As I peered through the small opening out into the pouring rain, I realized that we had done it, we had finally found that perfect turkey. It was the one we had been looking for, that one in a thousand bird, the one that we had set our goals for.
You see, it had been a long hard ordeal getting to this point, just to have this opportunity. It all started two weekends ago when JRB and I decided to go turkey hunting down in his neck of the woods. Well, not just hunting for any type of turkey, we wanted the ultimate BIRD. We decided that obviously the perfect bird would weigh between 12 and 14 lbs when soaken wet, yet still have a decent 8-9 inch beard. We chose these characteristics for obvious reasons. A 12-14 lb bird will certainly be more tender, juicy and taste better than a big old 25lb bird. However a decent beard is a must, since that is the best way to determine the worth of your Trophy. So the stage was set. We would strike out across the county in search of the Ultimate bird, and we would not stop until we reached our goal.or until my wife said I had to come home. The first weekend we were met with unfavorable weather, and uncooperative birds, coupled with the fact that we had to drive by the Cingular building each hour to see if the cellphone chick was working. So I left that weekend, kinda down, but not defeated. The plan was to return for the final weekend of the season and accomplish our goal. After finally getting over the flu this week, I managed to make it down to Jasons for one last run at our quest. The Ultimate Bird. Much to our displeasure, we were again met with unfavorable weather. This, however did not dampen our spirits, we knew that if this task could be done, we were the two to pull it off. After all, Jason had hunted turkeys a time or two before, and I had watched a turkey hunting dvd almost all the way through one time. So we knew what we were doing, it was just a matter of gettin-r-dun. By late Saturday morning we knew that it was time to get serious. We had about had our fill of near misses. We would constantly see BIG old undesirable Toms strutting around or perfect sized Jakes sporting small undesirable beards, but no birds that met our Ultimate standards. About 11:00 that morning is when we began to close in on a Perfect Bird prospect, in a pouring rain. We knew that moving in on this bird would take some expert stalking across some rugged terrain, but we also knew that the reward would be satisfying. Our stalk ended nearly a mile from the truck, in an old abandoned tobacco barn. We had put ourselves within calling range of the great bird, so Jasons began his clucking serenade, as I readied myself. I placed my Benelli through one of the cracks between two of the pieces of barn siding and waited. As I peered through the small opening out into the pouring rain, I realized that we had done it, we had finally found that perfect turkey. It was the one we had been looking for, that one in a thousand bird, the one that we had set our goals for. The bird seemed to come in on a string, closer and closer. During its final few steps, a cluck from JRB raised the birds neck perfectly and the symultanious boom of the 3 and a half inch number 4s sealed the birds fate. Mission accomplished.
Here are some pictures of my bearded HEN. 13 lbs, 8 inch beard, zero mm spurs
Thanks Jason.
A special thanks goes to Sawmiller. Thanks for the important help that you supplied to my hunt as well.


You see, it had been a long hard ordeal getting to this point, just to have this opportunity. It all started two weekends ago when JRB and I decided to go turkey hunting down in his neck of the woods. Well, not just hunting for any type of turkey, we wanted the ultimate BIRD. We decided that obviously the perfect bird would weigh between 12 and 14 lbs when soaken wet, yet still have a decent 8-9 inch beard. We chose these characteristics for obvious reasons. A 12-14 lb bird will certainly be more tender, juicy and taste better than a big old 25lb bird. However a decent beard is a must, since that is the best way to determine the worth of your Trophy. So the stage was set. We would strike out across the county in search of the Ultimate bird, and we would not stop until we reached our goal.or until my wife said I had to come home. The first weekend we were met with unfavorable weather, and uncooperative birds, coupled with the fact that we had to drive by the Cingular building each hour to see if the cellphone chick was working. So I left that weekend, kinda down, but not defeated. The plan was to return for the final weekend of the season and accomplish our goal. After finally getting over the flu this week, I managed to make it down to Jasons for one last run at our quest. The Ultimate Bird. Much to our displeasure, we were again met with unfavorable weather. This, however did not dampen our spirits, we knew that if this task could be done, we were the two to pull it off. After all, Jason had hunted turkeys a time or two before, and I had watched a turkey hunting dvd almost all the way through one time. So we knew what we were doing, it was just a matter of gettin-r-dun. By late Saturday morning we knew that it was time to get serious. We had about had our fill of near misses. We would constantly see BIG old undesirable Toms strutting around or perfect sized Jakes sporting small undesirable beards, but no birds that met our Ultimate standards. About 11:00 that morning is when we began to close in on a Perfect Bird prospect, in a pouring rain. We knew that moving in on this bird would take some expert stalking across some rugged terrain, but we also knew that the reward would be satisfying. Our stalk ended nearly a mile from the truck, in an old abandoned tobacco barn. We had put ourselves within calling range of the great bird, so Jasons began his clucking serenade, as I readied myself. I placed my Benelli through one of the cracks between two of the pieces of barn siding and waited. As I peered through the small opening out into the pouring rain, I realized that we had done it, we had finally found that perfect turkey. It was the one we had been looking for, that one in a thousand bird, the one that we had set our goals for. The bird seemed to come in on a string, closer and closer. During its final few steps, a cluck from JRB raised the birds neck perfectly and the symultanious boom of the 3 and a half inch number 4s sealed the birds fate. Mission accomplished.
Here are some pictures of my bearded HEN. 13 lbs, 8 inch beard, zero mm spurs
Thanks Jason.
A special thanks goes to Sawmiller. Thanks for the important help that you supplied to my hunt as well.


