Fighting Wild Turkey Longbeards

The cornerstone of my style of wild turkey bowhunting for wild turkey gobblers is setting up in a well scouted, known traffic area for gobblers and waiting patiently for something to happen. That does not mean that every day is a wild turkey festival because as you know there are days when you see nothing. Yesterday was one of those days, things were slow in our 20 yard circle of bow range possibilities.

Today had began just the same, but today was gonna be different.

The fence post in the middle of this picture shows you where the gate opening is. The paths you see are tire tracks as well as game trails. Our Double Bull blind is on the left side of the road. The picked corn field is next and a stand of woods is on the far side.

Directly in front of the blind we have 4 decoys set up. They are all within easy bow range.

Today we are using 4 decoys. In the back is my Dave Constantine jake and the Dave Smith standing hen. In front are a Dave Smith breading hen and the Dave Smith jake.

The First Action: A group of yakety yack Jakes showed up on the opposite side of the fence in front of us. They saw our decoys and walked back and forth but never noticed the new hole in the fence that Terry had made earlier in the week.

Behind the Jakes we saw a Longbeard’s red head.

A minute later, behind the Longbeard, we noticed a handful of round fans. Soon a longbeard gobbler came strutting along the fence toward where the gate opening was. He had been strutting and he sported a big, round fan.

I rooted for him to make it to the open gate.

And he did. Now I rooted for him to make a right turn and take a walk down to where the decoys and Fred Lutger and I were.

Rats, we weren’t on the same wave length and the longbeard turned around and walked back the way he came. Minutes later another gobbler came from the right and walked past the gate opening, going the way the longbeard exited.

All at once one heck of a wild turkey fight broke out down from the open gate. They were loud and energized.

Several longbeards and some Jakes went at it, pecking waddles and gouging their adversaries in the head.

Things got rougher and rougher, louder and louder, meaner and meaner. These gobblers were stirred up.

IWhen the fight was over one of the gobblers started down the fence toward the gate. I’m thinking, “bring ’em all with ya.”

When he got to the open gate he flapped his wings and continued the way he was going.

Oooops, while we watched the flapper a gobbler slipped up on our decoys and admired them from the wrong side of the feence.

Out in the field two longbeards fanned when Fred called at them.

They were interested but suddenly one turned sideways.

A hen came through the gate where we hunted earlier and walked down the hill. She was cut off by the two longbeard gobblers and they followed her out of the field.

A big Jake walked out of the field and investigated our decoys.

Two other hens passed through the gate opening and picked around in their feathers.

And another longbeard found our decoys. Fred’s calling got it real fired up but it didn’t locate the hole to this side.

Down hill from us we heard gobbles and yelps as wild turkeys assembled in the fields near a roost area. And then all wild turkey movement stopped in our area.

Fifteen turkeyless minutes passed and the sound from the roost area got louder. But we waited anyway. But unfortunately, the proverbial fat lady started singing in the end of the day.

 

 

The 2012 Bowhunting.net Grand Slam Bowhunt is sponsored by:

ThermaCELL
It runs off biting insects, period. Mosquitoes and blackflies will never ruin your hunts again.

Grim Reaper Broadheads
Designed for enhanced penetration. Watch ‘Em Drop with Grim Reaper’s tough and accurate mechanical and fixed blade broadheads.

BowTube.com The #1 Bowhunting and Archery video site.