To achieve the "Super Slam" one must harvest a turkey in all of the United States. Note that Alaska is not included because it does not have a huntable population of wild turkeys.
This album documents my journey to achieve a Super Slam.
Album by Magdump. Photos by Me and friends. 1 - 35 of 35 Total. 2075 Visits.
1 New York - 2024
Second trip to Turkey Trot Acres did the trick! This place is really a special gem and I was glad to have to come back. Last year had 4 jakes come within 5 yards the first morning then nothing with a beard got close the rest of the trip.
This year, got it done on the first day at about 11:20 am.
Yet again, the birds simply would not play the game and come to calling. I had to resort to a super exciting reaping ambush with the Savage Model 301 .410 and Federal #9 TSS. May 14th, 2024.
28 States to go!
2 New York - 2024
Photo 2 of 2.
As far as why no pictures from last year, well simply put, the turkeys kicked my ass last year. I attempted Delaware, New York and Connecticut and also hunted New Hampshire. It did not go well.
Delaware was a ghost town, 2 long drive trips and no birds at all anyway nearby.
CT and NH, well I learned the hard way that Rage Xtreme Turkey broadheads bounce off turkeys UNLESS you have a head-on shot. Those unsharpened hooks grab quills and stop the arrow. The shitty design cost me dearly. I ground off the hooks and they should work fine now. Not bowhunting for turkeys again until I move to Colorado.
3 Idaho - 2024
The birds in Idaho refused to come to calls also on this trip. Washington was the same way, 3 hours West. Tried multiple set-ups and they would talk to you but would not come in.
Very exciting way to check Idaho off the list. Another ambush with the Savage Model 301 .410 and Remington #9 TSS. Stunningly beautiful steep mountains! May 3rd, 2024.
29 States to go!
4 Washington - 2024
Photo 1 of 2.
Chasing non-responsive birds up and down steep canyons all morning. Managed to ambush this one with the .410 and Remington #9 TSS. Very beautiful country! May 2nd, 2024.
30 States to go!
5 Washington - 2024
Photo 2 of 2.
Endless rolling mountainous fields of bluegrass.
Did Idaho and Washington in one trip.
6 Vermont - 2022
Photo 1 of 2.
Very exciting hunt! We had a close call with a trio of 2 year olds the day before but could not get them to come close enough.
Next day, they appeared again and they got to about 5 yards away before busting us, I made a quick shot as they were on the move getting out of there. About 25 yards. Used a single shot .410 with Federal TSS #9.
Note: I attempted Connecticut on this trip and could have crossed the state off with a Jake but Riott and I will come back and try again next year when that gang of 4 jakes are 2 year olds!
31 States to go!
7 Vermont - 2022
Photo 2 of 2.
I opted for TSS instead of lead shot on this second day because we were in a field set up, sitting against a small group of hemlocks in the middle of the field, and shots longer than 25 yards might have been required. Also, getting close to birds was very tough the day before and I wanted a bit more insurance that I could close the deal out to 40 yards if needed. I also did not want to have to repeat this state. So I opted for the "nuclear" .410 load.
8 Florida - 2022
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Photo 1 of 2.
Shawn and I flew down to Florida for a cast and blast trip and it was great fun though the gobblers were not cooperative until the last day. Unfortunately, was not much turkey hunting involved for this one. It was just exploiting dumb luck. Right next to us, he hopped a fence from the woods in back of us and was headed to other birds feeding 140 yards away. He ignored our decoys and our calling. I popped him in the head as he was making fast ground toward them.
3 year old or older Osceola.
32 States to go!
9 Florida - 2022
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Photo 2 of 2.
Thanks to all the skeet I shoot during the summer, making the moving shot on the fast walking bird was easy and instinctive at about 25 yards. I used a .410 single shot my wife won at a NWTF event last summer. The load was .410 Winchester Double X, Diamond Grade, lead shot 7 1/2, 3/4 oz. My testing indicates it is far and away the best lead load for .410.
TSS is great but it breaks your teeth without warning. With this gun/load, they MUST be within 25 yards. Going forward, this will be my go to if I cannot use archery gear.
10 Kentucky - 2021
Friday, April 23, 2021
Was a very challenging trip for the first two days. Cold and wet snow and no beards seen on Day 1. Day 2, saw lots of hens but no Gobblers seen. Day 3, the birds were very vocal and wanted to play the game. This 2 year old walked in not long after fly down. Used a box call at first and switched to peg and pot call. He liked both of them.
