Score One for Team Eight
Opening day in Georgia was memorable for me this past Saturday. It was a beautiful morning about 53 degrees with several birds gobbling as the sun was rising. I set up between two gobbling birds and called twice being cut off both times by the bird on my right. I called one more time with no response so I hunkered down and set up my decoys. About 7:40 four hens came out of a pine stand and started feeding about 40 yards from where I was set up. Shortly after I saw the tail feathers of a strutting gobbler come behind the hens and I heard him spit and drum. He started out at 50 yards from me constantly strutting and moving back and forth to gain the attention of the female birds. I watched him strut for about 15 minutes and shortly after 8:00 p.m. I shot him at 38 steps and watched him drop in his tracks. The Franchi I-12 shooting Winchester 3" #6's dropped him cleanly. The bird weighed 24.5 lbs and had a 12 inch beard. His spurs were 1 3/16" and 1 1/4". Like my dad said a long time ago, it is better to be lucky than good - I was very lucky and also blessed to witness a true spectacle of beauty. There is nothing like the high and satisfaction of a successful hunt.
Good luck to everyone else and I hope each of you has a memorable experience from this year's hunt.