Seeing how I’m about to head out of town and may have a day left of Georgia's season when I get back I figured I’d post our successful season thus far.

Opening day had me babysitting my granddaughter, Ellie Jane, while my son took his wife turkey hunting. She’s been on a 3 year slump and I was “sure” I had them set up in an area to be successful. Last season had me sitting out the first three weekends, lol.

Apparently I did well in my scouting as they were covered up in turkeys. At one point my son text and said he sees twelve strutters walking in a line down a firebreak about 120yds away. They had already had an opportunity shortly after flydown but couldn’t capitalize on it.

After a move or two they ended up right inside a bottom with the turkeys just over a little rise in the pines. A few sweet calls on the trumpet and they could see three fans coming over the rise. Now that can be a good thing if you’re greedy or a bad thing if you’re not. They topped the rise and just strutted there for what my DIL said felt like hours holding that gun up. One finally got off aways from the other two and when my son did a little cluck on the trumpet, he broke strut and raised his head. That was just the opportunity needed. They ended up getting to the house two minutes after Ellie woke up.

Her bird was 19# 9.5” beard with 1” spurs.



Now that she was taken care of my son and I were free to hunt. He didn’t get much of an opportunity because of having to “guide” at the plantation he works at. He was successful on 7 different birds with his trumpet and happy clients.

When I received my Dads Browning, I decided to kill a turkey with it or get skunked for the year. After patterning it I realized my shot would definitely have a max distance of 30yds. A lasered 30yds at that, lol. Well, my first hunt was an early afternoon hunt with overcast skies. I parked South of where I thought the turkeys would be and walked quietly through some small planted pines scanning ahead and finally hitting a call about 50yds before I broke through to the firebreak and open plantation pines. A bird answered to my East and one quite a bit away towards the West. I had a feeling I knew where the bird was to the East and decided to exit the small pines and pull him around a corner of the firebreak and he’d be within range when he did.

First bird to come was a hen. She and I traded yelps and when she couldn’t find me she fed off. The gobbler was still gobbling out front but never would budge. I was contemplating a move when something caught my eye to my left or North. I cut my eyes and there stood a Longbeard at less that 15yds and closing. I thought I could get that Browning up as he went behind a tree, it apparently he caught the movement and tucked his wings and started back the way he’d come. By the time I got the bead on his head he’d already passed my laser marked 30yd tree. I was mentally kicking myself for saying I was gonna use this gun, lol. My normal turkey gun is a youth 870 20ga…light and maneuverable. Well the bird out front is still gobbling but moving North and there’s nothing I can do in the pines I was set up on. I decided to cutt loud and aggressive to try and lure him in. I’d no longer made the calls and a trio of gobbles behind me made me jump so much that the left sound I heard was putts, lol. Turns out 4 jakes had come in from dead behind me.

I tried several more times to get this particular bird and for one reason or another it just didn’t work in my favor. My day finally arrived when I came in from the North side of the creek and the birds were in the creek bottom. I tried to maneuver as quickly and quietly as possible but they had already made the dreaded pines before I arrived.

I set up inside the wood line and started calling. They answered, but it was jakes that answered. As they got closer I could hear drumming. I’d call, they’d yelp back. After 15min of this going back and forth they were finally coming my way.

I saw two reddish heads leading the way from the little rise and behind them a fan tail. Game on…or so I thought. He stayed right at 60yds spinning like a top and the jakes came in to within 7yds.

They looked and yelped but heard or saw nothing and went straight back to the gobbler and disappeared over the rise.

I’m now left deciding what to do and after contemplating backing out and coming in about 70yds down I hear a sound I’ve been waiting on…a hen!

Now it’s game on again! I wasn’t aggressive and neither was she, but whatever she did, I mimicked. Well she finally just started getting closer until she topped the rise with the Gobbler in tow!

I let her feed pass and once he hit the 30yd pine I clucked and he raised his head to make his final look for another hen.

After the shot I took a few minutes to gather myself and then FaceTimed my dad as I was walking to that beautiful bird. Not gonna lie, I had tears in me eyes before he ever answered. Dad is 87yrs old and still my idol and hero. We both shared a few tears over the phone and celebrated a fine gobbler. Couldn’t ask for a better hunt. May bird weighed 18# with a 10” beard and 1.125” sharp spurs




Two down and one to go. The very next day my son got off early and called asking where you think I ought to go. I told him the Cypress head had a couple gobblers hanging around it on the NW part of the property or there was a couple hanging out near the pond on the NE side, take his pick. He opted for the NW birds. He located them pretty quick after parking as they ended up right outside the head in the small pines.

He’s like me and hates a small tree to set up on, but had no choice. His saving grace was it’s actually somewhat thick in there. He set up and said he had both gobblers answering his trumpet along with a handful of jakes. It took just a little sweet talking before they came through. He said it was gonna be the first bird with a full fan as they came in strutting. The first bird that raised his head to look around took the load of TSS to the head. At the shot the others gobbled and proceeded to kick their brother while he was down, lol. My son videoed it and he got to almost 10yds before they finally ran off, still gobbling, lol. His bird was a stud. 22.4# 10.75” beard and 1 3/8” spurs. What’s crazy about the birds up front is they all have “black wings” or Osceola type wings. A bird he killed last year up there had wings just as dark. I have a buddy that hunts South Florida and hasn’t killed an Osceola yet with wings like these on these birds.




His turkey ended our hunting on this property. We only take 3 a year although a couple of years we’ve taken a guest and took 4 for the season. We still have at least 8 other gobblers we know of and at least 14 jakes that we know of. We could probably take more birds, but we like knowing we’ll always have a spot with birds and hear multiple gobblers every morning.

Nice birds keep up the good work.

Sounds like a great season in Georgia! What trumpet are you fellers using?

Lee Chadwick at Misfire Game Calls has been making all our calls for the last 10yrs or so. Only thing he’s quit making are box calls. I can call and tel him the sound I want and he’ll send it. If it ain’t what I want I’ll call him up and send it back he’ll make it either raspier or lighter. Yeah that sounds crazy, but for those Western birds I like a higher pitch call vs a raspy call. May just be me, but I think it makes a huge difference in success.
Editing to add he’s become a great friend and we even share a few hunts together. He actually called asking me about a State and I asked was he going and when. I laughed when he told me the dates and told him not to worry because I’ll have already been there for a week and have them some birds lined up, lol.

Good deal. I have a trumpet from the late great Lewis Stowe. He made some phenomenal calls, but now that he has passed it feels wrong to use and abuse that old call. I have killed my fair share of gobblers with it. I would like to retire it and get a new one so I have been looking around. I'll check Lee out

It looks like you all done good thanks for posting

Good stuff WB!!!

Awesome.

Great pics and write up.

awesome

Great season for y’all and what sounds like some fun hunts. I haven’t had much time to hunt this year. Called up a really nice first bird for a guy a couple weeks ago, but haven’t gotten one in front of my barrel yet. Maybe I’ll luck into one before it’s all said and done. Safe travels on any trips you take chasing them out of state