palmettoswamp
jkwebb5
bowfx29
wvhunter1
seaton0024
tbryan987
04 spoiler
Randolph Cox
chevy

When you come up with a team name pm a mod,and we will post it for you.Good luck!!

Thanks Randolph, great job. I look forward to being on the team with you guys, and I hope we have a safe, great contest. I will check back in tomorrow around 7pm, see you then.
Tom

Good lookin' group guys!When is everyone's season?Mine is March 24th to May 15th.Any team names?

STARTS HERE MARCH THE 15 CANT WAIT.

Hey guys, glad to be on Team 16! Where does everyone live?

I live in Mooresville, NC (Nascar country) and hunt in Lockhart, SC. Season starts March 31 and runs to May 1. I will take my 9 year old on the 24th of March, but that does not count for our purposes.

Randolph, are you from GA? I am originally. I was born in Americus (in the same hospital that no longer exists after the tornado last night) and grew up in the Albany, GA area.

Here are a few names. I was not in the contest last year, so I don't know if any of these were used last year.

Team Nitro
Team Nitro 4x5x7 (a little long)
Team 4x5x7
Team Hevi Shot
Team Jellyhead (ha, ha)
Team Wingbone
Team Run 'n Gun
Team Triple Beard

Just a few to mull over, what does everyone else have?

Jim

I will be hunting in Alabama and Georgia, so I guess my season will go from March 15th till May 15th.

Jk, I hunt a place not far from Americus called Fort Gaines. I have some friends that own an outfitter service there.

I guess my name suggestion will be Thunder Chickens


Good luck everyone and have a SAFE and fun season.

Spoiler,

I know the area well. My grandparents live in Cuthbert. I grew up all over that area!

Small world.

Jim

I am from southeast Ga.I am 2 hours east of Albany.I'm 40 miles west of Brunswick.Please team let's stick together and don't forget your pics you need.Write them on a piece of paper and put it in your wallet.If we keep in touch we will have a good chance of winning this!

I am from Southern WV in Mercer County, WV season comes in on April 23 and runs through May 19. As far as team names go I'm easy, but I have a couple "Team Strutter", "The Boss Tom's", or " Team Long Spur".
I will go along with what ever you guys like.
Tom

How about bushwhack bandits

I'm from Savannah, TN (West TN.. about 2 hours east of Memphis).. the season here opens March 31 an closes May 13

OK guys there are 6 of us that have checked in,and tbryan987 will be along soon..The 5 biggest birds count.If we all score we should have it in the bag.

Anybody heard from the other four members of the team?
I thought about one more name "Team Strut Stoppers"
Tom

I like Strut Stoppers.

Another could be Team Spit -n- Drum.

Jim

haven't heard from palmettoswamp,tbryan987,or chevy.tbryan987 is a regular he'll be here.I sent the other 2 pm's...nothing yet.

Sounds good, Randolph. Hope they check in before long, I'm fired up man.
Tom

got a pm from chevy,but I see he hasn't checked in yet.Nothing from palmettoswamp yet.

strut busters has been taken,we'll have to come up with something else.

I still like "Strut Stoppers" or "Team Strutter", but I'm good with anything, you guys decide.
Tom

Sorry about the delayed reposnse fellas.....Been out scouting the last week in the mud boat. I'm in Florida and the Central/North Fl. season opens on 3/17/07-4/23/07. I also will be going to GA--Emanuel County from 4/16/07-4/20/07. I'm good with any team names. Last year I got one osceola and one large eastern. Hopefully I can contribute to the team. Looking forward to the season. Think we got a good team here.

Welcome aboard Palmettoswamp, glad to hear from you. I hope you found some birds while scouting. Hope you have a great year. You guys picked a name yet? I guess we still have not heard from 3 of the guys, hope they check in so we can meet them.
Tom

And one more thing, I did shell out my hard earned cash a couple of weeks ago and got Mr. B-Mobile for my private land GA hunt, would not put that joker out in public land, unless I had a death wish. I have never used a full-strut gobbler decoy before and I am looking forward to see how it does.

Mobile is about the only "new" toy I bought this spring other than I tried some new mouth calls by woodhaven, legacy, and knight/hale. I really liked the woodhaven copperhead call and the K/H turkey tech chris parrish call. I always carry my bread and butter primos double frame calls. I'm shooting, for the first time, winchester x-tended range #5 and #6 shot this season.

I do must of my hunting offf the Withlacoochee River here in NW Central Florida and drive a mud boat(jon boat w/ mud buddy mud motor) on the river and hunt swamps that have 3-5 acre islands full of oak hammocks and palmettos. When I go scouting later this week, I will take some pictures of the area, swamps, and rivers, then post them up here.

Just a little background on myself...now lets get ready to wack some heads and give him a beak full of BB's!!!

I have not heard from anybody in a couple of days, just thought I would check in. I see we still have not heard from two of the team? We need to pick a name, seems like most of the teams have. I like "Team Strutter" or "Strut Stoppers", you guys come up with some more names.
Tom

How about snood slappers... Heard that one last year I think..

I suggested a bunch of names, some good, some probably questionable, in an earlier post. I can't think of anything else. Whatever you guys decide is fine with me.

It is going to be warm tomorrow morning so I will be heading down to the lease to see what I can hear in the morning. I will let you guys know.

As far as buying new gear. You guys will not believe the money I have spent this year! I am in the dog house with my wife for 10 years! I bought a new 870 camoed SuperMag with B-Square scope combo tipped with a .665 Jellyhead choke along with "The Claw" sling, hunting blind, B-Mobile, two hen decoys, new mothwing camo, new boots, Jackpot slate, Primos Wet Box, Jackpot with glass slate, wingbone yelper, 14 mouthcalls (Primos, Hs Strut, and Quakerboy), custom made cedar box (sounds awesome), vest, a pair of 8x40 Nikon Actions, and some other essentials I am sure I have missed! Oh yea, back in the first of Feb. I bought a new Yamaha Grizzly 450, Outdoorsman model and a new trailer.

All of that in addition to outfitting my son with a new Mossberg 20, camo, vest, etc.

I don't intend to sound like a braggart, but if ya'll have not guessed it yet, I have not hunted in 10 years, and had to completely re-outfit myself. It was FUN!!!! My wife finally let me get back into it since my son is of age (he is 9). I am so excited to get back in the woods!

Don't worry though, I am not a newbie to hunting. I grew up in the woods in GA. I started hunting when I was 7. As a matter of fact, the last 3 times I have turkey hunted, I killed two. (Of course that was 10 years ago)!!!!!

One thing is for sure, team 16 has the most excited and pysched hunter on this board! I am hunting in Chester county, SC which has one of the best turkey ratio's per square mile of any place in the US. The place is loaded!!!! That does not mean it will be automatic, because the birds are hunted hard! I hunt a lease that is 3725 acres and their are 18 turkey hunters that share it. Do ya'll think that the average acres per hunter is OK? I don't know. I used to have 600 by myself. I have never "shared".

Anyway, sorry for the long email, but the more we type, the more we get to know each other.

Jim

P.s. What about Team "Shock Gobble", or the "Shock Gobbler's"? I know many of my suggestions sound corny, but I am a little rusty with the terminology!

I hear you, I over spent a little myself this year. I bought a new Bennelli Super Nova Steady Grip, a Bushnell Trophy red dot scope, a Bob Dixon vest, a new set of Microtex clothing from Cabela's and a new call from Supreme Turkey calls, and I almost forgot some new decoys. I keep telling myself thats it but I find something else I want. I'm like a kid. LOL!!!!!! But I guess there is woarse things I could be doing, at least that's what I tell the wife. LOL. Talk to you guys later.
Tom

Well, I went scouting this morning and it was beautiful out there! Bad news is that I heard nothing.....nada.......but the good news is I found a bunch of new sign. I found some strut marks deep in the woods on one of our ATV trails so that was very encouraging. I did jump a bunch of deer in several different places. We can save that for another topic, a few months from now!

I have a question for you guys. I am seeing an inordinate amount of coyote tracks. How bad do you think they will mess up the birds? They have been so bad out there that the club has injected poison into hot dogs and distributed throughout the property. I don't like that idea, but there is just too much coyote sign. After turkey season I am going to put a hurting on them. I know a few of you are close to South Carolina. Maybe one weekend after Turkey season I can have some, or all of you guys come in, if you are close enough and we can see what we can do to the coyotes. My club allows unlimited visitors at no charge.

Let me know if anyone is interested.

I said that I was done buying gear, but I found a Dixon vest today and had to buy it! It is #731. I don't know how many of you have one other than WV, but it is awesome!

I will be scouting again on Saturday.

