Started off leaving MD at noon headed for Windsor NC to hunt at
http://www.bigdaddyoutfitters.com/with Brad Copeland and Josh Morris, 294 miles. I was about 2 miles form Brads house, saw a nice gobbler with a hen at one of Brads properties in a field. Got to Brads and we decided to give it a shot and try for the gobbler. Ended up seeing the birds about 100 yards headed away from us. Snuck thru the pines about 250 to get ahead of them and set up. Running out of daylight we set up and started to call about 80 yards in the pines on a food plot strip. Had him gobbling like crazy about 70 yards out but never came in and roosted near the edge of the field. We had 3 hens fly in and roost, one was right on top of us. Snuck out of there and got a game plan together for the morning. We discussed me using a bow in the morning but I only had the morning to hunt and decided to take the gun along as we wanted to get footage for a show on the Pursuit channel. The rest of the season will be bow only and no blind for me.
Sat morning, we got set up along the edge of a field and the intersection of food plot strip where we thought we were about 50 - 70yards from where the gobbler had roosted. We had 2 hen decoys and one strutting gobbler set out right in the intersectionThis is where things got interesting. Made an few owl calls to get a location on the gobbler, nothing, no response. We decided to stick it out and see what happened hoping he would fly down and work his way to our calls and see the deeks. As it started getting light, we kept hearing what sounded like a gobbler strutting. I was about 5 feet inside the woodline, with Brad on one camera 10 feet to my right, another cameraman behind us about 10 yards and Josh Morris calling. Josh made a few soft calls, still no no reply from the gobbler. Brad wispered to me, hes right there and pointed his finger up at a pine tree right at the intersection about 20 yards from us. I looked up and low and behold there was the gobbler roosted on a big limb in a pine tree full strut believe it or not in the tree. I coudlnt beleive it, he wasnt 15 yards from our deeks and was all worked up as he was walking all around on the limb looking at the deeks fanning up and going crazy up there except he never gobbled. I was certian we had messed up and misjudged his location and was sure he saw and heard us set up. After 10 minutes he finally flew down right towrad the deeks. I couldnt believe it!! Hecame in to the deeks and I shot him at 8 yards. He was so close my shot put a hole right thru his neck, shot didnt even get a chance to spray, held about a 2 inch pattern. We got some awesome footage that will be aired on the Pursuit channel on Team AOP Chasin show in July. This was my second trip down there to Big Daddys Outfitters and these guys have some incredible properties loaded with birds on 2500 acres and 5 different properties. All I can say is that was one adrenaline filled hunt.
Another BBD - unreal hunt
