Got one close enough today

[Ed Barrett]

Second day of season here in Missouri. First day called two in and they found a hen to fight over just out of range. Today I had this one come in like it was on a homing beam, gobbling as he came to me. Spurs were 3/4 inch long.
Didn't shoot him with cast but used lead 7 1/2's.

[RugerFan]

Congrats! Calling them in is quite a blast.

[s mac]

Good job Ed, sometimes it works like that and sometimes it doesn't.

[CastingFool]

congrats! my season doesn't start till May 4. Really looking forward to it.

[BrentD]

Ed,
Nice bushy beard on that one. He will be a great dinner or three for you too.

I got my first one on Saturday in the rain/lightning. Was a pretty crazy and short morning, but it worked out. He was just under 26#. He has tasted good so far, but there will be some tough parts for sure.

[pworley1]

Our season opened in March and will close May 1. There seems to be a good crop this year.

[smoked turkey]

Ed, nice, big gobbler you got there. You did just right looks like. Lots of fun for sure. I got mine at 7:15 am yesterday. He was also a nice one. I was due as I have specialized on jakes for the past little bit. They are all good eating. We cube the breast meat and deep fry it. Just the thought makes me hungry.

[Ed Barrett]

This was the first hunting I've done in a year. Been through surgery, two rounds of chemo, and a round of radiation. I'm supposed to be cancer free now, so it was a nice topping on the cake getting this tom today. Now I can start putting some cast down range at paper.

[BrentD]

Ed, that makes that turkey even more special. Congratulations on the personal victory with the Big C too! That is a great milestone marker.

[reloader28]

Congrats on the nice bird and being cancer free.
I didnt know anyone used 7 1/2 on turkeys. Mine have 5 and put a real smack on my middle daughters first turkey Sat morning.
It dont come much funner (or more frustrating) than turkey hunting I think.

[waksupi]

Nice bird! I always use 7 1/2's in my flinters, too, killed quite a few turkeys with them! Hit the head!

[MrWolf]

Callin em to the steps don't count, they have to make it to the door! Nice job and Congrats!

[MtGun44]

Not easy animals to hunt. Dumber than a box of rocks but will absolutely
run/fly at the slightest ANYTHING unusual.

[FISH4BUGS]

I have to chuckle when I see turkey hunting pictures. I work out of my house and out my office window I see turkeys every day. We put out cracked corn and feed them. We have had as many as 42 turkeys at once outside my window.
I could pop one in the head with a 22 short and feed us for weeks. They have gotten used to the cats but they still give them plenty of room. As long as we move slowly and quietly out onto the back porch they will not run.....move away yes, but not run. Any quick movement or noise and they are GONE!
When hunting season opens, they disappear for a while. They know....

[popper]

No turkeys but the wife just got home, she had stopped traffic in the bank drive-thru lane while mama and 8 duckings went through. She forgot her camera but another patron took pics, probably on youtube tonite. If it had been bunnies she wouldn't have bothered, new planted flowers are now stubs.

[ksfowler166]

I took one of mine last Saturday at around 7:20 with my Ithaca Model 37 16ga with 1 1/8oz #7 1/2 reloads at 32 yards. We was a nice mature bird with a 9 1/2" beard and 3/4" spurs. I was kind of worried that I wasn't going to see anything. The weather report said rain but I thought it would just a brief bit of rain. So I get to the field with only a couple drops coming down and I settled down in the blind. After a while one of the great things about turkey hunting started happening the turkeys began to wake up and begin calling. Unfortunately it sounded like only one bird was in front of me, which meant that most likely the turkeys would go into the field behind me. So I wait a little longer, still no rain and finally I see a single hen fly down into the field I am in.

She pecked around for a few minutes before heading back to the tree line. A few seconds latter a tom appears near were the hen was and starts to feed along the tree line opposite me. He eventually made his way towards the decoys were I took him. We waited awhile longer hoping to get a another turkey to come in from the field behind us but no luck. It soon started to rain and we figured we can always come back next week and were out of the field well before 9. Lucky for use since the rain stared coming down and it lasted several hours.

Hopefully I will be able to take my second bird this weekend.

By the way congratulations on the turkey and the use of #7 1/2 lead. Few enough use it but it is an old standby shot size good out to 40 yards with reasonable velocity. Same as #7 but that is much harder to find but quite possibly at least on paper the perfect lead turkey shot size.

[Ed Barrett]

I'm going to take my wife out with her 20 gauge, and try to call one in for her. I can't get another one until next week. I don't know if it just seems that way but seems like there are a lot of jakes and toms this year.

Tried deep frying some thigh meat cubed up and coated with beer batter last night. Turned out great, I think it helped my wife decide to go out and try to get another one for deep frying.