WOW ! What a season ! and to end it on the note that I did.
This morning we sat on a hill side above the area we hunted yesterday and I started with a Coyote howl from the mouth call and even the darkness in the morning 2 gobbles rang out way down in a hollow. A few mintues later and a crow called and a gobbler on our level rang out and Jim and I headed right to him.
As you walk into the setup the dark leaves on the trees hid the movement and we got setup on the gobbling bird. I could hear a hen clucking to my left across a 40 yard wide field and it was about 60 yards above the gobbler. I started with some soft clucks and Nope he would not answer. I sat for a minute or so and tried them again and Nope. After about 5 minutes I tried a flydown flap with my hat with no calling and Nope not a peep other then a gobbler gobbling his fool, head off across a creek bed and on the property we can still hunt
Now the bird we are working, If a crow called he would gobble, so it was not looking good. Then the hen went silent and soon after I hear the big boy flydown and off he goes the other way.
Jim tried to back off and call but that still never fooled him.
We decided to leave him and maybe go work the bird that we could hear across the creek so off we went to the car and drove over to the other side. (
Keep in mind Jim had a heart attack this past March so walking is not good for him at this point )
We park the car and walk down a field edge where I have killed a few gobblers in the past and at the end of the field I even have a tree that I setup on and can watch the woods and field at the sametime. As I arrive I call with the mouth call and a few seconds later we hear the
GOOBBBBLLLLLEEEEEEE over the ridge down near the creek. We put down the bobbling head and move fast to the tree and setup. I am at my tree and Jim sits down about 20 yards away behind me and I softly yelp and Bingo he answers. Jim pulls a slate out and starts to yelp and goobbbllleeeee once again. He's coming so I raise the gun, lower the glasses
and sit as everything goes quiet for a few seconds. About 4 minutes goes by and I see the big fan coming over the ridge only 40 yards out. I ready myself and wait for him to work closer. He struts and looks out for the hen and stays in perfect fan. At 30 yards Jim decides to give him a cluck to raise his head and the bird turns funny, drops down looks and starts to move rather fast towards the creek bottom where he came.
The 20 gauge fastly takes mark and Bang ! Down he goes!
After the hunt we clean the bird in which I find lead shot in the hind end of the breast and by looking at the bird it looks like some Dumb a$$ tried to roost shoot this bird this season. If you look at the right center of the tail it has clean cuts in the feathers and the beard is half shot off >
. My shot was Hevi shot and when I made the shot I could only see the head at the point of the trigger sqeeze , so it was not my shot.
Anyways this was the first bird Jim helped call in , with all the years we have hunted , Thanks Bud
# 5 this spring
16 Lb
9 inch beard
3/4 matching spurs
The beard up close
