My bird scores a 55, but was near a 0 yesterday. Story in nut shell.
Go up Tuesday to my friends deer/turkey lease and stay the night get up on 3.5 hrs sleep and head to blind. Birds are gobbling brains out everywhere. My friend is a professional video/photojournalist and wanted to film the hunt and I was good with that! We got some great stock or hens and deer smelling the dekes lol. We also have sandhill cranes in his area of far north Indiana. BTW we actually have swamps in Indiana...been here all my life, these were real swamps sans gators.
Strike out in morning. Have two birds gobbling I can't get to due to the swamp and water- Indianas 3rd wettest April ever has water deep still. Afternoon same but the area I can get to that is raised near roost site has gobbler. Chad tells me that he isn't carrying gear through swamp lol and tries to get a bird at blind. I head off to run and gun a bit. As I approach the island bump a hen on the edge of water. Didn't alarm her she just walked off to left. I heard the gobble and tried to do what ALL hunters to stretch the inch he gives us to the foot. I see him craning and he walks off. I decided to stay put quietly for the next hour. Those birds I can't get to are 75-100yds directly behind me, but chest deep water and mud between us.
I wait and start calling. After 1/2 hour I hear a ton of noise and slowing turn head to right- 5 long beards walk out of swamp. One has the widest beard I have ever seen about 2 1/2- 3" across the front and he is who I want. Obviously I am in a bad spot with them in my back, but i figure that they would walk around to the deke I had or they'd walk to where they were roosting. They didn't. One got spooky and started to putt and the others started to get the same way. I knew my only play was a stand spin and try and shoot. I was on a knee when they walked up as my leg had been asleep. I stood and spun- birds started exploding off the ground- 4 got airborne and #5 didn't. The big boy was the first off. I tried to follow him, but too fast, so I dropped the 2y/o.
When Chad gets the total video package done I'll link it to you guys. He didn't catch the shot on film, but it was a great day!