We are allowed two doe tags but you can only fill them in the October bow season or during the Thanksgiving weekend doe days with a rifle. I had a couple of doe’s that kept hangin out at my feeder’s all season but I let them keep hangin around my area hopin they would come in to estrus and start draggin in some bigger bucks. Seen several yearling bucks that were not legal and I had hogs everywhere. I managed to take eleven hogs off our place this year. I think the hogs were havin’ a negative effect on my deer hunting also, but what the heck they are good eatin’ too!

Well I did manage to score on this nice 9 pointer at the end of December. His inside spread was just over the 13 inch’s and I was really proud to get him. He is not a monster by any mean’s but I will be more than happy with a buck like him every year and be satisfied, especially when I have the drought conditions and hog problems I had this season!

I have takin a few bucks larger than him and a whole bunch that were smaller. I really hope the new antler restriction program works because I would love to start seeing  some bigger bucks around my area! I guess it’s workin some because back a few years ago a buck like him was a monster for where I hunt. Guess we will just have to wait and see if the antler restrictions help out over the next few years, but for me anything that leads to shootin bigger bucks is worth the wait!

This was actually my first gobbler taken but over the past few years I have had alot of close calls and almosts including the gobbler I called in and missed at 9 YARDS! I hate to admit that I missed that close but figured out the hard way that a mossberg 500 turkey gun with a extra full turkey choke throws a very very tight pattern at 9 yards and a turkeys head aint very big anyway but I was still sick about it for awhile!  lol

Also learned alot about makin the mistake of over callin em and havin em hang up or gobble up hens that led em away cause I was makin them gobble alot by callin too much, but hey I cant help it I love hearing em gobble!

Well this year it seemed like every day I have had off since April 1st it has been windy and I am not gonna lie, I HATE wind when I hunt.I have to deal with it alot but I hate it especially for turkeys cause its hard to hear em and when you do you cant tell which direction you heard em half the time.

Well I had gotten up several mornins but stepped outside to wind whippin around so I would just use that for my excuse to go back to bed! lol  When I got off work on Wed i told my girlfriend that I was gettin up and goin in the mornin windy or not. So Thursday mornin april 16, I got up at 5:00 am got dressed jumped in the truck and headed to my place.

I had to stop at a store on the way there to get my turkey stamp and somethin for breakfast so I was runnin a little behind when I got to the woods. It was already startin to get daylight so I parked at our camp got out and grabbed my stuff and started just walkin slowly down our logging trail.   I was hopin to hear some turkeys start gobblin on their own but I would occasionally hoot on my owl hooter to see if I could get one fired up.

 Took my time and by the time I reached our middle which is about a 1 acre clearing where we plant a food plot for deer I hadnt heard any turkeys. I stopped at the edge of the clearing and pulled out my slate call and gave a few small hen yelps and  just listened the woods were comin to life with all kinds of birds and sounds but still no response from a gobbler.  I just stood there leaned against a tree for a little bit watchin and listenin to everything wake up for the morning. 

Finally I walked across the clearing and as soon as I started down the logging path on the other side I heard a loud gobble thunder through the woods and it sounded like he was on the other logging road that runs to the back of our place and he sounded close.

 I looked around for a place to set up and I just dove into some bushes and up against the first tree I found that was right off the path I was on popped my raspy hen diaphragm call in my mouth,pulled my face mask up and got ready.

Started cuttin on the call and a couple of short series of yelps to let him know where I was and then I shut up and waited. He never would gobble again and after about 10 minutes I was gettin ready to yelp again and wondered if I might should try and move closer to the logging road where he was at and decided just to sit tight.

 Just as I was about to hen yelp again he came over a little hill in front of me in full strut!  My heart was poundin he was 10 yards in front of me when he topped that hill I just gave a quick putt on my call to make him break strut and I hammered him with a 3 inch winchester supreme #4 turkey load!

My 09 turkey season was over at 7:20 am my first mornin out this season. 

The gobbler had 3/4 inch spurs and a 10 inch beard not sure of his weight but guessin he was around 20 lbs.  He was sure a trophy to me !