.410 Contender, Federal #9 TSS.
33 States to go!
11 Nebraska - 2021
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Tons of birds came into this huge green crop field at fly down first thing. Eventually, two gobblers ran just a few feet in back of the blind, one kept going and the other, this one, came into the decoys.
My second archery gobbler. Head shot with Magnus Bullhead broadhead at about 10 yards.
34 States to go!
12 Kansas - 2021
Monday, April 12, 2021
My first archery gobbler! Was super windy on the prairie and at about 10:45 am, saw my first gobbler of the day. He would talk to me with my mouth call, but kept going. When I switched to my box call however, he really liked that, responded hard and came right in to the single hen decoy.
Head shot with Magnus Bullhead broadhead at about 20 yards.
35 States to go!
13 Pennsylvania - 2020
Saturday, May 2, 2020
My Vermont turkey trip planned since December was cancelled due to the virus crazyness so I tried last minute to try PA once again. If only I could find a place to go-had bad luck on public land up there the last two years.
Luckily, my friend Kevin Morgan, a professional waterfowl guide, had access to a parcel of farm land by a small river in Mercersburg PA and he invited me up as it offered at least a chance of seeing a bird.
We set up by the river and only heard gobbles at sunrise way on the other side of the river, but had a hen roosted right above us so that was cool. Kevin had to head back at 9:30 and I stayed to hunt every minute until the noon deadline.
I relocated uphill a bit and a little after 10 am heard the first gobble of the day on our side of the river!
Took about 30 minutes to call him in through the forest. He took his sweet time but was fairly vocal at times.
Done for the year and 36 states to go!
14 North Carolina - 2020
Saturday, April 11, 2020
A very very exciting hunt that had me doing the post-shot adrenaline shakes for about two minutes!
Don and I were set up in a thick river bottom roosting area that was loaded with fresh sign. We had set up at the edge of a large stream, with steep and tall banks, tucked into the thick branches of a beech that had fallen from the bank erosion into the sort-of clearing.
After briefly working some birds who we could not pull in, this guy responded from the other side of the stream and when i heard his wings go, i knew he was crossing over to our side!
He walked past us at 7 yards if that, going into and out of strut as he approached the jake decoy. We were both guns up and ready but when Don kept not shooting, when the gobbler stuck his head around a tree to stare at us, i knew it was now or never.
A big long beard 3 year old with long, sharp, curved spurs.
.410 Contender, Federal #9 TSS.
37 states to go!
15 Hawaii - 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020.
This amazing hunt was part of a week of pure vacation perfection.
Having set up near a roost tree that was simply packed with hot gobblers, we had two longbeards attack the jake decoy when it was still so dark you could just barely start to see color.
I used my little T/C Contenter .410 and dropped mine first. John's bird then attacked my bird, and then the decoy again before John dropped the hammer.
The hunt was over almost before it started but it left us with maximum time for hiking and snorkeling!
That week was like I imagine Heaven would be like for a turkey hunter.
It pounded rain the night before so the birds were still soaking wet.
.410 Contender, Federal #9 TSS. 38 States to go!
16 RHODE ISLAND - 2019
Sunday, April 28, 2019.
This was the second gobbler of the Rhode Island trip.
Lots more running and gunning. We heard him, drove to see if we could find him, did so, quickly went back to where we heard him and hiked fast to get in front of him. Set up and he came right in, gobbling hard all the way!
I shot two birds on this trip but decided that going forward, will kill only one bird per state. Want to achieve the goal of a gobbler in all the states but now want to do it killing the fewest number of birds possible.
17 RHODE ISLAND - 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019.
I got 2 gobblers on this trip, and this one was the first. Running and gunning in the high wind! Several gobblers came slowly in the woods next to a retired landfill. This was one of them!
39 States left to go!
18 MARYLAND - 2019
Our Maryland opening day birds. Kenny and I hunted a golf course he cuts grass for. Kenny's bird came to calling and decoys at about 7:30 and mine came in about two hours later.
Both birds came in slowly and silent. No gobbles heard all day. They crept in, strutting, pausing, then taking a couple steps and repeat.
I used my little .410 Contender single shot.
