Turkey Hunting Photos

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2010 Birds

Bryan 4-10-10  20.2lbs, 10.5", 1 1/8"	Will 4-14-10  20lbs, 10", 1"	Robert 4-19-10  21lbs, 12.25", 1"	Artie 4-27-10 (Not from club)
JB 5-1-10 19lbs, 10.5", 1"	Daniel 5-1-10 20lbs, 11", 1.25"	Cam 5-1-10 20lbs, 10", 1.25"

2009 Birds

Herb 4-11-09 18.25lbs, 10.5", 7/8"	Glynn 4-22-09 ?lbs, 10", 1"&1 1/8"	Herb 4-23-09 19.5lbs, 10.5", 1"	Al 4-25-09 19.6lbs, 10.5", 1 1/4"
Artie 4-14-09 22lbs, 8.5", 1"	Artie 4-21-09 22.5lbs, 11", 1 1/4"

Herb's 2009 Turkey Hunting Trip to Georgia	Herb's 2009 Turkey Hunting Trip to Virginia 17.5lbs, 11", 1 1/8"

2008 Birds

		No Picture Yet
Logan's 2008 bird	Herb 4-12-08 20.5lbs, 11 1/8, 1 1/4	Artie 4-14-08	Robert 4-24-08
Herb Tags Out 4-29-08 Double Bearded Tom	Johnny's 1st Bird 5-3-08
Herb's Grandson  Brice in SC 2008	Brice's first in SC 2008

Other Birds from Previous Years

Herb (unknown year)		Artie 2006

A fun turkey hunting story from one of our former members.  

Date : opening day 2008, not at Stillwater.

IT WAS THE BEST OF DAYS, IT WAS THE WORST OF DAYS  

First of all you need to know that I have a new box call.  A tiny little thing made by Sam Pope, he even showed me how to use it and SIGNED it “Good Luck ----” at the recommendation of my friend Skip Woody.  I practiced with this little Turkey Call and felt reasonably confident that I could “talk turkey”

Friday Night, man was I restless.  I bet I didn’t sleep three hours all night.  I got all my gear together, placed it by the door with my favorite turkey gun, new box of shells, everything ready to go at 4:00 the next morning.  Well with all the tossing and turning and trying to sleep I slept through the alarm and did not wake up until 4:45. Already 45 minutes late.  I wanted to be in the woods before sunrise at 6:00 and catch the gobblers on the roast before they flew down.  Not a problem, it still going to be a great day hunting.   

I get in my son -----’s truck, because he has taken mine to the mountains to hike, load all my gear, I have a 1.5 hour drive, 90 miles and guess what?  No gas.  Big surprise here, my truck was full and we will check to see if it comes home that way.  Off to the gas station and then a quick stop at the Bojangels and I am almost to my hunting spot.  Yeah the sun is up and I am late, but I am hunting and it is beautiful.

Only two others are hunting the club lease today and I run into one on my way in.  I stop to help him carry his big 20 pound tom out of the woods.  Hey I thought just holding a turkey might improve my luck since I have not shot a turkey in three long years.  I am excited.

I get to my stand, just by the swamp in a big grove of hardwoods and begin my calling.  Immediately old Tom goggles back and the conversation begins.  I promise him everything if he will just come by for a quick visit.  I use my sexiest voice and promise him the hottest time possible, just please come by for a visit.  He gobbles back at every cluck and purr I make.  He likes me, I can tell.  Well this goes on for an hour and fifteen minutes, and then old Tom says look, I do not believe you are who you say you are and turns tail, literally and leaves.  I am heart broken.  I was expecting some good luck, it promised it right on the call from Sam Pope himself.  What had I done wrong?  It turns out that there was just too much water between me and Old Tom, and Tom can’t swim. He worked hard to get around the swamp, but with all the Spring rains, well it was not meant to be.  I am dejected, but still optimistic.  Hey at least I have a new found confidence in my calling.  I can do this.  No longer dependent on those more proficient in turkey talk than I.  Tom liked my voice, he just couldn’t swim.  Next time will be different.

So I walk about a mile through the woods listening carefully for a turkey gobble.  Occasionally I stop and yelp a bit, with the call!  Finally I get an answer but it is a long way away across some pretty rough cut-over.  Not going to make the same mistake twice, I work to skirt around the cut-over to give old Tom an easier path to my sexy promises. 

As I work my way around to an open road, all the while letting Tom know I am on the way, I round a bend in the road and there comes old Tom with a buddy and a girlfriend.  I dive back into the brush and slip back the way I came.  Then I plant my decoy in the road and find myself a big green bush to hide in.  I yelp and old Tom yells that he hears me and is on the way.  I am peaking from behind the bush and sure enough here he comes with running buddy and girlfriend.  Man am I proud of myself.  In my mind I am proudly heading to the camp lodge to show off my trophy and brag on my new found skills.  Sam Pope has indeed brought me some good luck.  I peak back out of the bush.  Old Tom is now 50 yards away and closing.  I duck back into the bush to make even greater plans.  I am about to shoot my first turkey in three years and I have done it all on my on.  Now in my mind I am taking pictures with my camera to e-mail to all my friends.  I peak back out and Tom is still on track, moving a bit slow, I cluck a bit and he yells back.   We are getting along famously.  He likes me, I like him, man are we going to have some fun.  Old Tom gets to within five feet of my decoy and I’ll be dad burn if old Jake doesn’t fall over.  Must of fainted from being so close to a real turkey having never experienced this before.  I mean I know he was a virgin and all, but come on stand up and prepare to be mounted.  No problem though, old Tom is looking for me, I am the one that has been making all the promises.  He takes two more steps and I cannot stand it.  MY heart is pounding out of my chest.  I have cold sweats; this is my first real date with a big old Tom.  I bring my shotgun up into the bushes, get it pointed straight at old Tom and boom, boom, boom, miss three times.  What in the world, Tom flies away, the other two birds are standing there looking and the burning bush asking what is going on, and I still have not killed me a turkey. 

Very exciting, but not the ending I had scripted in my head.  So… no pictures to share and that is why they call it hunting.