COOSEFAN Report post Posted May 12, 2012 My hunt last week was a grind! From 4:00 AM till dang near midnight, hiking, driving and calling all day, with dang near zero action can start to wear on ya! I covered both sides of my unit, back and forth, checking for tracks and callin with very little to show for my efforts. The tracks were scarce and the gobbles were almost non-existent! I only heard 2 toms gobble during the whole hunt! 1 was on the first morning and he would only gobble once every 15-20 minutes and seemed like he was running as fast as I was! I accidentally ended up right on top of that bird and bumped him out of there. The second gobble I heard was yet again, another bird that I didn't know was there until he shock gobbled at me, basically just lettin' me know the game's over! I finally found a tank that had a few tracks on it and decided I would just set up there and call very sparingly with my decoy out and hope for the best. After about an hour I could hear cluckin' and puttin' from down in the canyon behind the dam of the tank. I hit the box call a few times and could hear them coming faster. Finally I see three birds top out and come in to my decoy! I knew right away that none of them were the long beard gobbler I had dreamed about, but at that point, being burned out and not wanting to spend another night in back of my truck, all I needed was a visible beard and lead was gonna fly! The birds came in and started pecking and posturing around my decoy which was very cool to watch and the biggest one actually did a semi-strut as he was coming in so that got me a little more excited. After getting bored with the decoy, the birds lined out broadside in front of me at 12 yards. The one in the middle had the longest beard, which isn't sayin' much, but it was plenty long enough for me at that point, so, I decided he was going home with me! I had the GoPro camera mounted on the barrel and it slightly obstructs the sights making it difficult to be pin point accurate. I didn't think I'd be shooting this close so didn't worry about it, but now, with a 12 yard moving shot and an extra full choke, I learned very quick that this bird might not be going home with me after all! I missed the first two shots before realizing what was going on so I made the last round count and pounded him on the run. So, all in all i had a blast as usual. It's always a thrill hearing gobbles, even if it's just a couple, and having any turkey up close is always exciting as well. I found some sheds and also snuck up to a bear and got some great video of him on my big camera but I ended up breaking that camera and can't upload the video yet, I'll post it up when I can! Thanks if you read through this, if not, then enjoy the video! JIM> Check out the short video I put together, still trying to figure out the GoPro cam! [media=] [/media] 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted May 12, 2012 The extreme wide angle lens on the GoPro cam makes the objects appear ALOT farther than they are! I paced off my first shot at 12 yards and the video makes it look like 50! Next time I'll have the big camera rolling at the same time! JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucky2hunt Report post Posted May 12, 2012 The extreme wide angle lens on the GoPro cam makes the objects appear ALOT farther than they are! I paced off my first shot at 12 yards and the video makes it look like 50! Next time I'll have the big camera rolling at the same time! JIM> Great video! Congrats on your bird. I was wondering why they looked so far away.... Have you tried one of those on a bow yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted May 12, 2012 Very nice Jim. Although you don't return calls worth a hoot, your a good turkey killer! Ive gotta try turkey hunting sometime, I've never done it in the spring. Looks like a blast! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elkaddict Report post Posted May 12, 2012 Congrats on the bird! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted May 12, 2012 That's really cool. I like the camera - would be nice if it had a "zoom" mode. Thanks for the cool footage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted May 12, 2012 The extreme wide angle lens on the GoPro cam makes the objects appear ALOT farther than they are! I paced off my first shot at 12 yards and the video makes it look like 50! Next time I'll have the big camera rolling at the same time! JIM> Great video! Congrats on your bird. I was wondering why they looked so far away.... Have you tried one of those on a bow yet? Thanks Ilene, I used the head strap and video'd myself shooting carp and tilapia and it worked pretty good, haven't mounted it to the bow but I bet it would make for some cool footage! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted May 12, 2012 Very nice Jim. Although you don't return calls worth a hoot, your a good turkey killer! Ive gotta try turkey hunting sometime, I've never done it in the spring. Looks like a blast! Sorry Casey, but it's spring time bro, and this is the time of year I try REALLY hard to be out of cell phone service as much as possible while trying to catch, find or kill somethin'! and BTW...thanks, but I think my video proves that im NOT that good of a Turkey killer! LOL! I'm an antlered animal killer that likes pretending he knows how to hunt Turkeys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted May 12, 2012 Very nice. You got it done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BML Report post Posted May 12, 2012 Good work Jim!! Always enjoy your write ups! Congrats on the turkey. When are we gonna go kill us a couple bears? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted May 13, 2012 Nice write up and good footage. Congrats on the bird Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted May 13, 2012 Jim, got to see the video at work today but can't reply there until I get home. I have got to get one of those cameras. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your bird. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trophyhnter Report post Posted May 13, 2012 Great video. Thanks for sharing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted May 13, 2012 Hey Blake, we got swamped this year with Elk and Antelope clients so I highly doubt I will get much bear hunting in unfortunately. I do hope to squeeze in at least a few days, would be a blast to get a camp together with friends and see how many bears we can pile up! I know Ernesto is due for a bear and I fully expect to be sittin' next to him when he pulls the trigger this year! I will keep ya posted on plans. JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted May 13, 2012 Jim, got to see the video at work today but can't reply there until I get home. I have got to get one of those cameras. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your bird. TJ With the amount of time you spend in the woods or on the water I would definitely tell you to get one!!! All of us here at CWT.com will benefit from it! Also, you'd have to ask your dad and Peg if it's alright because if you are wearing it on your head, they would be the stars of most your videos! I'd love to see videos of you catching all those fish, maybe I could learn what the tricks are! JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
