Well after numerous outings and numerous occasions having gobblers fly out of the tree and escape to Whisper Island I finally got my bird. I've been hunting this bird basically since last tuesday, trying to get the proper set-up, actually having him gobble off the roost, etc. Well today he slipped up and came in for some nasty hen action. Too bad all he got was a #5 lead sandwhich.

[ Story is long but should be a good read :P ]

So heres the story. I've been on this bird since last tuesday. In the roost he gobbles like nobody's business but he hits the ground and you might as well go on home. A few of the days I stayed out until around 11 and didn't hear another peep from him. Today was my last day to hunt before I had to go back to working in the oil fields for the summer, so I decided to get in deep on him and take the risk of spooking him. I got in early and upon his first gobble I slipped in to about 50 yards from his position.

Since he was just around the corner from me, my movement was limited. I took one step out and set the decoy just a mere 5 feet from where I sat. I gave him three soft tree yelps on my Primos Jackpot glass call and he failed to answer. I did it again after a few minutes and a thunderous gobble acknowledged my presence. Just as he had done every other time I hunted him.

But today was different. I was close. And he was looking for love in all the wrong places. At 5:57 (I've
got photographic memory) I did a soft flydown with my hand on my leg. Soon thereafter he must have flown out. I did not hear him fly out, but within a minute or two I was hearing a mysterious vibration sound. It took two times for me to figure out; he was spitting and drumming, and he was close.

He was roosted directly in front of me, but the sound seemed to come from up the hill. I looked up hill to my left and as I turned my head back to the right, he was coming down off the hillside 20 yards ahead of me. He stopped behind a little thicket of trees, and he was yet to see my decoy. He stood motionless behind the thicket out of my sight for a few minutes so with my mouth I gave a soft cluck and purr. (I forgot my mouth calls so I reverted to calling with my mouth, he was to close to be grabbing a slate)

Soon after I purred he came out and I knew he was mine. He walked around the small corner and over the little hill and saw the decoy sitting just beside me. He eyed it down and started my way, in and out of strut, spitting and drumming. He cleared a small sapling and I knew this was my chance. He raised his head and the barrel from the Mossberg 930 exploded with #5 shot. He rolled over and barrel rolled down the hill. I went after my trophy and the rest is history.

Shot at 16 paces, which I figure was 15 yards at 6:05 am.

20 pounds, L spur 1", R spur 1.25", 9" beard.