Lance Report post Posted April 30, 2007 OK, I finally got the pictures off of the cameras. Some of you were wanting to hear the rundown on our NM hunt. That was before everyone else posted shuch awesome pictures and stories Any way, hope you enjoy this one. First day.... Wind blew like mad all day untill dark. We didn't here and birds in the morning and pritty much counted it as scouting. In the evening we were sneaking logging roads and walked up on two hens. a little latter we walked up on a tom and a hen. My buddy Ryan saw the tom and chose to duck behind the hill enstead of shoot him. He was loaded with 5 shot and figured it was too far. They were only 45 yards and within plenty of range for my "T" shot. I teased him about it and we went on. We called our way up a steep ridge into a burn where we heard some hens in between wind gusts. We walked right up on a tom at 30 yards. I was behind Ryan and did not see the bird. We were busey climbing over all the dead logs in the burn while trying to get up that steep slope. I was telling Ryan how I was trying to picture myself like a squirrel running down the lenth of the logs but the only immage in my head was a cloged artery! I looked up to see him shushing me while doing a ballancing act on a bouncy little log about 2 1/2 feet in the air, all the while trying to get a beed on the tom that was taking flight in front of him. Neadless to say he missed and the shot knocked him off the log tumbleing him down the hill. The whole sight was quite funny and is certainly why I forgot to take the saftey off when I tried my hand at the flying bird. I about bent my trigger trying to make my gun go off before Ryans mass of tumbling turkey hunter reached my posision! The turkey flew away without a scratch and amazingly enough neather Ryan or myself had a scratch either! We got back to the quads right at dark, the wind settled for a bit and we were able to hear three birds gobbling from there roost! Day two.... found us sitting in the pre dawn light on a logging road about 150 yards above a gobbling tom with the decoys out! We figured from the tracks on the road that he might naturally like to strut there! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Huntn coues Report post Posted April 30, 2007 Thanks for the story. Thats some funny stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Report post Posted April 30, 2007 Day two continued.... We heard three diferent toms that morning but the one that was in front of us was really gettin after it! The decoy's were set and I sat up the video camera and settled in for the show! The bird came off the roost Flap flap flap and gobbled down the ridge about a hundred yards further away. "Yelp Yelp Yelp" - "Gobble". Even further away The chase was on! He led us to where he wanted to strut that morning. It was a good spot too...., but what does he know our origianal spot was just fine Then the wind started to blow and it was all over That evening while sneaking up a creek bottom and calling for turkey, we called in two coyotes! I just love the look on a coyotes face when they realise they are looking down the barrel of a gun and their goose is already cooked! We found a tom on the rige just before dark but he wouldn't come to the calls. Probly the same bird Day three.... the wind wasn't to awfull bad so we headed to a place we call the "Killing Fields"! It is the west facing slopes of a Mtn. range and gets windy realy easy. But when the wind doesn't blow Yee Haw! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Report post Posted April 30, 2007 I'll add the details of day three latter, but here is a teaser Lance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Report post Posted April 30, 2007 I'll add the details of day three latter, but here is a teaser Lance Oops wrong pice try again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted April 30, 2007 Lance, cool picture of the turkey in the snow. Was that this trip? Keep us informed,TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter4life Report post Posted April 30, 2007 Nice bird!! Lets hear about day 3. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azyoung Report post Posted April 30, 2007 Nice bird congrats! azyoung Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted May 1, 2007 Nice writeup and pics. Looking forward to see how it all happend on day 3! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Report post Posted May 1, 2007 Thanks! Day three continued.... We pulled the quads to the end of the road and assessed the now growing wind situation. We decided to split up so we could "hear" more country. Ryan would go down the bottom of the canyon and I would take the ridge on top. When he got to the bottom he could hear better and located two toms, one on each side of the canyon. As I made my way closer I could hear the toms working there way off the roost and into the bottom of the canyon towards Ryan. Ryan tells the story like this.... He rides his quad down to the bottom of the canyon and parks just off the main road. When he turns the quad off the birds gobble just up the canyon from him. As he gits his gear ready they gobble at any sound he makes! He sneaks op the creak bottom towards them when he figures he is real close he hits the call. The toms gobble and one walks out onto the old logging road next to the creek at about 50 yards. He lets him have a load of 3"mag 5 shot from his 12 guage and the bird does the death flop down into the creek. When he shoots, another tom flies out from the same spot the first came from and lands accross the creek on a run. He shoots that one and it starts to do the death flop. The first bird lays upsidedown in the creek not mooving so he heads over to ring the neck of the second. When he walks by the first bird, it figures it's not thirsty any more and it jumps out of the creek and takes off! He uses his third shot in his gun to put it down for good! But when he shoots the second bird desides this aint for him either and it gets up and runs off leaving Ryan scrambling to get another shell loaded I stand at the top of the canyon listening to to all the shooting thinking that lucky dog! But then he spent hours grid searching for the one that got away just in case. While I sat on the ridge and called in a hen that hung around for 20 minuits. Then a little further up the ridge I turkey called in a big bobcat! Way cool! After that a whiteout blizzard came in horizontal and froze us half to death! We tried to ride the quads off the mountain, bwaahahaha . We got sick of that pritty quick and parked behind a big pine and built a big fire! We took some pictures of Ryans bird in the snow! He had big spurs and a 9 1/4" beard. Not bad for a "Snow Bird" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted May 1, 2007 That didn't take to long to get the story up Great hunt by the sound of it. Now you need to get back up there and get your bird in 2 weeks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Report post Posted May 1, 2007 That was only day three! I aint done yet Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted May 1, 2007 man ive never had the fire to hunt turkey, but im starting to get it! watch out next spring! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lance Report post Posted May 1, 2007 Day three ended early as we drank hot chocolate at camp. We chose to sleep the rest of the day and stay warm! Day four.... Was Sunday, We did not hunt and we slept in. The day was of course the calm after the storm and when I steped out of the trailor in camp about 7:30 am I could hear two toms from camp. We spent the middle of the day on a nice Sunday drive looking at new country. We located several birds throughout the day do to NO WIND AT ALL! We visited several camps to see how everyone was doing. Day five.... Of course started out with some more wind but wasn't to bad. We had birds gobbling up the canyon in the Killing Filelds. I headed on a big hike up and Ryan took the bottom. Once again I was on the wrong side. I think we spooked the birds that were on my side but latter in the morning I heard one on the other side and in the next canyon. He was upwind so I could hear him. I'm talking BIG canyons So down I go and then up the other side. Ryan heads down his canyon to the quads and rides the main road to the next ridge that I am now on. After a while of trying to call and shock gobble the bird he finally sounds off about 200 yard away. I close some distance and call again. He is comming but is still a good distance! I mooved closer and called him into about 50 yards but there was trees in the way. He was strutting hard! Then Ryan calls on the radio and says he sees him strutting and where am I? I call loud so Ryan can hear me and he calls back. I'm closer by a hundred yards but the bird can hear Ryan better and starts toward him The bird then hangs up not knowing which bird sounds the sexiest I stand up, get a tree in between us and close the distance. I get within 60 yards and and peak around a tree to find him standing atop a downed log about 3 ft in the air. I let him have a load of 3"mag "T" shot from my 12 and he flops down the mountain like a ton of bricks! We haul him to the bottom of the canyon and take pictures of him by the creek. That ends the morning of day five. He has an 8 3/4" beard! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
