2011 New Mexico Gobbler!!

[jrmflintlock]

Well this year's turkey season has come and (almost) gone but I was able to pull it off !!!
Work and homelife have been realy busy this year and the weather has not cooperated at all. On my third time out, and probably about 12 miles of runnin' and gunnin' (or should I say only runnin') I finally heard a Gobbler !! Not 5 minutes earlyer I said to myself "I guess no Turkey for me this year" and I was going to head back to where I left my "horse" and Start Gathering Fire wood for the coming winter (we Burn alot of Wood to stay Warm in Northern New Mexico!)

My strategy is to slowly walk throught the turkey woods and call every once in a while and wait and see, all of a sudden to my surprise a tom gobbled! He sounded quite away up the ridge so I quickly moved up the ridge until I came to a stand of open pine. As I was trying to decide what to do he gobble again this time a little closer. I quickly set up my decoys and stufffed myself under a small fir tree. I called softly on a custom slate pot my buddy gave me this spring and Made by Bill Decker of OK, he gobbled back. I put the call down an pulled my .62 trade gun to the ready and waited. and waited. and waited.. When I could not stand it I put the smooth bore down and picked up the call and made the softest yelps I could muster, and this old thunder chicken cut me off! To my surprise he was behind me. If I would not have stuffed myself under that little fir tree I'm sure he would have seen me! As slowly as I could I put he call down and grabbed the smoothy, but I dare not get it at the ready! I could hear him drumming and spitting on my right side for what seemed like an eternity before I saw him out of the corner of my eye!! he was 5 steps away in full strut !!! He slowly moved toward my set up to confront this new rival with two new girlfriends. When he turned in full strut to face my decoy I pulled up my smoothy and sighted down the barrel. Again after an eternity of standing there stareing face to face with my decoy he stsrted walking away!! I clucked at him to get him to come out of strut, as he picked up his head he gobbled and I pulled the trigger and the sharp flint stuck the frizzen and my smmothy belched smoke !! Wow what a rush!!!!

For those of you who still have season left and an unpunched tag in your pouch, Good Luck !!
For those of you who have niether, There is always Next Year !!!

Keep Yer Powder Dry!!!

 

[roundball]

That's just outstanding, congratulations !
:hatsoff:

 

[rabjr]

Way to go! Congrats! :thumbsup:

 

[Skychief]

Ohhh Yeaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

That is terrific jrmflintlock!

Great hunt and way to stick with it!!!

Thanks for the write-up and the great pictures.

Tell me, is there anything more satisfying in the world of black powder hunting? I mean 5 yards away and you had to play your cards right and not spook him. You did well, VERY WELL. :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

Best regards, Skychief. :bow:

 

[Tony Logan]

Great pictures, nice scenery out there, good looking outfit and gun, beautiful bird, congrats.

 

[jrmflintlock]

I thought for sure he would hear me breathing and see my chest moving. It's a good thing I don't have asma or a heart condition I would have kealed over for sure!! If the NMDGF said I had to choose only one thing to hunt for the rest of my life, I would choose turkeys without a doubt and without hesitation! :grin:
Thanks Guys!
There is no greater satisfaction than harvesting a gobbler with out all the hyped and $$$ camo while using a traditional hand made cylinder bore .62 cal flintlock!! at under 20 steps!
There just aint nutin' like it!!!

 

[Britsmoothy]

Awesome! Your outfit is amazing. 5yds :thumbsup:

Brits.

 

[jrmflintlock]

Thanks! I always try and have some vegitation around me. When I pulled up my smoothie I had a limb of that fir tree I was under over the top of my barrel, luckily he was in fool strut with his back to me so I was able to re-adjust and get the shot. Turkeys are sharp eyed no doubt!! There have been a few times when I have been caught in the open and they will not come in close enough for that magical 20 yard shot cause they see that funny lump under the tree. So Far I've taken deer, elk and Turkey in my old timey camo Hopefully Bighorn sheep and Javelina this Fall !!

 

[chance]

Congrats on a great hunt!!!

 

[Bill Hall]

Good job JRM! You get him in the noretheast corner of the state? Bill

 

[Flintlock58]

Congratulations! Nice pictures.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Your clothes, gun, pictures, and story are just perfect.

Way to go. :thumbsup:

 

[Skylinewatcher]

Textbook hunt. He was a greedy old bird, look at that worn out fan.

 

[hawk]

good stuff! :thumbsup: nice bird :hatsoff:

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Nice story! Congrats to you! 5 yards! :thumbsup:

Dave

 

[wattlebuster]

Congrats to you. great lookin bird, smoothy, an outfit :thumbsup:

 

[heraldj]

Just beautiful! I just love to see it done the primitive way. Goes to show you don't need camo and gadgets to make meat. Feels right doesn't it!Nicely done.

 

[caddo]

What a hunt and story. You have every right to be proud :bow:

 

[Greenmtnboy]

There is no greater satisfaction than harvesting a gobbler with out all the hyped and $$$ camo while using a traditional hand made cylinder bore .62 cal flintlock!! at under 20 steps!
There just aint nutin' like it!!!

No doubt :bow:
And awesome hunt story!!!!
I just left southern CO on the NM border(got blizzard out)
I am scouting down there because my wife is in nursing school and hasen't been able to get out enough to fill her tag(close but no cigar last weekend) all our northern CO birds are still breeding hens because of how cold and windy,windy,windy, did I mention this spring had been windy here in CO.
So for her second graduation present( first was a copper nesting pots by Westminster forge) we are spending the last week of turkey season hiking(running an gunnin) and hope to get her a willing Tom down on the border.
I was able to tree call three Toms yeaterday and this morning that are not henned up.(been warmer down near you)
Anyway great story
:hatsoff:

 

[jrmflintlock]

I got him in Central NM tough hunting this year lots of hunters. My honey hole was over run this year.. I got this one in a spot I had never hunted turkeys before. Like I said, runnin' and Gunnin'. Also, mild winter sent them up higher than normal.