Both of my tags are filled, so I'm done carrying a weapon for the rest of this season, but I'll probably tag along helping a friend out who's new to turkey hunting. Here's the story.
On Thursday morning, I set up my buddy (Brad) at a spot that has held gobblers in years past -- I was 200 - 250 yards away down in a bottom. The first gobble came from a tree 75 yards to the right of Brad and he was then able to see the turkey sitting on his roost and gobbling. I was probably 140 yards away from the gobbler and gave a few tree clucks to which he gobbled back. Another one sounded a little further down the hill from Brad. We listened to 2 or 3 birds have a "gobble-fest" until fly down.
The one closest to me flew down in a direction where Brad couldn't see him. He gobbled for 10 minutes or so then went quiet as did the other gobbler(s). A shot rang out in Brad's direction soon after flydown and I thought Brad had scored (he hadn't). About 30 seconds later, I saw a big gobbler walking down the hill about 100 yards distant. He eventually disappeared behind a mass of trees. A hen too the exact same path about 5 mins later, so I figured I was toast.
About 5 minutes later I thought I spotted the top of a tail fan about 100 yards away near where the gobbler had disappeared. I look through my binoculars revealed a beautiful gobbler strutting back and forth like a carnival shooting booth duck. He had a tremendous fan and was very impressive. I couldn't call him though because his head was visible and he had a straight shot to see me I couldn't risk much more than a couple soft diaphragm yelps and clucks when his head disappeared behind his fan. He strutted there NON STOP for over 45 minutes and never broke strut!
He finally disappeared for a few minutes and then I saw a gobbler emerge from where he had disappeared and begin grooming himself ocassionally moving slightly away. I figured I didn't have anything to lose so I yelped on my diaphragm a little more aggressively. I heard an immediate gobble! I called some more and heard immediate replies to every call I made -- but it wasn't the one I could see.
I began cutting aggressively and saw the gobbler that had been strutting come around a tree and begin walking my way with a purposeful walk. He stopped only a couple times -- and just for a second or two -- to strut but then would immediately begin walking quickly my way again. At about 45 yards he started spittin' and drummin' and strutted. I was already on him and when he broke strut and started my way again I let him have a load of numer 5's. At 42 yards, he went down like a ton of bricks and never even flinched. No flop whatsoever.
He weighed 20 lbs just like my first one this week and sported a 9 1/2" beard. The spurs were slightly longer than my first and sharper. He had two very unusual and notable features. He had been impaled with a finger thick sized stick which pentrated his chest. I first thought it must have happend when he fell, but we discovered that it was stuck in there about an inch and had already healed. I really had to pull hard to get it out! The second thing was the center tail feather. It was marked like a wing feather--it was barred with white and even notched twice on each side with a sideways "V" shape making it look like precut arrow fletchings. He was really unique and will be mounted.
Brad and I were supposed to meet at 7:30am and I shot my bird at 7:29am. We checked it in and then went out the rest of the morning trying to get one for Brad. The skies opened up and we got wet but stayed anyway. We left for home early though because rain and snow is forecast for the rest of the time we had alloted.
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Today' s small bucks are tomorrow' s trophies.
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Finished on Day 4 (pics)
