Got my first turkey yesterday. First time hunting turkeys on my first morning. Had a jake come in to a call around 6:30 AM. This guy came in to calling around 8:00 and was on a bee-line once he saw the decoys. Great moment as I had my Dad (also on his first turkey hunt) sitting with me in the blind. Unfortunately, he did not purchase an IL hunting license and habitat stamp 'cause this tom would have been his! He had to leave his gun in the truck. 24 yards on the shot. 9" beard
I definitely addicted now! Dare I say that it might have gotten my adrenaline pumped more than shooting a big buck? Amazing thing is that prior to the Fall of 2013 we had hunted this small (3 acre, but used to have access to about 75 acres) piece of property for 27 years and had never seen, heard or saw sign of turkeys in the area.
Update: My dad ended up getting his first turkey on his own on the last day of his season (4/18/14) with his 60+ year old Winchester Model 12 16 ga. We did not weigh either of them, but this one had the same spurs (1 1/4"), but a larger beard than mine (10 1/4"). We both estimated that his was somewhere between 2-4 lbs lighter which does not matter at all 'cause we are both just excited to have had any success at all.
