This hunt started on the 11 when I went to a new piece of property to check it out. I saw a pair of gobblers in a old cornfield. I was the plan was to take my wife Friday afternoon and or Saturday morning to try them.
I watched them every morning that week and they would flip flop between 2 roost spots about 200 yards apart. Wednesday a third bird showed up but stayed away from the pair. So I figured I had a backup plan on a lonely gobbler.
Friday we got set up and settled in a shady spot at 445pm. Not fully trusting her to not be a wiggle worm I say her behind some green briars and have her a small window to see the decoys. At 5 a bird gobbled on his own. I looked at her and said we are going to kill this bird. She was the shooter on this hunt and she had my Rossi 410. I yelped a few times and he cut me off. Shortly after I could see him across the field coming to us, she couldn’t see him. I helped get the gun pointed in the right direction and ready to shoot. He covers 100 yards pretty quick drumming and gobbling. I began to feel my heart beat in my throat. My hands started shaking and that feeling had took over. Still not able to see the bird at 50 yards she asked me “what the hell is wrong with you?” I said just wait you will find out. At this point he is 40 yards and just freezes in full strut. I had one hen and a funky chicken out trying to take a birds mind off of the lumps sitting by the tree. After seeing them the bird turns around and walks back the same way he came still strutting. She never could see him because we were his so well.
I started cussing that dumb bird. As he walked back in the woods he turns around and runs back out as a second gobbler emerges and runs the first off. I Yelp a few times and he gobbled and starts our way with the third bird following. Got her ready again and here he comes....gets to 30 and decides he does not like the other bird following him so he chases him out into the corn....he never made it to her window.
We watched these 3 gobblers chase each other around at 75 yards till 730 and they never acknowledged we were over there. Watched them fly up in their roost spot and got a blind set up for Saturday because the woods were burnt and nothing to hide in.
Saturday morning they gobble their heads off and come in the field 200 yards away with 2 hens at 9 am. We just left them.
I then proceeded to hunt these turkeys every day except Thursday of last week. It seemed like they knew what I was gonna do before I did....no calls would work nor decoys...Friday morning he was roosted in the same place as Wednesday so I would go in early Saturday and try to get fairly close.
Walked in about 520 and it was still very dark so I just found the biggest tree I could and sat down. As it began to break daylight I herd the unmistakable, doooooooomfp, I had herd so many times from this turkey this week. I could feel it in my chest but didn’t know where it came from. As it was getting lighter I was able to see him in the tree as he kept drumming. I had sat 40 yards from his tree. He always gobbled fairly late into the morning and today wasn’t any different.
I had a small clearing in the oak flat infront of me. He was over my left shoulder and facing the opening...I was anticipating him to just pitch down into that opening and make it a easy 30 yard shot for the .410. After his last gobble he does a about face on the limb. Great he is gonna go behind me into the burnt pines. Sure enough he pitches down behind me and lands 75 yards. As he flys down I move and get my gun on him before he lands. He struts a little and is walking behind the tree I’m already leaning around one side of. He goes behind a tree and I switch sides of my tree. Still about 60 but getting closer a hen flys down behind me and pulled him in on a string....when he got to 30 that heart beat was back in my throat and I killed my #70.
I have never hunted particular birds this much until this year...like Tom Kelly said “I don’t care how much you’ve done it or how good you are at it, one of those birds is going to make you look real dumb,” he said. “If you get too much confidence, he’s going to break your neck with it”. This bird put it on me several times and I would do it again tomorrow if I could.
Sorry for the long read
11” beard
1 5/16” spur
18 ish lbs
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