2008 IDO Turkey Photo Contest—ENTRIES ONLY!!

Please post your entries HERE! If they aren’t post in here, they won’t be eligible for the contest.

Well, here it is again, the contest you’ve all been waiting for.

Once again, we won’t be judging based on measurements of beard length, weight or spur length.

What we are looking for is your 2008 Turkey photos. Along with the photo we are asking all entrants submit a small story about the hunt. The winner will be voted on by a panel of judges from IDO. The pic & the story will all be considered when deciding a winner for the contest.

Like most photo contests, the pics will have to be of good taste and convey the spirit of the hunt. The best pic you can take will be one of you in the field with the Turkey using the scenery as your backdrop. Pics of the bird in the back of a truck probably won’t cut it.

Good luck & hunt safe

This is last year’s winner.

4/17 9:17 am 24.10 lbs 8.25″ brd

spent the weekend in montana and had some luck got this bird to gobble about 5pm sat he and his buddy put on quite a show coming about 200 yards in a short period of time gobbling all the way i was sitting on a rock knob about 45 yards from the end with a nice draw on each side what a surprise to see the white fan coming over the rock face in front of me he strutted around on that rock for a few minutes untill i couldnt take it anymore and folded him up

scored this double-bearded, hooked-spurred tom this morning (4/23/08).
worked two toms off the roost but they just wouldnt get close enough for a clean shot. too many hens.
decided to head for a farm a few miles away that hadnt been hunted. after a long hike to get where i wanted to set up, called for about 15-20 minutes before striking a gobble in the distance.
moved toward them, another cutt on the highball and three toms cut loose that had moved closer.
advanced another 50 yards using the terrain to hide my movement and set up in what i knew was not perfect position due to a brush pile and multiflora rose about 20 yards in front of me.
quickly sat down, hit another cutt and one of the toms thundered and was closing hard and fast. made a soft yelp and positioned to shoot to the right of the brush. he gobbled again and stepped out on the left side of the brush about 20 yards away. i swung to the left and he started to walk away with a limb blocking my shooting lane, but he took a step to the right and i folded him at 25 yards with a 3-inch load of no. 5s.
the beards were 9 1/2 and 6 1/2. you can see the second beard under the big one if you look closely. he only weighed 22 pounds, was a breeder with the feathers worn off his breastbone, and the spurs were 1 1/8 sharp hooks.
a needed day off to rest my aching feet tomorrow before another permit kicks in friday. good luck to you other turkey chasers.

4/19/08 arrived to what I thought was the perfect spot on the edge of a hay field in the Osceola, Wisconsin area. As expected at day break the turkeys made there way out to the field 7 hens, but where whats the Tom? I watched them mill there way back and forth in the hay field and even further and further away, tried to call and heard nothing a couple of the hens looked my direction for a minute and begin to peck at the ground again working there way around the field. These birds were still way out of range, but I just sat at the base of the tree and watched them for over 15 – 20 minutes and then out came two big old toms. They entered the field the same place the hens did, which was way out of range. Bummer now they are hened up and will not respond to my calls not good. I sat and watch them strut around the group of hens back and forth back and forth. Then suddenly a bald eagle flew right above the tree tops and circled real low above the group of turkeys driving them all crazy, Toms were gobbling like crazy and the turkeys were running away from the eagle. I have never seen anything like that before. But was watching this all unfold and was like NOW is my chance. I got back down into the woods and walked very fast down to the area that the birds had been working back and forth back and forth prior to the eagle scaring them away. Sat and waited about 10 mins hoping that they would come back and sure enough here they come. But this time there were 5 jakes coming over the hill in the field, 13 hens, and 3 toms. The jakes led the way and walked within 15 yards of me, the hens were a little farther out and I looked to my right and here come a big ole tom along the edge of the field struting his way right towards my location. Seemed like eternity before he was finally in range and at 8:15 am the 26.25 lb, 10.5″ in beard and 1″ spurs went down.

took my friend and his boy (dylan) out for the wis youth hunt sat was a bust with wind and snow but sun was awesome after playing cat and mouse with 5 different toms this guy made the mistake of trying you skirt my b-mobile decoy and wandered 12 yards from the double bull where dylan folded him like a napkin after high 5’s and a hug it was picture time and another turkey hunter is hooked for life bird weighed in at 21lbs had 3/4 inch spurs and a 9 inch split beard

My MN Tom (not eligible to win) – 22 lbs., 10 inch beard, 1 inch spurs. Here the report.

WI turkey – 25 lbs, 1″ spurs, 11″ beard! Harvested 04/23/08

My brothers bird the day after I got mine! Weather was a bit different I would say! Dan’s bird was 23#, 9 1/2″ beard and 1 1/4 spurs!

Both Birds were taken 5/01 in SE Minn. about an hour apart.
My daughters bird was 26 1/2 lbs. with a 9″ Beard.
My sons bird was 24 lbs. with a 10″ Beard.
This is my daughters 4th bird & my sons 1st.
A very exciting morning in the Turkey blind for all.

This is my wife’s (Stacey) Tom she shot this year….22lbs with 10inch beard and 1 inch spurs…

dave and his montana merriam had to put the super sneek on the whole flock but pulled it off

jeff and his montana merriam this one came in with mine but we couldnt pull off the double but about an houtr later he came back this photo is prob in bad taste but i couldnt pass up the pattern in the pine needles and the feathers

another pic of me and my merriam

my wife (loris) tom from wed 5-7-08 we got to the cabin tues night my parents cabin (home) now sits on a ridge ovrlooking the creek bottom with a nice green field right below where we have the blind tues night in the pouring rain there were 3 toms and 9 hens within 50 yards of the blind for 2 hours then they worked theyre way up the ridge and roosted right out our bedroom window after a short sleepless night we were in the blind 515 was the 1st gobble then 530 the parade started with 2 hens landing in fornt of us and 2 almost on top of us of course the toms went up the ridge but with a little calling they were on there way y now we have 6 hens in front of us then 3 decide to go up the ridge to meet the toms only to pass by each other toms coming down to us hens kept going up the hill better to be lucky than good i guess they hit the bottom and all 3 gobbled in our faces went left and got to about 30 yards and i told lori to shoot the middle one (the strutter) and she promptly folded him like a napkin they i tried for the double but to no avail her turkey weighed in at 22lbs and had 1 1/16 spurs and a 9.75 inch beard

my tom from fri 5-9-08 same blind as the mrs and still covered up with hens but i guess that isnt a bad thing as sooner or later they will bring a tom in and they did watched the hens for about 15 minutes and listened to the tom strut behind me for a bout 5 minutes was driving me nuts pfffftt vroooooooom i do love that sound finnally came out at 18 yards and it was all over he weighed in at 22 lbs only had 1 1 inch spur and a 10.5 inch beard

Here’s Tina’s WI tom. 21 lbs. 10oz., 10 inch beard and 7/8 inch spurs.

Here’s my WI 5th season tom (not elgible to win). 19 lbs. 2 oz., 10 inch beard and 7/8 inch spurs.

Here’s DeWayne’s WI tom. 20 lbs. 2 oz., 9.5 inch beard and 7/8 inch spurs.

Here’s my WI bow tom (not eligible to win). 22 lbs 14 oz., 9 inch beard, one inch spurs.

Here’s Dan (along with his father) and his very first tom. 22 lbs. 8 oz., 10 3/4 inch beard, 1 inch spurs.

Last Turkey Season in WI – Jake!

CLICK HERE to see the winners of the 2008 IN-DEPTH OUTDOORS TURKEY PHOTO CONTEST.