Fall gobbler

[Gopherlongbeards]

Bagged my first fall gobbler this morning (alright it was a jake and a half, only a 7" beard but close enough for me) and it sure was exciting. Birds were roosted on the opposite side of the valley than they usually are, so I wasn't able to see them fly down, but they eventually worked their way to the pasture I was sitting on as they tend to do. I watched the group of 8 enter the pasture on the far end, and begin feeding around. gobbler clucking/yelping and kee kee runs would get them to raise their heads and look in my direction, but they didn't seem inclined to come over for a look. After awhile I pulled out my slate call and along with the mouth call I was running began to imitate two gobblers yelping and clucking to one another. I started with some low key yelps and clucks but quickly escalated into more urgent calling, culminating with cutting and fighting purrs on both the slate and mouth call. That got the birds attention. They all began clucking and putting, formed up in a group and began a quick walk towards me. I got back on the fighting purrs and the birds picked up their speed into a quick trot. There heads had gone all red, white and blue and they were puffing out their chests in half strut while trying to hurry towards me. I shot the lead bird at 30 yards and the rest of them scattered. I've used fighting purrs on several occasions, and while it doesn't work every time (maybe even most of the time) when it does it's a thing a beauty. All of a sudden birds that couldn't care less about your yelping a moment before are sprinting in leaving you little time to get your gun up.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Congrats Gopher job well done . It seems like the fighting purrs work best after you talk to the birds awhile, and get them to talk back to you. If you start out with a fighting purr they tend to ignore it, but if you can get them to talk back to you for awhile then it works great. It's great to work fall birds with a call, you almost can't over call, the more calling you do the better it works, using two different calls works the best it gives more of a group sound and adding the fighting purrs in with the kee kee runs and clucks, jake yelps, seems to really get them going.

[charlie elk]

Dang good hunting there gopher. Something like that (a charging flock) almost never happens in the spring but is common in the fall. It gets even better from here as the gobblers form up their winter flocks and really start fighting with each other over who is the boss.
We have nearly 3 months to hunt yet! You'll need more tags, but there are only 8,964 left best get to buying em soon.
BTW, a turkey with a 7" beard is a full gobbler in my book, nothing jake about him.

[kygobbler]

Great job Gopher. It sounds like you are having a fun time with them birds. Down here we still have 3 weeks before the season starts and man I cant wait.

[dewey]

Congrats on the gobbler Gopher!

Dewey