Public Land Longbeard Down in NC
04-09-2005, 10:10 AM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Posts: 437
Public Land Longbeard Down in NC
Today was opening day here in North Carolina, I was hunting some public land a good drive from my house. I got on 2 roosted birds early. I sat up and they gobbled the first time I called. One of them was about 100 yards directly in front of me, the other bird was in front of me and to my left about 250 yards away. They were both gobbling good, and as it always happens on public land some uneducated hunter comes marching through the woods crowing at the birds about every other step. Mind you the turkeys were gobbling on their own about every 20 seconds. The hunter sat down about 150 yards away in front of me and to my right. He began calling about every six seconds. The closer gobbler gobbled at him and it forced me to call a little bit more. The closer bird continued to gobble and flew down with what sounded like a few hens. I decided to shut up and let the other hunter leave. After about 10 minutes with the closer gobbler moving toward the other gobbler to my left the hunter must have decided to make a spectacular move on the bird.
My plan was simple, sit and wait. I kept quiet for about 25 minutes then yelped again. The bird was back in front of me about 125 yards away. Ten minutes passed and his drumming got more intense and closer. He gobbled again at about 80 yards, I let out a soft yelp. After about 15 minutes of him drumming directly in front of me he went silent. I waited another 30 minutes and yelped again. He gobbled behind me and to my right at about 30 yards. He had slipped around to a creek bank and came to me. I turned my headed and the next thing I saw was his headed coming up over small rise. He walked behind a mature long leaf and I spun around to my right and shot him standing at 18 steps when he came out from behind the long leaf.
He was a decent 2 year old. He weighed 18.5 lbs, 10 1/2 inch beard and 7/8 inch spurs. I saw the hunter when I was coming out. I had set the turkey over in the edge of the woods because I don't like guys seeing me with a bird. He came up and asked if I was the guy on those two gobblers, and I said yes. He said I heard you shoot did you miss him. I only responded with a simple, "the hunt'n is tough around here."
My plan was simple, sit and wait. I kept quiet for about 25 minutes then yelped again. The bird was back in front of me about 125 yards away. Ten minutes passed and his drumming got more intense and closer. He gobbled again at about 80 yards, I let out a soft yelp. After about 15 minutes of him drumming directly in front of me he went silent. I waited another 30 minutes and yelped again. He gobbled behind me and to my right at about 30 yards. He had slipped around to a creek bank and came to me. I turned my headed and the next thing I saw was his headed coming up over small rise. He walked behind a mature long leaf and I spun around to my right and shot him standing at 18 steps when he came out from behind the long leaf.
He was a decent 2 year old. He weighed 18.5 lbs, 10 1/2 inch beard and 7/8 inch spurs. I saw the hunter when I was coming out. I had set the turkey over in the edge of the woods because I don't like guys seeing me with a bird. He came up and asked if I was the guy on those two gobblers, and I said yes. He said I heard you shoot did you miss him. I only responded with a simple, "the hunt'n is tough around here."
04-10-2005, 05:42 AM
#7
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 437
RE: Public Land Longbeard Down in NC
A long leaf is a pine tree. I just prefer not to share info with the general public that hunts my area. I have a lot of problems with them already I don't want to add to it. If someone ask me a question about how to hunt, etc...I answer it. But I don't want anyone to know I killed a bird in a particular area, etc... I'll be heading to Kentucky to help Dad get a bird at the end of the month. I might slip back to SC before their season ends.
