What a beautiful morning, after all I was in a ground blind hunting turkeys in NC and not at work in PA climbing poles.
Walking in they were gobbling already. We got set up well before they hit the ground and from that time on until I pulled the trigger of the release we never went a 1/2 hour without hearing a gobbler. The first sighting we hear walking behind the blind and then a cluck, 3 hens skirt us to our left.
The next sighting was when Jeff spotted the turkeys, hens and strutters about 150 yards away out in the field adjacent the woodlot. We periodically talked to them, got responses and waited.
Don't remember what time it was after talking to hens, talking to gobblers that 3 walked up through the woods about 60 yards out. They wouldn't commit to the setup. They gobbled on up and away from us in the woods.
Later we hear more walking and behind us a hen, jake and long beard walked by about 22 yards. By the time we heard them, they walked by on the wrong side of the blind.
That was enough for us, we sound checked the birds, looked around and repositioned the blind the other way.
Shortly we got a response. Waited, hit them again and another response. Moments later here they come. Jeff's glassing them and says longbeard. 2 Longbeards come up just behind a deadfall. I said if he continues behind that deadfall it's going to be a problem. Sure enough, me at full draw, Jeff says he has in in the camera but he's blocked by the deadfall and just like a gobbler will do, he walked right up the hill behind that deadfall.
The second one in tow. The first one needed to clear some trees, 25 yards shot and I don't know how but the second one busted us or didn't like something. They both started putting. The second moved away and up the hill, the first one still not knowing what was going on came out from behind the tree, I asked Jeff, "got him", yes shoot him. As I the release left go, the bird stepped and turn and the impact of the arrow sounded perfect. I was at full draw for eternity and was just about to let down when he came clear. Feathers everywhere, he stood as I tried to knock another arrow all the while shaking and Jeff saying I got him, hurry up shoot again. Just as I came to full draw, there was no shot.
Jeff said he stood there and shook and we honestly thought it was done. Those 2 walked off suddenly followed by 6 or 7 jakes.
We decided to check the footage. The shot at first looked perfect. We played it again, still looked perfect but as we slowed it down, the arrow went slightly low as he turned and stepped. Upon finding the arrow clean, the bird was about 3 yards farther than what he appeared when he was behind that 21 yard downfall.
Oh well, we picked up an feather for keepsake, got back in the blind and of course, Jeff busted my balls for the next half hour while we listened. As you can see by his post, he's still busting my balls.
Time spent in NC, 0-1 on longbeards and not in PA not hunting....PRICELESS!
Okay, the story on 10 ten reasons:
