Long story so if you just want to look at the stats, jump to the bottom.
Here's how it went down...my wife and I went out after church this afternoon (we had what I call "church-eat-church"...morning services, fellowship meal and then a 1:00 p.m. service). We got in the woods around 3:30 p.m. and walked a ways to a spot on a ridge in timber that I thought they would be passing by on their way to roost. It was very windy and we couldn't hear a thing, and since there seemed to be no action there we got up to go check a field close to the truck and leave if there was nothing doing there. We slowly made our way to the field and I was able to glass and confirm that no birds were in the field. I was calling a little every 75-100 steps (what JW called trolling...thanks for that tip!) and did this again after I was sure nothing was in the field. Good gobble! So we ran and set up on the tree line on the opposite side of the field from where the gobble came from. No gobbles for a little bit after we sat down there. Then there was another gobble, but a ways away, so we ran to the other side of the field, where to strips of grass go down a hill out of the field. We went to the corner of the strip on the right side of the field, sat down and called. He gobbled, pretty close, but on the left side. So, we got up again, ran to the corner of the strip on the left side, sat down, called and now he gobbled from the right side. I was afraid we'd spook him if we moved, but knew we had to in order to get a better range shot on him if he came into the field from that strip of grass. So, we moved to the right side again. We got sat down, I called again and of course, he gobbled from the left side. My nerves were going pretty good at this point because I knew he was close. Wanted to get a little closer to the left side so we crept to around halfway between the two sides and sat down in the edge of the brush. We hadn't sat down more than 30 seconds when he emerges from the strip on the left side, head raised, but you know there had to be a thorn bush in line with his head/neck. If he would only take one more step he would be completely in the clear. He refused to take that step though, and was looking right at us. He knew something was up, but I don't think he knew what we were...concealed pretty well. I moved ever so slightly to make sure I was lined up on his head (couldn't tell because of the thorns) and when I did he lowered his head just a bit. I knew he was about to be gone so I squeezed the trigger. He dropped like a hammer! 36 steps, and dead as a doornail!
23.8 pounds, 10 3/8 beard, 1 3/8 spurs on both sides. Attached Thumbnails
Another one down in my first season!
