Both of the turkeys were killed April 97 and had 10 1/2 in. beards ,1 1/4 in. spurs and well over 20lbs . These two were running buddies and smart .

I had hunted these gobblers the year before pretty hard with no luck . They were either hened up or would not get close enough to harvest .  Well , 97 rolled around and they were still strutting around and I still couldn't kill one of them .  I figured i try hunting them mid to late evening . The plan was to hit the woods bout 1:00 and hunt till they roosted . Ever evening most times they roosted in a oak tree on a hill unless it rained then they would roost in pine trees in a hollow . The first evening i tried them they roosted in the oak tree but i setup to close to the oak tree  and they flew over me on their way up . The next time I tried they had broke pattern and came in a different way and I spooked them trying to get a shot . Well by now it was starting to look like the year before , their luck was still better than mine . After I spooked them I left them alone for a few days and hunted on the river where i work . While hunting there I took a good gobbler with a 10 in. beard and one inch spurs . He was easy compared to the two I wanted to take . It was time to try these two again so I set up around 1:00 for them . While I set up I noticed one of those real small bumble bees fling around my feet a swatted him away . When I called to the turkeys one gobbled a couple of times and in a little while i saw them coming down the other hill side and go out of site . All at once something stung me on the calf of my left leg . As I got up the bee had headed north and was stinging me again on the thigh , so I snatch my pants down and started hunting what was stinging me and kill it before it headed further north and stung me again . Well when I had my pants dropped to the ground (and damn glad nobody was a around to see me make a fool out of myself) I saw a little bumble bee fly off . Seeing that all was safe I pulled my pants up and set back up ( in pain ) hoping the gobblers had not seen or heard the fuss on the hill above them . As I sat there I heard them just below the crest of the hill , I purred and scratch the leaves beside me . Just then a head pop into view and then out of view . Then both turkeys came up into range and I shot the led bird . The other bird flew off , I got up and took a step but my left leg had might as well been gone because it didn't work and down I went . I knew i was going down and tried to catch myself with left hand and point the gun away from me . I had my turkey , hurt proud and a broken forearm on  my gun  . After breaking my forearm I called browning and had them over night a forearm to me,,,,,,,,,  the end almost. >>>>> HERE HE IS ,,,,   Picture

Taking the other one

The other one was even wiser now that i had killed his buddy and i didn't try to hunt him on the hill any more . I thought I'd try and catch him at a opening in the woods where i had tried to hunt both before with no luck . I was hoping now that he was by himself he would be a little lonely after the hens left him  .  The mourning i could try him was foggy , bad foggy and had rained the evening before so i hope he had roosted in the pines bout 75 yards from the clearing in the woods  . I set up in the small oat field i plant for deer ever year and a couple of hens flew in a while later one walked in . The gobbler was still in the pines in the fog bout 100 yards away . I got up fast and run the hens off . The gobbler stayed in the pines until about 8 , 8:30 by then the fog was lifting and he flew down but in the other way . I guess when i ran the hen off it spooked him but he would gobble ever time i called . We done this for a little but he wouldn't come any closer so i got up and moved 20, 30 yards away and called soft and then moved back to when i was and shut up . I sat there for a good 30 minutes and nothing . I was watching the way i had last heard him gobble when i caught some thing out of the corner of my eye to the left eye and behind me . The darn turkey had come around from behind me and was strutting . As i sat there and called him  a few  real bad words  I thought it was over he had won again but when he fanned out again with his back to me , bad mistake on his part I moved fast and before he got gone ,,, I got him . >>>>>HERE HE IS ,,,,, Picture

Well that's the 96-97 season . If it aint the best season i ever have it wont miss it by much .