Opening day was this past Friday here in LA, so like many, I ventured out into the woods, well before daylight with hopes of walking out with a bird slung over my shoulder. I have done this many times over the past 4 years, since I began turkey hunting, but not yet have I had the euphoric experience of carrying a grand gobbler out of the spring woods. I have had mishap after mishap, or just plain bad luck every season thus far. Well my friends, my luck turned for the better this Friday morning.
Here's the story (I have provided you all with a long version and a short version):
Long Verson
As soon as I turned the 4-wheeler off on top of the big hill over looking the creek bottom, almost a quarter mile away, I could hear the gobblers souding off. It was well before daylight, but it was a crystal clear morning with a bright full moon. I quickly hurried myself down the pipeline towards the roosted gobblers. I could tell that there were atleast 2 of them. As I moved closer, I could tell that they were roosted over the first creek that crosses the pipeline. An old food plot was directly adjacent to this creek. When I came to the food plot, I tried to set up against a tree, but there was a 10 foot gap between the start of the food plot and the tree line. This gap was full of briars and waist high grass. So, I tried to move, but was busted by one of the gobblers. As I watched him spook off the roost, beard swinging in the air, it felt like I had just been sucker punched in the gut. Just when I was about to throw my hat in disgust and throw a hissy, the other gobbler sounded off.
Jubilation! I quickly sat down in the tall grass, without a tree to my back. I called to him about 5 times, he answered each time. After about 10 minutes, I seen him flying down the creek headed in my direction. I silently pleaded with him to land on my side of the creek and he politely obliged. He landed to my extreme right. Directly opposite to where my gun was pointed and behind waist high grass. A hen immediatly proceeded him into the food plot. As he stood still, strutting in the same spot, the hen began actively searching for me. When she got within 10 ft of me, she realized that the big blob in the grass wasn't supposed to be there. She began putting and walking away. The gobbler turned and starting following her back into the woods. I had to make my move. When he turned, I turned my gun and got upon my knees in a single motion. DEAD BIRD!
Short Verson
I set up on a gobbler roosted over a creek. He flew right to me off of the roost. I shot him. DEAD BIRD!
The whole hunt lasted no more than 20 minutes. I feel as though I deserved this nice, easy, perfect hunt after 4 years of heartache. It feels incredible to finally "get the monkey off my back".
To top it all off, when I got home, my buddy (MaxPowers) called and said that his wife, Jamie, had killed her first bird also.
I was a good morning indeed.
Mine and Jamie's bird. (Note the difference between a nice dry piney woods gobbler and my swamp gobbler.)
Oh yeah....ANOTHER ONE FOR TEAM GALLAPOVA AMORE!!
2 LA birds down!
