Having a buddy with you helps alot. Lol. But get low when taking the pic and take a lot of pics at different angles. I also like laying the bird on my knee I think it really brings out the birds feathers. This was one of the best looking draws I have ever seen and with a light fog along with the green up really was a sight to see. Side note first couple of pics we took we were so jacked up from the turkey show this guy was putting on they were very very blurry from shaky hands. That's what it's all about tho.

Nice bird congrats!

Another lesson learned last week. To make a long story short I was already running late so I rushed into some hardwoods to get a stubborn gobbler. His last gobble sounded like he was going away from me so I tried to get a little closer and as soon as I stood up he flies off, probably 40 yards away. So I go home with no bird and still catch hell from the wife for being late. Back at it this weekend Coosa county in the morning and DeKalb on Saturday. My dad sent me a pic from his camera for a little added motivation. Would love for this to be my first.

Pow that bird has a rope on him! Keep after them. It will just click eventually. Hopefully your learning curve won't b as long as my path to my first bird.

Well I got another one Friday (no upgrade though, 2 yr old) and had a quiet one play a little yesterday before rain showed up. He was coming in clucking up a storm to locate us... told my cousin to get his gun ready then wouldn't u know, driving rain and thunder started basically put of nowhere and he never showed. Im assuming smart old bird or 2yr old that's been whooped the way he didn't gobble other than about 4 times when he was several hundred yds away. Hope to get him one before season over but running out of time.... also hoping to finish in AL for first time ever.

Congrats on the bird. I'm going out tomorrow have vacation till May 12 so hopefully I can kill a few more. I will be heading out to Missouri may 1st then off to Nebraska I may hit Tennessee and Kentucky before then if time allows. Good luck to everyone hope we can finish the season strong.

Congrats to u buckbrush.... just saw kil post!

Thanks not sure if he will be an upgrade. Got a heck of a beard tho close to 12" just by the looks of it.

Dang! I've yet to break the 1ft mark on a beard

And btw, call it overconfidence or just "always prepared" but I keep a retractable cloth ruler in my vest at all times... doesn't help with weight but I can always check mine or tell folks their beard and spur measurements ha

Well I kinda messed up thought he wasn't an upgrade but he was but I didn't get a pic with me or team name in it. Bird scored 61
1" spurs
18lbs
11.5" beard.

Cmon buck! At least get a selfie haha. I did that for one of my submission. Not sure if that's ok but upgraded that one anyway. One i shot Friday was a wet mess but it dried out later in day before i cleaned it and wife took pic so my kids could see later.

Got my kids picture with it lol. I will get an upgrade when I head to Mo and Nebraska but if not I will turn this one in.

He had a nice rope on him.

Had one at 35yrs with safety off that gobbled a couple of times then clucked and purred his way into me. I almost squeezed off then realized he had a jake beard. Woods are too overgrown to see if he had spurs so I let him walk away. I scratched him back in (and he gave out another healthy gobble) and I couldn't tell if he was mature bird with beard rot or jake (his head looked mature but some of those "older jakes" don't look much different than a younger 2yr old IMO)... but in hindsight, wish I had just ground checked now because I'd be done and could sleep this weekend.

I've had 3 Jake's the past week come in gobbling then when they couldn't find me start clucking purring and yelping. One of them had a 4 to 5 inch beard. Yours most likely was a Jake glad you let him pass. I think them Jake's are starting to figure things out after hearing the big boys.

That's gotta be it buck... I've had jakes come in on me for yrs and heard them gobble in groups, etc. but this one acted like a big boy and almost died like one ha.

I smashed one like that in Autauga county several years ago. Gobbled like a man and his read head popped over a little rise about 20 yards away. I fed him some Winchester #5's at 1200fps. Had a 4 inch beard. I was kinda ticked but he still ate good!

Dr. B

Got that right bamaeyedoc. Some have to pay for acting like the big boys. I almost pulled the trigger on the 5 inch beard only thing tat saved him was his buddy behind him with a 2" beard. I hesitated then they started yelping and clucking. Out west Rio hunting is very difficult Jake's seem to gobble more than the gobblers at times.

I wasn't the trigger man but he was dead at 8 o'clock. They didn't gobble till the sun came out about 7 o clock. Had to put the creep on him gobbling in a clear cut above our heads at 20 yds. Put a decoy out right in front of us laying on our bellies. A few soft calls and he peaked over at 10yds Bang Flop.