Well my hunt yesterday got a rough start. Got up 2 AM and drove 3 hours to get caught in a cloudburst as I was driving up the wrong parking area. Slid down the steep mud trail and into a fresh plowed field. Jeep slid sideways 100' until gripping just enough grass edge to pull back onto trail. Sat there an hour until water ran off enough to make a run up the slope and get back on the main road. Found parking area I'd located on Google Earth. I'd never hunted this property, so used Google to ID 3 good prospect spots.
So late start but at least I wasn't stranded. I bumped a total of 14 birds hiking in a mile. Set up and in 30 minutes had a bearded hen filter in at 150 yards. Then I glassed a mature tom 1/4 mile away. I tried calling but doubt he heard me! 30 minutes later there he is topping a hill to my right eyeballing my Zink Avian feeding hen decoy. He gobbled 8 times and strutted on/off for 45 minutes but hung up at ~60 yards. Looked bad. I thought he'd be lured off by the bearded hen who'd returned, but then a hen showed up from behind him, ignored his struts and she walks right to my deke. The gobbler got pissed and promptly followed her to my decoy. He would not stop but I had a good bead and took him from 35 yards. Only 2 pellets in the breast. I've never shot a tom with 2 beards, but this guy had 4. This was a really cool hunt. Got to glass my tom a lot before my shot. First tom in 3 years. Thanks, hen!
Not sure what score procedure is. I read the captain must submit? Anyway here's the damage:
Eastern
Weight: 22.5#
Spurs: 1 1/16" & 1/2" (deformed)
Beard 1: 10"
Beard 2: 6"
Beard 3: 5 1/2"
Beard 4: 2"
I didn't see a place to enter multiple beards in the instructions. If I add them up the total score would be 85.125.
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0170.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0181.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0172.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0316.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0201.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0191.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0199.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/...y/DSCN0198.jpg
I got a few other tags so I'm still hunting.
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