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< 16ga. General Discussion ~ 2018 Spring Gobbler Season |
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Posted:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 8:26 am
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Member
Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 1943
Location: Lowcountry Ga.
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Went to a favorite spot on public land this morning which was recently burned. It's a longleaf pine hill bordering a a swamp. Birds started up at 7:00 a.m., three came in and 2 left at 7:15. Sometimes it's easy. In my haste to get out of the woods and back home, while reeling up the string he came in on, string got tangled up on burned palmetto fronds, abandoned and the key to success fell out of my pocket so they aren't in the photos. American Wild Turkey shot with Chinese shot (1 5/8 oz. TSS9) out of an Italian hull, trough a Russian 20 ga. Baikal MP-18 single-shot, aimed with a Chinese Burris red dot Fast Fire III. Called in with a rivercane "yelper" made from rivercane cut during the woodcock season. Beard not much, but these unmeasured ( will do after work) spurs are fairly long, curved up and in. Gil
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Posted:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 8:42 am
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Joined: 14 Feb 2017
Posts: 401
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Good bird there. Congrats |
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Posted:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 5:00 pm
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Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1975
Location: Maine
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Still have snow on the ground here. And the maple syrup makers are still boiling down the sap.
Won't be turkey-hunting time for another month at least. |
_________________ “A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.”
Frederick Douglass, November 15, 1867, speech in Williamsport, Pa. |
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Posted:
Tue Mar 27, 2018 5:24 pm
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Member
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 749
Location: Kelso, Tennessee
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Good job, Gil. Our birds are still down here, but have seen a few lately. Our season starts here this weekend |
_________________ i reckon so. I guess we all died a little in that damn war. |
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Posted:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:11 am
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Member
Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 1943
Location: Lowcountry Ga.
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Hayseed, Cowdoc, thanks. Yes, he was a good bird. 99% of my success was just showing up. For every easy bird like this one was, the others put you through the wringer, and then you don't succeed. Spurs were 1 5/16" and 1 1/4". I don't weigh birds anymore as it is bad enough from their vantage point to shoot them, but it would be worse to deprive them of gaining weight in the future years when I recount his story.
The oral history of the location is that during the Civil War, locals hid their cattle and valuables in the swamp to protect them form plunder by Hazen's Division of Sherman's Right Wing as the marched through Georgia to the sea. The open swamp is surrounded by ti-ti shrubs ("hells") which can grow 20' feet tall and are almost impenetrable to move through. I know a few ways into it, but they still present challenges. I almost went into one of those areas, but even on a good day they can be challenging. Glad I took the path of least resistance and showed up where I ultimately went.
Birds are reportedly down everywhere. SC dropped the number of tags from 5 to 2 this year. Wonder where Reno is? Haven't seen him post in many moons.
Gil |
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Posted:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:16 pm
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Member
Joined: 18 Aug 2010
Posts: 399
Location: Ballymoney Northern Ireland
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Well done Gil good to see the Turkey hunters getting going ,and yes where is Reno ? be good to hear from him . Thanks for sharing your hunt WJ. |
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Posted:
Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:18 pm
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Joined: 07 Sep 2014
Posts: 419
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I don't waste any ammunition, just hit them with my Jeep on the way to the range. Leaves more ammo for practice.
Now if I could just figure out how to post this picture here?
Bob
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_________________ Robert Kittine
Sag Harbor and Manhattan, New York
WA2YDV
16 Gauge O/U Browning 525 Sporting
16 Gauge SxS Rizzini Islide
16 Gauge Pump Browning BPS Upland
16 Gauge Semi-Auto Remington 1100 Sporting |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 3:54 am
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Joined: 18 Jun 2004
Posts: 438
Location: thick and uncivilized places in the Allegheny Mts.
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Good shot, Gil. Take the easy ones when you can get them. |
_________________ Going into coverts becomes less a chase with the sole purpose of killing; it remains important to find game but the gratification-and I keep coming back to that word-is in the beauty of finding it. George Bird Evans A Dog, A Gun, And Time Enough. |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 5:49 am
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Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1975
Location: Maine
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Plenty of birds in Maine.
Our #1 nuisance animal for complaints are turkeys, edging out bears gorging on birdfeeders and trash in the spring.
And our season won't close until sometime the far side of Memorial Day. |
_________________ “A man’s rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.”
Frederick Douglass, November 15, 1867, speech in Williamsport, Pa. |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:09 am
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Member
Joined: 22 Aug 2011
Posts: 1498
Location: the Moosehorn
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I got a Fall special last year while goose hunting , about 20 Turkeys attacked the decoys biggest one would peck at them and yelp. 1,25oz load of Heviweight #4 put an end to the goose abuse . The population up my way has become a big nuisance. The way I see it if you must have a nuisance it should be a tasty one. |
_________________ ALWAYS wear the safety glasses
If you take Cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like Prunes than Rhubarb does ----G.M/ |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:37 am
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Member
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 363
Location: connecticut
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byrdog:
The first time I saw a turkey in Maine was in October 1995 my partner and I had just turned off of Rt 6 near Topsfield onto the Amazon Road headed south. One flew across the road ahead of the truck. In subsequent years have not seen another.
Art |
_________________ A thing of beauty is ajoy forever! |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:57 am
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Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 827
Location: N. Shore, mn
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Good job. |
_________________ I STAND WITH THE NRA! |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 3:59 pm
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2812
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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Gil,
Good eaten bird, Congrats on a fine hunt.
Pine Creek/Dave |
_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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Posted:
Thu Mar 29, 2018 5:56 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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I do believe I am getting eager for turkey. Nice job. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Sun Apr 15, 2018 7:49 am
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Member
Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 1863
Location: Wisconsin
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Nice bird, Gil. Hooks almost always tell more about a bird than the beard, though if you hunt turkeys long enough you’ll kill birds with trophy beards and Jake spurs. I’ve been off the radar for awhile after getting spanked by Skeetex for submitting comments he deemed off color. Life has gotten in the way of hunting lately and though I volunteer expertise for the DNR about all things turkey, dealing with the WI lottery system for tags lacks luster. Looking forward to Southern springs and getting back to my used to be. I have plans to visit the honey hole in two weeks to put a bird in the Deans lap, provided I can get him to sit still enough. That’s where I killed the wild cherry tree last year that blew my pattern on a shot at an ostrich sized Tom.
I’m almost done with phase one of my Alabama house and am running 1,300’ of water line from the dirt road down the road I built. The house is on piers so I don’t have to kill snakes on the porches. I plan to winter there when the nest gets empty but my bride likes it so much she’s threatening to move there full time. Now, to get her to spend a sweltering summer there before she decides...
Reno |
_________________ If you speak ill of farmers, don't do it with your mouth full. |
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