2 Idaho gobblers fall

[Wally Dog]

Clearwater region Idaho 4/22-23.
Birds were communicating sparingly, but my bass fishing partner and I each whacked longbeards. His more "eastern" marked and mine a "mutt".
They were both harvested out of the "turkey silo" blind that I have touted on this forum in the past.
Saturday my partner passed on 4 jakes waiting for a mature bird and his patience paid off.
I too had no interest in a "longtail" so after moving the blind Saturday afternoon we returned to shower up and attend the 1rst ever NWTF banquet in Orofino,ID. They put on a great show and we contributed to their success.
Sunday morning found us a little "red-eyed" but in the silo prior to flydown time. After a couple of distant responses to my calling and 10 minutes I called softly on my Roberts Bros. wormy chestnut glass call and he thundered from 50 yds or so, just out of sight. Several more soft helps brought him in all of his splendor to 25yds where he met his waterloo. He carried the thickest beard I've seen on a western bird. Undoubtedly a result of some eastern genetics he carried.
We opened April 15 and for the first time since 1983 I missed the opener due to my mother-in-laws passing and our road trip to western MN for her burial. The upside was on Easter Sunday morning I got an Otter Tail County longbeard to answer my calling 30 times from my brothers truck!

 

[carbonarcher]

congrats on a couple of very nice birds!

 

[Nut]

WTG on the birds

 

[mtmiller]

Very nice Wally. Tell me you are not side swiping that bigger bird in the last shot.hump

Did both birds get it from the silo? Are you done for the year on birds or do you get multiple bearded critters over there? Job well done.

 

[Wally Dog]

Miller,
Bird's been expired too long to be side swiped..........he's no longer warm?
Both from the silo at different locations bout a 1/2 mile apart. I may be done, tho we can harvest a second bird after May 1.
WD

 

[Bwana]

Way to go Wally Dog! Good looking bird.

 

[schmalts]

Nice big bird you got there!

 

[Moosie]

Good job we had lunch before you went hunting, Looks like you took my advice and did well

 

[Canoe]

Maybe they did well despite your advice.

 

[Ithaca 37]

Congratulations! Those are real nice turkeys and real good pictures. I'm sorry to hear about your mother-in-law.

Kind of a strange spring this year for turkeys. Plenty of birds but their calling and activity seemed pretty erratic from day to day when I was hunting. I blame it all on the weather we've had the whole month of April.

 

[Elkgunner]

Congrats Wally, looks like you made up for missing the opener.