hey sorry it took me so long to get back online. Well yesterday morning my father and I went out and for the second morning in a row heard almost no gobbling, a couple off the roost but that was it. So we went to the top of this one ridge where the birds like to go, spread out, set up and started cold calling. We hadn't had any responses so I was just relaxing enjoying the morning when some movement caught my eye. Through the trees I see this red head bobbing into my view, when he got behind a tree i got the gun up and got a good look at him. Right away I could tell he was a jake but decided what the hell, if he gets in range I'll take him. Well as luck would have it he walked right into the open, got on his tip toes and stretched his neck out like he was posing for one of those patterning targets, but he was just a little farther then I would have liked. I gave a few clucks on my mouth call but it was pretty open there so he could see there was no hen and kept walking, luckily in my father's direction. He got just out of sight and I was listening, expecting to hear my father's shotgun at any second. Much to my surprise I didn't hear a BOOM, instead I heard that all too familier putting of an alarmed bird. Moments later here comes the jake running at about Mach 2 right past me, but this time at about half the distance he was earlier. Well all those years rabbit hunting behind beagles served me well because without thinking I shouldered my shotgun, swung on him and rolled him just as he was about to take off haha. unfortunately the batteries on my camera died so I only got a cell phone picture of him in the field and then a couple pictures of his beard and spurs after the fact.
