Tales of the Tape

Another one bites the dust…

I don't even know what to say. This has been the best year for killing turkeys with excellent footage. But, it hasn't been easy. We had about a week there where it was obvious the hens were still laying eggs. The gobblers would hit the ground and shut up.

But, the one thing we have been doing this year is really making a concerted effort to kill birds in the open areas. Whether it's a field, food plot or just an opening in the woods, we've tried to pull the birds in to where we could get great footage. It has worked tremendously. There have been a few times it's come back to bite us but very few.

After seeing many, many birds killed and countless others missed over the years, I do want to remind you hunters out there to be patient. I see so many guys take a shot the first instant that a gobbler get's within what they think is shooting range. All too often, it was further than it looked and the tom escapes unscathed. If a turkey is coming in to your calling, let him come! Have your gun up and ready but by all means, enjoy the hunt. That's what you are out there for. The coolest hunts I've taped this year have all been the closest ones. It's a riot to have a gobbler spitting and drumming just off the end of your gun. Once they are in that close, even if they spook, it's going to take them several seconds to putt and move out of range again. When you see a longbeard that has been strutting, put his wings up on his back, that's an indication to start thinking about shooting. Until that happens, he's ready to drop right back into strut. Even though it may look like he's leaving, he's probably just taking a closer look at the situation by standing up taller. Remember, towards the end of the season, they have been fighting for dominance all spring and he's wary of wondering in and getting his butt kicked by a bigger bird. Just let him come and you'll often get a much closer shot and have a better story to tell in the long run.

Good luck out there and keep the bead on the beak!

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