Nathan Bender
04-11-2010, 01:51 AM
Date: 4/10/2010
Location: Wisconsin
Weather: Mostly Sunny with a 10 mph wind
Temperature: Low 60's
Calls used: Diaphragm and Slate calls
Hunters: Nathan Bender and Scott P.
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Its a pretty long entry haha.......hope you all enjoy it.
-Well yesterday is a day that I will remember for a long time. It started out by getting up at 4 a.m. As my grandfather woke me up, (Dad was on a buisness trip so my grandfather was more than happy to take me out) we had breakfast and headed for the location that we had been scouting the days prior to my youth hunt. We arrived to the barn at about 5 a.m. and started the walk to the woods. We got to the spot that we had picked out the day befor and set up the decoys and waited as shooting time approached. We could here birds on the roost but they were to the North of us where we didn't have permission to hunt. The spot that we were sitting had a small pond out in front and a woods to the North and West. As the morning went on the mallards and woodies started to just pour into this little pond. That kept my attention most the morning while the turkeys were to the West of us for most of the morning. We had a hen that was clucking and yelping that we were talking to with our diaphragm calls but we never did see her. At 10 a.m. we decided to call it a morning and head back to the house. I then went home and took a nap and called my dad to see if he was going to be home in time so we could maybe go and scout for the next morning or try for an afternoon gobbler. He was not gonna be home until about 6 or 7 so he called one of his good buddies up to see if he could take me out. Well Scott said he would be more than happy to take me out so he came by the house and picked me up. We talked in the truck and came up with a plan to hunt a small piece of property. We decided to hunt on an edge of a plowed field and see if we could get one to come out of the pines. We set up a Pretty Boy Jr Semi-Strutting Jake decoy and got comfortable on the edge of the woods. I got my diaphragm call out and Scott got on the slate and we did some light calling and then a little aggresive calling as the hunt went on. After about an hour of sitting and not seeing a turkey we decided to go for plan B and that plan was to go to the property that our family owns and usually has a good amount of turkeys that travel through the woods and down to the many alfalfa fields that the farm has. Well we decided to just park on our driveway going back to our property and to walk the edge of the woods tell about half way and then go into the woods. We walked in slowly and quitely and Scott found a deadfall to hide by and I found a tree right infront of where the deadfall was. So he gave me the go ahead to start and I started to make a little noise on the diaphragm call and as soon as I ended my first yelp I had a hen about 150 yards out respond right away. We were situated on a logging road that goes through the wood and I didnt have a clear shot though from where I was sitting to the left and thats where I was thinking the turkey would come from so I got up and moved right across to the other side and got situated right at the base of a tree and looking strait down the road. I start to pur and yelp and right away again a hen responded. So I just let Scott do a little calling on the slate and the hen was still calling right back. I then started to cut with my diaphragm call and wouldn't you know it 2 gobblers gobble and they are no more than 50 yards from us. I look over to Scott and he said he saw them and points to where they were comming from and he said get ready. Well all of a suden I see something movin through some thick brush and here they come struttin down the logging road. The one on the right was the bigger one of the two, there were also 4 more toms walking right behind the other two. The two toms were strutting so Scott does the kee-kee and the two toms put their heads up and I picked the biggest one and I rolled him right at about 35 yards. The other one then ran off and the other 4 flew. When those two toms gobbled that got me so pumped up and got my heart racin'. We then tagged the bird, took some pictures and registered the big ole tom. His weight was 26 1/2 lbs., had a 10 inch beard, and 1 inch spurs. I couldn't have been more happy with my first bird. This was my first ever turkey hunt and my first ever turkey. I dont know about you guys but when you hear a turkey gobble at 50 yards that just got my adrenaline going like crazy. Its just awesome how the birds work and how cool they look when they're struttin'. My dad and grandfather were very proud of me for calling in the bird and closing the deal..........Here are a couple pictures........
