Drat! ( and Thanks!)

[shaman]

First off, Thanks. Y'all did a great job of helping me get my Pedersoli Brown Bess ready for Turkey Season. I finally settled on 60 grains of 3F and 1 2/3 oz of #6 shot using a SkyChief configuration.

I had a lot riding on this season. Thiis was my first turkey season back from Chemo. I had planned on taking my first bird with my usual Mossy 12 GA and then switching to the 'Bess. That never happened. I hunted 16 days of a 22 day season, with no joy. I'm still a bit tippy from the Chemo as well as taking a hit on my bone marrow that screws with my stamina. I had the Honey Hole, though. I've often filled both my tags there in the first week of season, and it is a fairly flat walk along a half-mile of abandoned road. I had just enough steam to make it out there and back.

Finally, Saturday AM, I was out at the Honey Hole and picked up and went after a bird that was heading away from me off the property. I was able to turn him and got a shot at 10 yards as he was coming through the barbed wire at me. It would have been a perfect setup for the 'Bess. Drat!

More pics and the full story here: The Shaman Gets his Bird

I still had one more day left of season, but the updated forecast showed thunderstorms at daybreak. I decided to pop smoke and head for town. The 'Bess was going to have to wait.

Bottom line: All the turkey loads get put up in their sealed vials for next year. I can pick up right where I left off. Next, comes KY Spring Squirrel on May 20. , with 80 grains of 3f and 1 OZ of #6. More

 

[user 58311]

Glad you can get back out in the woods. Hope things go well with your treatment. This year is the first year I've hunted turkey with BP. I was gifted a trade gun by my BIL that was built by his now deceased friend. I too played with the Skychief load. 65gr of 3F and 1 1/8 oz. of 7 1/2 shot was my load. Killed a Jake opening morning. Went again Friday morning and got set up before daylight. At daylight a Tom gobbled on the roost. He was 40 yds from me. A Jake was roosting with him and pitched down 40 yds in front of me. He wandered around for 10 minutes then went over the ridge behind me. Finally the Tom pitched down at 40 yds and went over then ridge too. Had I been hunting with the Benelli could have killed either bird, but I enjoyed not harvesting the birds with the trade gun more than if I had killed them with the Benelli. Can't wait till squirrel season myself. I'm hooked! God bless.

 

[bud in pa]

Glad to see that you keep going in spite of your medical condition.

 

[64Springer]

Anyone who says camo doesn't work is full of it.

I can't make out the model of the gun because the camo gun and the camo pants and shirt are working well.

And nice bird. Congrats.

 

[PathfinderNC]

What a great story. Your perseverance is inspiring. Good hunting!

 

[TDM]

Congratulations on your successful hunt @shaman! Hope your health & strength continue to improve.

 

[WALT53]

Congratulations on your successful hunt @shaman! Hope your health & strength continue to improve.

 

[shaman]

Anyone who says camo doesn't work is full of it.

I can't make out the model of the gun because the camo gun and the camo pants and shirt are working well.

And nice bird. Congrats.

That's a Mossberg 500 with a custom paint job.

see: Bubba Paints his Turkey Gun