Talk to you later,
Jim

Hey Jim,
I'm glad you got you a dixon vest, congrats they are awsome. Where did you find it at? I been setting here messing with mine now. I might be interested in helping you out with that coyote problem, I got a few I need to take care of myself. I'm going to do some scouting this weekend too, well Congrats again on the vest. Talk to you later.
Tom

I went this morning and heard nothing as well.Don't feel Bad JK.It's prolly just the birds because there were 2 toms in a foodplot yesterday afternoon close to where I went this morning.I saw 2 toms today while at work(I work on Ft.Stewart)I went riding this afternoon and saw 1 close to dark so I'll see if he wants to talk in the morning.

Ya'll want to go with shock gobble?

BTW JK it took me 10 years to acquire that much gear...

"Shock Gobble" is cool with me. I have seen some birds in the evening but heard no gobbling. I be out early Sat. and Sun. listening though.
Tom

According to the GON, the gobblers ought to be plentful this spring...

I found the vest at a new place called Southern Sportsman in Inman, SC which is right down the road from Spartanburg, SC. I was working in Spartanburg today and saw a billboard and had to check it out! The store was upscale and kind of expensive. I don't know if I would buy too much "stuff" from this place. Anyway, they actually had 4 Dixon's left and I picked one off. Next Friday and Saturday they are having a big Turkey deal. They are having several pro's in and one of them is Scott Sanders, or Sanderson from Primos. He lives in SC and is on the Prostaff. Boy, I sure would love to be on the Prostaff for Primos!!!

WV, I am serious about the Coyote's, I will get up with you after Turkey season and we can see if we can work out something regarding our schedules. The invite stands for any and all of you, just let me know.

Randolph, I definately went overboard, I won't have to buy anything else but licenses' and shells for the next 15 years!

Anyway, let's see who will hear the first gobble of the season!

Randolph, can you make us a signature with our screen names and "Shock Gobble" if that is what we will be going with? I don't know how to do that. Is it an Avatar? I have seen a few on different posts.

Jim

Well I heard 2 gobblers this morning.AT 8:30 am while I was waiting on the rest of the guys to get out there.I was walking down the road,and following some mighty fresh looking tracks when all of the sudden 2 toms let loose about 40yds from me!!I almost fainted.

I crouched down behind a bush.What had happened was 3 or 4 hens had seen me and went to leave,and the toms were trying to get them to stay.They strutted and drummed intensely for the next 5 minutes.I called my friend Eric to tell him about it and I saw them again about 60yds away.His voice mail had picked up,and as I was whispering when the hens went to cutting and they gobbled again!!!He said he could hear them plain as day.They were only 60yds away.They finally eased off.

I haven't been seeing many birds until the last 2 days.Yersterday I saw 2,but today I saw 13 gobblers and 6 or 7 hens.There was one group of 6 longbeards by themselves,1 trio of toms,and all the others were solo.Looks like they are splitting up!

I've got 2 more weeks until opening day.I hope to find some more birds.I am taking my friend Tom who is an army ranger opening weekend to help him get his first bird ever before he goes back over seas.

Don't worry about me I'll get one.

I'll fix the team name

I got excited just reading about you getting excited! Wait, that didn't sound right.........but it is OK since we are talking "Turkey".

I am taking my son in the morning for a scouting trip. We have some rain moving in tomorrow so I don't know what that will do to them early.

I will keep everyone posted.

Jim

Won't be long now...Gonna get to hunt with some of the Country Goes Hunting folks in a few weeks over in Georgia, should be a blast.

Sounds like fun.I might be going down to Fla next weekend with Jimmy2frogs if I have enough money.

Went out scouting this morning and did not hear one peep.....On the way back in, I ran up on a very hard shell bed and broke one blade on my mud motor prop

Palmetto, that sucks....Sorry you had that kind of Saturday.

My son and I went scouting and were out all day long. I woke up late, so we were not out there at daylight. One gobble was heard this morning by another member early. We did not hear anything all day but did see 7 or 8 birds late this afternoon about 100 yards away. They were moving pretty good but I think they could have all been Jakes. Not sure though. This was a new place on the lease that I had not checked out yet and boy was there sign everywhere! It was awesome to finally see some birds.

Hope everyone has a good remainder of the weekend.

Jim

I went with my friend Eric today and we heard 4 birds.One was pretty close so we eased over to see what he was doing.After I got a pretty good idea of what he was doing we backed out.We found 3 sheds,saw 4 deer,and 2 more hens.Found some more tracks as well.It's looking good so far!

Randolph,

What kind of terrain did you find the sheds? I have been in the woods countless times over the past month and have not found a shed. I know it is iffy, but I want to find a pair (does not have to be a set) from this past year for rattling.

