Iowa Second Season Bird.....

[iawaterfowler88]

So last year I only got to hunt 1 day during turkey season because of baseball and school. Well I managed to talk my parents into letting me out today to get a little hunting in knowing that I wasn't gonna get a whole lot of time to hunt this year too with baseball in full swing already. So I took off early on my own because my dad had to work. Made the hour drive to our farm in Decatur County and set out for one of my favorite places to hunt. Due to my dad not seeing any birds out in our CRP/Food Plots first season he said he didnt think it was a good place any more because bobcats have been running this area pretty heavily (see below). Well I decided to set up just inside the woods with a bird 100 yards away hammerin back to every call I made but was hesitant because of all the deer running around blowin and stompin. About 6:50 he flew down and I saw 2 of his hens, but he was never to be seen, until the 7 am sirens went off and he gobbled out in the field where I usually set up (doh!)....knowing no more birds would work my way and 4 birds out in our CRP gobbling their heads off I decided to make a move once that bird went over the hill and out of sight. So I slinked my way out to the edge where anything in sight in front was in range (40 yards). I got pretty agressive and had 2 brids hammerin back to me all the time cutting me off mid call, I got em right? Thats what I was thinking till a hen starts cuttin in the CRP over the hill and those toms go quiet and so does she...so Im thinking she went to them. About 10 min later I decided to switch trees and I just kind of poked my head up to make sure nothing was around and as i looked to the right there was a bird 50 yards and closing!! I was in the ghillie (sp) suit so I'm sure that helped me out a ton because to make sure he would come over the hill I made a quick cutting sequence and he lets loose at 40 yards and spits. He popped his head up and I decided that was close enough....just completely rolled him backwards when the gold 3" x-full with Federal 3" 2 oz 5's went to work at 7:45 am. As I hustled over to my brid to my suprise there was another tom just as big maybe a little smaller looking at me at 20 yards tops and he stood there for like 10 seconds...then ran and flew off into our timber. All in all it was an awesome hunt and my first bird unassisted!!! While talking to my dad on the phone telling him the good news I noticed 3 other birds to the south on our farm gobbling and struttin still after all the comotion...anyways he shaped out like this...22lbs 11 1/2" beard and 1 1/4" spurs (sorry about the shadows in the pics, since I was alone the camera was on top of the car on self timer then i would run around to where the bird and my gun were to get in the pic)

Bobcat from when he came through my dads set up 4-10-2006...this is the second year in a row for this to happen to him and two different cats for sure...

http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/4493/bobcatdecaturfarm41020061edite.jpg

My tom in the sun....

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/1095/christianstom41420065edit1cl.jpg

His beard and spurs...

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/7966/christianstom41420067edit4nv.jpg

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/958/christianstom41420066edit1hw.jpg

and my final pic of me with my bird!! (and I did have a regular camo shirt on but it was HOT and I had a black undershirt on too so i didnt risk the white t-shirt mistaken for a tom.....

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3848/christianstom4142006edit0lc.jpg

[IowaMigr8tor]

As soon as they let up on the Bobcat study in Iowa and they are no longer protected, I would cap that cat. This is the last yearo n the Bobcat study and they should be open game next year :lol:

[SMOKE]

nice shootin man :D

[Jclasen0124]

nice shoootin dekker pekker...

cap that cat!@

- jordanhunter

[iawaterfowler88]

cap that cat!@



good call...hes prolly got a trasnmitter for one because they have put em in cats all around our area...and two they are still protected right now so i dont feel like going to jail, paying a huge fine, and losing my license......i can only pray for a cat season here in a year or two!! this is the 3rd cat we have seen already this year....

[kingkilla]

how ugly are turkeys? you really jelly headed that thing dekker pekker

[njhonker]

nice bird! that pic of the bobcat is sweet.........
can't wait to chase a gobbler next week...our season opened today but I wasn't able to get a permit for the first week, its a lottery deal...

My buddy killed a big one this morning though.....

congrats again on a great hunt...

[kswaterfowler]

Man that's one thing about turkey hunting, you never know what your going to see out there. Plus when those longbeards start to gobbling and start strutting towards you, what a rush.

[LittandJake]

nice bird. that is cool that the bobcat came in.

[that guy]

hey man, nice bird. It is amazing what you see turkey hunting I've had a coyote come in and grab my decoy. Last year in the I read and article in the paper about a guy who was out Turkey hunting and a Bald Eagle came down and flew off with his decoy. It ended up dropping the decoy after a couple hundred yards after it found out it wasn't edible.