Idaho turkeys
J0n
4/27/07 6:13pm
Here are some pics from my turkey hunt here in Idaho. I had to work late on opening day so the next morning I picked up my Dad and we drove up and set up camp.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0409.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0413.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0416.jpg " alt="" />
We did a little scouting and made our plan for the evening. The plan was for me to hike up on a tall ridge, where I had got in to turkeys the year before, and see if I cold find some sign and possibly roast a gobbler for the next morning. My dad’s plan was going to check a river bottom about a half mile away.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0418.jpg " alt="" />
The river bottom
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0421.jpg " alt="" />
This is me calling from the road looking up the ridge I'm going to climb.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0430.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0434.jpg " alt="" />
The roost tree on top of the ridge.
When I got to the top I wasn't seeing much sign. So I decided to follow the ridge down to where it met the road about a mile away. I was stopping and calling about every 200 yards or so when I finally got some birds to answer me way down off the other side of the ridge. I stopped and called my Dad on the radio to tell him my change of plans and then bailed off down the hillside. Once I got down in the bottom I called again and got an answer immediately. It sounded like the tom was about 200 yards away and up on a small hill. Slowly I snuck closer calling every little while until I thought I was within about 75 yards of the birds. By this time I had at least two different tom's gobbling every time I called. I set out my decoy in a little clearing and started to do some soft calling on my slate. I called for about 20 minutes with the tom's answering nearly every time but they wouldn't come any closer. After a quick brainstorm I decided to take off my boots and see if I could sneak in on the birds from the right. I had only snuck about 50 yards when I spotted the birds about 50 yards away. I clucked once on my diaphragm call and the two tom's closest to me turned and gobbled. I steadied my bead on the one on the right who was closest at about 45 yards, and pulled the trigger. At the shot birds went running every where. I rushed up on the flopping turkey and yet a out a yell.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0440.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0452.jpg " alt="" />
I took these pictures right after I shot with the self timer on my camera.
If you look on the second picture you can see my boots are still untied.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0443.jpg " alt="" />
This photo was taken back at camp.
The next morning we woke up to rain and cold weather.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0461.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0462.jpg " alt="" />
We hiked up the river bottom where my Dad had roosted a bird the night before. I wasn't very sure how successful we would be with the rain. I called once and he answered from the roost so I set up the decoy and we got ready. He flew down about twenty minutes later and as soon as he saw the decoy he headed right for us, I never even had to call. At about 20 yards Dad popped him with a load of number 4's and we were tagged out.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0467.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0468.jpg " alt="" />
Dads turkey
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0471.jpg " alt="" />
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/j0n_13/IMG_0472.jpg " alt="" />
Neither of our birds where giants mine weighed about 15 lbs and had a beard about 7 inches, and My Dads was about 13 lbs with a 4 inch beard.
I always love hunting with my Dad and even with the rain and cold we still had a blast.
We did a little scouting and made our plan for the evening. The plan was for me to hike up on a tall ridge, where I had got in to turkeys the year before, and see if I cold find some sign and possibly roast a gobbler for the next morning. My dad’s plan was going to check a river bottom about a half mile away.
The river bottom
This is me calling from the road looking up the ridge I'm going to climb.
The roost tree on top of the ridge.
When I got to the top I wasn't seeing much sign. So I decided to follow the ridge down to where it met the road about a mile away. I was stopping and calling about every 200 yards or so when I finally got some birds to answer me way down off the other side of the ridge. I stopped and called my Dad on the radio to tell him my change of plans and then bailed off down the hillside. Once I got down in the bottom I called again and got an answer immediately. It sounded like the tom was about 200 yards away and up on a small hill. Slowly I snuck closer calling every little while until I thought I was within about 75 yards of the birds. By this time I had at least two different tom's gobbling every time I called. I set out my decoy in a little clearing and started to do some soft calling on my slate. I called for about 20 minutes with the tom's answering nearly every time but they wouldn't come any closer. After a quick brainstorm I decided to take off my boots and see if I could sneak in on the birds from the right. I had only snuck about 50 yards when I spotted the birds about 50 yards away. I clucked once on my diaphragm call and the two tom's closest to me turned and gobbled. I steadied my bead on the one on the right who was closest at about 45 yards, and pulled the trigger. At the shot birds went running every where. I rushed up on the flopping turkey and yet a out a yell.
I took these pictures right after I shot with the self timer on my camera.
If you look on the second picture you can see my boots are still untied.
This photo was taken back at camp.
The next morning we woke up to rain and cold weather.
We hiked up the river bottom where my Dad had roosted a bird the night before. I wasn't very sure how successful we would be with the rain. I called once and he answered from the roost so I set up the decoy and we got ready. He flew down about twenty minutes later and as soon as he saw the decoy he headed right for us, I never even had to call. At about 20 yards Dad popped him with a load of number 4's and we were tagged out.
Dads turkey
Neither of our birds where giants mine weighed about 15 lbs and had a beard about 7 inches, and My Dads was about 13 lbs with a 4 inch beard.
I always love hunting with my Dad and even with the rain and cold we still had a blast.
4,645
:thumb
Thanks for posting the pics.
oakbrush
Thanks for sharing.