN said:


> I've used more shells on turks in the last 2 seasons than I have in the previous 6!:yikes::lol::lol:


Something for you to consider.....ONE reusable arrow to the head will kill them just as quick! It's a cheaper way to go!


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Ack said:


> Something for you to consider.....ONE reusable arrow to the head will kill them just as quick! It's a cheaper way to go!


Well you may have goaded me into trying it once and for all.:lol:
I seem to recall someone using more than 1 arrow this year to punch his tag...hmmmm.:evil:
I just picked up a differnet bow for my Idaho trip this September, Hoyt Maxxis 31, from snowhunter. It's much shorter axle to axel than the one I'm currently shooting, so I would feel more comfortable and confident in a tent blind.
DAMN YOU ACK!:rant::rant::lol::lol:


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

QDMAMAN said:


> Well you may have goaded me into trying it once and for all.:lol:
> I seem to recall someone using more than 1 arrow this year to punch his tag...hmmmm.:evil:
> I just picked up a differnet bow for my Idaho trip this September, Hoyt Maxxis 31, from snowhunter. It's much shorter axle to axel than the one I'm currently shooting, so I would feel more comfortable and confident in a tent blind.
> DAMN YOU ACK!:rant::rant::lol::lol:


You're right there, but it was the same arrow! :lol:

BTW....my bow is 39" axle to axle....no such thing as too long.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Ack said:


> BTW....my bow is 39" axle to axle....no such thing as too long.


So! You're not even going to allow me to grasp at straws eh?


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## flockshot (Feb 23, 2007)

great story. killing a bird like a ninja is alot of fun! lol. though ninja's typicaly dont let their prey know they are gonna to be killed until its too late. lol.


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## slabstar (Feb 25, 2009)

Congrats on a great hunt T! I enjoyed the recap story, very detailed! Chasing them down like that and getting into the exact position to make the harvest is a formidable challange!(Even tho they're dumb). 
Great bird!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jml2 (Dec 10, 2004)

Congrats Tony. That's what I love about turkey hunting-you never know what it will take to kill your bird. I love getting them ninja style.


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## Playin' Hooky (Aug 29, 2002)

Congrats T! As I read your tale I recalled killing my first tom--the "Teasel Tom"--so named because the last thing between him and the muzzle of my 12 gauge (21 yards apart) as I lay in the grass at a field edge was 4 stems of teasel! Greatest hunting thrill of my life at that time!


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## SPITFIRE (Feb 10, 2005)

QDMAMAN said:


> Well you may have goaded me into trying it once and for all.:lol:
> I seem to recall someone using more than 1 arrow this year to punch his tag...hmmmm.:evil:
> I just picked up a differnet bow for my Idaho trip this September, Hoyt Maxxis 31, from snowhunter. It's much shorter axle to axel than the one I'm currently shooting, so I would feel more comfortable and confident in a tent blind.
> DAMN YOU ACK!:rant::rant::lol::lol:


 #1 congrates on getting your Dodo bird!

#2 just think using the tent your old carcass can take naps,move around without being seen, and it could be your permanent home when the wife calls and say "dont come back!"

BullHead or bust for me next season I dont even care if its a jake,I just want to slice one's head off :lol:.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

Shoot an arrow at one and your one step closer to wearing tights and running around with a band of merry men.


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## Waz_51 (Jan 10, 2010)

that band of merry men could still kick your butt! LMAO :lol::lol:


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