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0983.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0994.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0991.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit1004.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0999.jpg
Thanks for looking,
Nathan Bender
Location: Wisconsin
Weather: Mostly Sunny with a 10 mph wind
Temperature: Low 60's
Calls used: Diaphragm and Slate calls
Hunters: Nathan Bender and Scott P.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Its a pretty long entry haha.......hope you all enjoy it.
-Well yesterday is a day that I will remember for a long time. It started out by getting up at 4 a.m. As my grandfather woke me up, (Dad was on a buisness trip so my grandfather was more than happy to take me out) we had breakfast and headed for the location that we had been scouting the days prior to my youth hunt. We arrived to the barn at about 5 a.m. and started the walk to the woods. We got to the spot that we had picked out the day befor and set up the decoys and waited as shooting time approached. We could here birds on the roost but they were to the North of us where we didn't have permission to hunt. The spot that we were sitting had a small pond out in front and a woods to the North and West. As the morning went on the mallards and woodies started to just pour into this little pond. That kept my attention most the morning while the turkeys were to the West of us for most of the morning. We had a hen that was clucking and yelping that we were talking to with our diaphragm calls but we never did see her. At 10 a.m. we decided to call it a morning and head back to the house. I then went home and took a nap and called my dad to see if he was going to be home in time so we could maybe go and scout for the next morning or try for an afternoon gobbler. He was not gonna be home until about 6 or 7 so he called one of his good buddies up to see if he could take me out. Well Scott said he would be more than happy to take me out so he came by the house and picked me up. We talked in the truck and came up with a plan to hunt a small piece of property. We decided to hunt on an edge of a plowed field and see if we could get one to come out of the pines. We set up a Pretty Boy Jr Semi-Strutting Jake decoy and got comfortable on the edge of the woods. I got my diaphragm call out and Scott got on the slate and we did some light calling and then a little aggresive calling as the hunt went on. After about an hour of sitting and not seeing a turkey we decided to go for plan B and that plan was to go to the property that our family owns and usually has a good amount of turkeys that travel through the woods and down to the many alfalfa fields that the farm has. Well we decided to just park on our driveway going back to our property and to walk the edge of the woods tell about half way and then go into the woods. We walked in slowly and quitely and Scott found a deadfall to hide by and I found a tree right infront of where the deadfall was. So he gave me the go ahead to start and I started to make a little noise on the diaphragm call and as soon as I ended my first yelp I had a hen about 150 yards out respond right away. We were situated on a logging road that goes through the wood and I didnt have a clear shot though from where I was sitting to the left and thats where I was thinking the turkey would come from so I got up and moved right across to the other side and got situated right at the base of a tree and looking strait down the road. I start to pur and yelp and right away again a hen responded. So I just let Scott do a little calling on the slate and the hen was still calling right back. I then started to cut with my diaphragm call and wouldn't you know it 2 gobblers gobble and they are no more than 50 yards from us. I look over to Scott and he said he saw them and points to where they were comming from and he said get ready. Well all of a suden I see something movin through some thick brush and here they come struttin down the logging road. The one on the right was the bigger one of the two, there were also 4 more toms walking right behind the other two. The two toms were strutting so Scott does the kee-kee and the two toms put their heads up and I picked the biggest one and I rolled him right at about 35 yards. The other one then ran off and the other 4 flew. When those two toms gobbled that got me so pumped up and got my heart racin'. We then tagged the bird, took some pictures and registered the big ole tom. His weight was 26 1/2 lbs., had a 10 inch beard, and 1 inch spurs. I couldn't have been more happy with my first bird. This was my first ever turkey hunt and my first ever turkey. I dont know about you guys but when you hear a turkey gobble at 50 yards that just got my adrenaline going like crazy. Its just awesome how the birds work and how cool they look when they're struttin'. My dad and grandfather were very proud of me for calling in the bird and closing the deal..........Here are a couple pictures........
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0983.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0994.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0991.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit1004.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/bnate14/Edit0999.jpg
Thanks for looking,
Nathan Bender