Submitted and Written By First Bubba
With nearly a week of “Fall Turkey Gun” season over, a flock of toms is finally located and patterned.
Zeroing in on where they pause to gather before crossing a creek, it’s time to set up an ambush site.
It was awesome this morning! Hard frost, no wind!
It didn’t feel that cold until I jumped in the truck and turned the wipers on. They just bumped over the dew on the windshield! It was frozen solid!
Limping off down the road, I’m hunkered down in the seat to see the way through the one little clear spot.
A dense fog kept me from making much speed, and I wandered from ditch to ditch until the windshield thawed. That didn’t make a lot of difference because of the fog! LOL! Missed my turn in the gloom and had to back up about 30 yards!
I got in my “ambush, ” and set up well before daylight, and a deer began snorting and blowing behind me, guess it spotted me setting up. That’s okay; I’m after turkeys today.
Lying on the tripod with the stock on my lap is the Winchester Model 12 16ga I bought many moons back. I’ve wanted to turkey hunt with it for a LONG time.
I hear birds back to the east. One gobbled and 2 or 3 more yelps and cluck, and then they fall silent …and I wait!
It’s 7 am, and the fog-shrouded bottom is eerily quiet. Big, pecan fattened red squirrels rip from tree to tree, barking and quarreling. The whistle of duck wings overhead is a welcome sound from my past. Seven thirty! Where the heck are the turkeys? …and I wait!
Nothing moves.
Wrens flit in and out of the weeds and limbs I used for cover.
A sudden rushing sound like an approaching flight of ducks and about 15 turkeys sprint by me and stop at the creek crossing 20 yards away. I wait until the last bird passes. Selecting one of the larger birds, the Win M12 comes up out of its rest and mounts easily.
The selected bird sees the motion and takes a step, telescoping his neck in alarm–TOO LATE! The one-ounce charge of 7 1/2’s found their mark! The smooth oily action of the M12 quickly reloads, and the shotgun covers the flopping bird.
There is an explosion of wings at the shot as the remaining birds scatter, leaving one of their numbers behind!
Oklahoma Fall Gobbler by First Bubba
It’s 8 o’clock sharp.
18 pounds, 8-inch beard, 3/4 inch spurs
Not a “trophy” bird, but a really nice fall bird! …AND…with my 16ga M12 Win!! I love it!
Charlie says
Congratulations on an excellent fall bird First Bubba. I have never been able to pattern turkeys in Wisconsin, they just come and go as they please wherever they please.
FirstBubba says
Perhaps if you quit allowing Vic to stir them up! LOL!
I had never really noticed it until I began bow hunting a specific buck.
I was hunting one particular stand daily. Between 2pm and 3pm, the same flock of toms would cross under the fence in the same spot.
As turkey hunters, we all know that turkeys view barriers in strange ways.
Find their dusting spot, where they cross under a fence.
I caught these birds where they cross a creek.
They wouldn’t just cross as they came to the creek. They would all gather on the bank, then cross the creek in ones, doubles and more until the entire flock was across.
It’s a simple matter of figuring out their “pattern” and ambushing them.
N.C.L.W. says
Phenomenal Fall Bird, First Bubba!!!
Congrats on the 16G harvest for your ’17 Season Sir.
FirstBubba says
Thanx N.C.L.W.!
Long story behind the Win M12 16 gauge….but I ended up with 2 of them before it was all over! LOL!
huntfishtrap says
Congrats, Bubba! Fine fall bird. I got my turkey last weekend. Nice, tender young jake. Walked up on the flock, and shot it at about 35 yards. They didn’t even spook when they saw me – just kinda started meandering away. The survivors will probably know better than to do that in the future!
FirstBubba says
Thanx htf.
I have long wanted to take a turkey with that shotgun.
Getting it rebuilt and back together felt really good.
To actually use it to take a bird was really awesome!
Springerman3 says
Pretty light load there fella….. Curious how many shells you had to pattern to figure if it had enough pellets 🙂
FirstBubba says
Thanx for asking s3!
The ammo was some Remington Hi-Velocity, high brass I found in a trash can in 1991. I used 0000 steel wool and WD40 to scrub the green off the brass.
After I got the gun working again, I shot two rounds at a tin can about 20 feet away, hitting the can once.
I figured that was good enough and went hunting! No sense in wasting good 16 gauge ammo.
There were about 30 or 40 rounds of field load 8’s, but I haven’t had time to steel wool the crud off the brass. Maybe I’ll just toss them in the tumbler and use them during the spring season.
Tah tah for now!
Springerman3 says
So what about old Bucky’s perspective that you have to fire at least ten rounds ? You seem to be showing disrespect for his honorable thought process 😉