19 MARYLAND - 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2019.
Only 40 states to go!
Opening day, Maryland is crossed off the list!
Big gobbler, 3 years old based on his spurs.
Eastern subspecies.
Frederick County, MD
20 TEXAS - 2019
Saturday, April 16, 2019.
Only 41 states to go!
Opening day, Texas is crossed off the list!
Big gobbler, at least 3 years old. Nice long, pointy and curved spurs.
Rio Grande subspecies.
I used my little .410 Contender single shot.
21 NEW HAMPSHIRE - 2018
John and I hunted HARD for two days and only saw hens each time. Late in the morning on the third (and last) day, these two jakes walked in to check out the decoys, gobbling loudly from time to time.
A hard earned double on a pair of New Hampshire jakes.
Used my Browning Ultimate Turkey 24" 12 gauge over/under for this bird.
22 MASSACHUSETTS - 2018
Used my Browning Ultimate Turkey 24" 12 gauge over/under for this bird.
23 MASSACHUSETTS - 2018
Looks just like the DSD jake decoy!
24 MASSACHUSETTS - 2018
Here is exactly where he fell. What an exciting hunt! Last day of the hunt and gobblers were hammering all around but I was just "covered up" in jakes. Called in a hen and jake to the decoys a few minutes prior but no beard visible on the jake.
Then a gang of 5 jakes ran in and attacked the jake decoy. I picked the one with the largest beard and dropped him at 20 yards. His 4 buddies stood around at 20 yards for 10 minutes putting in alarm before they finally wandered away. Massachussetts is checked off the list!
25 WEST VIRGINIA - 2018
April 20, 2018: West Virginia is crossed off the list! On public land (Sleepy Creek WMA) on top of a mountain. We doubled after chasing a flock down a mountain and then back up to the top. They crested and came right to us.
Eastern subspecies.
Used my Browning Ultimate Turkey 24" 12 gauge over/under for this bird.
My mentor Jeff got the other bird from the same flock a couple moments after I dropped mine.
26 VIRGINIA - 2018
27 VIRGINIA - 2018
Virginia Gobbler taken very very early on Sunday, April 15, 2017. By dumb luck, I had set up almost directly under his roost tree that morning and at flydown time, he fluttered down to the ground and strutted in to fight with my jake decoy. One shot at 29 paces with Contender .410 21" barrel. Federal .410 TSS 3" #9 was the load. My biggest/oldest bird yet!
28 WYOMING - 2017
Merriam's Gobbler from my Wyoming 2017 muley/pronghorn trip.
29 OHIO - 2017
Another view of the second bird of the trip.
My last bird using the Benelli M4. Moved on to other shotguns for the job because it is illegal (they consider it an "assault shotgun" and whatnot) in some states. I certainly used it to assault some gobblers!
30 OHIO - 2017
May 1, 2017: This was my second gobbler taken on Monday morning, the day I had to drive home. The hunt was deep in the woods on top of a ridge and he gobbled on roost about 150 yards away and shortly after daylight we were able to get him 20 yards away in the decoys. He was a great 3 year old bird. His 8 inch beard would have been longer but took a beating from the shotgun pellets which cut off quite a bit of length.
31 OHIO - 2017
Another view of the double bearded bird. This was a field bird.
32 OHIO - 2017
A close-up of his two beards.
33 OHIO - 2017
April 30, 2017: Now I have Ohio checked off the list of states hunted! Got 2 gobblers on this amazing trip. This one, the first one had TWO ten+ inch beards (10 1/2" and 10 1/4") and SIX spurs total! He had tiny additional spurs above and below his main spurs.
This was my second gobbler ever!
22.6 pounds. He scored 93.5 inches or points or whatever it is in the trophy scoring system.
34 MAINE - 2015
Who says evil black "assault weapons" have no sporting purpose?
The Benelli M4 combat shotgun seems to me to be the perfect spring turkey hunting shotgun.
35 MAINE - 2015
May 7, 2015
My first gobbler! I was hooked after this point! Thanks to my blood brother Shawn who showed me the way! 50 - 55 yard shot with Benelli M4 shotgun running a HEVI-Shot choke and HEVI-Shot Magnum Blend turkey loads which are 2 ounces of #5, #6, and #7 mixed in one shell. Kicks like hell but gets the job done even at extreme ranges.
