I do not know about serious skill. but I do take it extremely serious and have been a factor in the demise of pushin 200 turkeys. I would rather turkey hunt than deer hunt and I am already putting in time checking out deer in the evenings and got plans to set 10 or so cams for deer right after turkey season is over. I live to hunt and hunt to live. now with that being said I did get a little lucky on this bird.

I was at a pull off at first light and nothing gobbled so I drove about a half mile and stopped again. after 5 minutes it was time to move on. well 3rd spot was the charm. I headed in up over a finger ridge. as I was climbing I heard a bird way off behind me. got to the top and he gobbled but was still a ways off so I dropped into a drainage and up the other side. still gobbling. I got to about 150 yards and set up. I called and nothing. crap! called again and nothing. so I sat still waiting for him to show. because surly he was coming silent. after about 20 minutes a crow sounded off and he gobbled. still in the same spot. great a stubourn bird! so he went back to gobbling every few minutes on his own and I went into kill mode. backed out and circled him. come in above him. he gobbled at about 125 yds down over a lip in the hill. I had 75-80 to get to that lip. my plan was get with in 25 and crawl to the edge. well I went about 10 yards and watching ahead of me. Bam! a bird just sort of materializes. I wait til he turned broadside and stuck his head down away from me to pick at something and I hit the ground. no tree just me and the forest floor. he turned back and started toward me. then Bam. there is another one. awesome. and they are working right to me! I picked out a log and if they got on my side I knew they were in range. well the first got to the log and jumped up on it. then on to my side. he was about to get a face full of 7s when he turned up hill and away. I looked at the second one through the scope and he had a thick beard so I let the first walk as the second came up on the log. he jumped off and came toward me and just like the other he turned. BOOM. "Perfect Storm" (my new gun t/c encore is named perfect storm) thundered and sent forth a 3 inch 2oz load of hevi 7s. and down went a great bird and my best of the year. 44 steps. he is a small bird in weight at 16lb 9oz, 10.5 inch beard, 1 1/8 and 1 3/16 inch spurs and man are they thick.

the whole time they were coming they never gobbled again.