Good news on your birds. Looks like they are right on schedule!

Jim

I found them in the foodplot.I went to work this morning and as soon as the bossman told me I was going to the same place as last week I hauled buddy.I got up to where the gobblers were last friday,shut off the dump truck,opened the door,and hadn't even gotten one foot on the top step,and heard one strokin'!!!

I listened to them for about 15 minutes until another guy drove up,and they kind of got quiet because he was loud.At lunch I walked back there to see where they were flying down.I got back to a likely looking spot,and saw a small sandy oak hill.I found all kinds of scratchings on it and knew this must be where they were flying down to.

I went to walk around and hadn't went 40yds when the gobblers both hammered it about 130yds from me.I hid behind a tree and looked across the open palmettos to see the gobblers running some hens,then each other.Then they both went into full strut.

Around 2pm I saw 3 gobblers together feeding.They were about 400yds away from where I saw the 6 at the other day,and were on scedule to be there at the same time.I think that group broke up,and this was half of them.

SO things are looking great so far.I don't know what is going to happen when the other "experts" get out there opening morning.Turkeys are gonna be scared to death from all the flowmaster mufflers,1,000's of crows and owls,not to mention some really weird sounding hens...lol

Sounds very encouraging! I am sure you are ready to go!

That is pretty funny, and quite true about the flowmasters, crows, and hens.

Jim

Checkin in!! Sorry it took a while i just got a new house and just got my internet hooked up.

Good to hear from you TBryan, welcome to Shock Gobble! My brother used to live in Denton, TX. He worked for Galaxy Air before they were bought by Gulfstream. He now lives in Savannah, GA.

Jim

Randolph,

I found a bunch of the old Hevi-13 shells yesterday. They were all white in color. I have heard from some places that they are better than the new, and I have heard that the new are better. Do you have a take on this? I have some Nitro's ordered, but if the guy that ordered them does not call me back soon, I am not going to pick them up.

Thanks,
Jim

I shot the remington hevi shells and went back to winchester High velocities.Sorry,I don't know much about hevi-13.Looks like I'm gonna be going down to 3 lakes WMA in osceola county to try and get my first ever osceola!

I'll be meeting up with fellow forum member Jimmy2frogs.He's gonna show me around the area.I'm gonna try my best to call us both a bird in.I'm so pumped...

No birds this morning,but at lunch time there were 2 hens where I saw the gobblers and hens yesterday at lunch.

Welcome tbryan, glad you made it.
Jim,
The Hevi-13 white 3" shells are great, and they are better then the ones that they came out with last year, the white shell is the shell that holds the world record at the still target shoots.
Hevi-13 did make some changes to the 3" and the 3 1/2" shells this year and they are supposed to shoot extremely well, according to all I have read. I am shooting Nitro's, but I am going to try the new Hevi-13 shells in the 3 1/2" myself, they are a goldish bronze color and 2 1/4 oz loads. I am not sure what color the new 3" shells are. I hope this helps.
Tom

Tom and Randolph,

Thanks to the both of you.

Tom, I ordered a box of the Nitro 4x5x7's for my 870 and a box of the H276's for my son's 20. They have tested a 4x5x6 but it was not ready.

I hope they come in on time! They will not ship until next week.

I am going to listen in the am too.

Good luck Randolph!

Jim

Randolph,

Enjoy your stay in florida. I have hunted 3 lakes one time about 4 years ago. That WMA does have birds, I think I was hunting the "lost hammock" which is a island with a oak hammock when the water is up, probably bone dry this season due to the lack of rain. That place will packed full of crackers for the first week starting on 3/17/07. Good Luck and I'm sure your buddy will put you on some swamp gobblers!!!

Let us know how you did when you return....I'll be hunting off the Withlacoochee River back in the swamps this season.

south arkansas youth weekend is april 7th and 8th... big boy season starts on april 14 and ends on may 4... the game and fish commission in our state is starting our season late this year in order to help restore our turkey population.

Chevy,
Glad to hear from you, good luck this season.
Tom

My God, how sweet the sound can be! Right when I got out of the truck, he hammered this morning! He gobbled about 9 or 10 times before flydown, but then did not say a peep after.

I heard two others way off, and hens talking in two different places on the same 300 acre tract. I believe that they are henned up and doing the breeding thing right now. Which is good! Hopefully the girls will be finished up to coincide with opening day! Then, let the fun begin!

I might be going back tomorrow morning, to another tract if the weather looks good.

Boy, is the blood pumping now!

Jim