Originally posted by GraceNmercy
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We started the opener at a buddies place about 25 minutes to the north of Brackettville. Went up Friday afternoon and baited hog traps and did a few things around the ranch, and set out just before dark hoping to pop a hog or free range axis.
About 6:30 I had a sounder of hogs come in to the water trough, but there were so many turkeys sounding off nearby I ended up letting the hogs wander into the brush as I was pumped that such a good number of birds were nearby heading to roost.
At sun up me and a young buddy who'd been wanting to get into hunting wanted to tag along with me to see how I called them in as it was his first turkey hunt. We setup under a big cedar and set up a tom over a kneeling hen decoy, and a little after 7:00a.m. the gobblers were sounding off in the distance.
Long long after we had one coming in fast to my calls and he came in view the decoys and we could he him spitting and drumming from behind us. My buddies eyes were as big as saucers as it was his first experience. The strutter walked past us and went for the decoys and once he was directly in from of me I dropped him. My buddy said the birds spitting and drumming sounded like a darn spaceship or something and how much of a rush it was.
We retrieved the tom and I swapped spots with him and gave him my shotgun, as the one he brought was a pretty old browning that was so shiny and glossy that the glare would've probably would've spooked the birds as soon as they got sight of it. I called and within 20 minutes a jake came and stood in the same spot as the tom had, and he was happy to take him as his first bird.
We walked back to the camp house with our birds and about 40 minutes later we heard another shot up from where by buddy, the landowner and other friend who is a retired game warden had been set up. My warden buddy had sealed the deal on a pretty old bird that weighed a little over 22 pounds and had a huge head and some big worn feet with a broken spur. 3 Down on opening morning and it was a great hunt.
On the second day the birds were quiet once they came off the roost and the buddy who's place we were on passed on a jake that morning. That evening 3 of us went back out, while one stayed in camp to smoke a hog and prepare dinner. I heard the toms talking as soon as I got out and cut through an area to avoid disturbing the birds at the water trough on the front of the property.
I talked back and forth with toms that seemed henned up for a couple of hours and after 7:30 just as I was thinking the birds were going to the roost two gobbling toms committed to the calls and once they say my decoy setup it was on. I took aim on the dominant tom and dropped him at 7:47p.m. That was about the latest and pulled the trigger on a bird, and I was fortunate that my buddy allowed me to use two tags on his place on opening weekend.
Now I'm looking forward to the east Texas opener so I can go after my eastern, and hopefully come across one of the jakes I let walk on last year all grown up now. Then on the last weekend of the south zone season I get to take my wife up to Junction to try for a bird. Been a good start to the season and I'm looking forward to the rest of it...
About 6:30 I had a sounder of hogs come in to the water trough, but there were so many turkeys sounding off nearby I ended up letting the hogs wander into the brush as I was pumped that such a good number of birds were nearby heading to roost.
At sun up me and a young buddy who'd been wanting to get into hunting wanted to tag along with me to see how I called them in as it was his first turkey hunt. We setup under a big cedar and set up a tom over a kneeling hen decoy, and a little after 7:00a.m. the gobblers were sounding off in the distance.
Long long after we had one coming in fast to my calls and he came in view the decoys and we could he him spitting and drumming from behind us. My buddies eyes were as big as saucers as it was his first experience. The strutter walked past us and went for the decoys and once he was directly in from of me I dropped him. My buddy said the birds spitting and drumming sounded like a darn spaceship or something and how much of a rush it was.
We retrieved the tom and I swapped spots with him and gave him my shotgun, as the one he brought was a pretty old browning that was so shiny and glossy that the glare would've probably would've spooked the birds as soon as they got sight of it. I called and within 20 minutes a jake came and stood in the same spot as the tom had, and he was happy to take him as his first bird.
We walked back to the camp house with our birds and about 40 minutes later we heard another shot up from where by buddy, the landowner and other friend who is a retired game warden had been set up. My warden buddy had sealed the deal on a pretty old bird that weighed a little over 22 pounds and had a huge head and some big worn feet with a broken spur. 3 Down on opening morning and it was a great hunt.
On the second day the birds were quiet once they came off the roost and the buddy who's place we were on passed on a jake that morning. That evening 3 of us went back out, while one stayed in camp to smoke a hog and prepare dinner. I heard the toms talking as soon as I got out and cut through an area to avoid disturbing the birds at the water trough on the front of the property.
I talked back and forth with toms that seemed henned up for a couple of hours and after 7:30 just as I was thinking the birds were going to the roost two gobbling toms committed to the calls and once they say my decoy setup it was on. I took aim on the dominant tom and dropped him at 7:47p.m. That was about the latest and pulled the trigger on a bird, and I was fortunate that my buddy allowed me to use two tags on his place on opening weekend.
Now I'm looking forward to the east Texas opener so I can go after my eastern, and hopefully come across one of the jakes I let walk on last year all grown up now. Then on the last weekend of the south zone season I get to take my wife up to Junction to try for a bird. Been a good start to the season and I'm looking forward to the rest of it...
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