Today was a crazy day of turkey hunting. After the misfire on opening day, my goal was to get my nephew another chance at a longbeard. We arrived at our spot at 5:15 after a 2 hour drive from the Outer Banks. We loaded our stuff and headed towards an area where I wanted to hunt and on our walk in a tom sounded off right where I had wanted to walk through! Thank God that he gobbled so early to let us know where he was otherwise we would have surely busted him off the roost. We ducked into the field to our right, used the overgrown ditch bank as cover, and after some time, found a decent place to jump the v-ditch. We eased into the field edge and pushed as close as I felt comfortable. We weren’t set up too long when the tom came into the field, probably about 6:15 or so. He started towards us but was headed off by hens. For the next 2 hours he spent more time in strut then not but never got any closer than 125 yards. With his gobbling, he had attracted a nice harem of hens. They worked to our left out of sight and after about 10 minutes or so, I eased through the brush to check to see if they had moved into the field we had eased through first thing. Nothing. Eased back to my nephew and finally figured they had just gotten behind a slight bend in the field edge we couldn’t see. While he and his now harem of 4 were out of sight, we were able ease maybe 30 yards closer but that was it. He was still strutting almost constantly. Over the next hour and 45 minutes, the birds worked back across the field and were looking like they were going to leave the field to the north. I actually hoped they would so we could make a move on them. They slowly turned like they were going to maybe work our way but in no hurry. Then about 10:30ish the craziness began. Out of nowhere I spied a bird that I quickly could see was a tom coming into the field from the north. He was accompanied by a running mate. Their heads turned burning white as they rounded the edge of the field and headed towards the tom and his remaining hens. The tom we had watched all morning began sprinting towards us with the hens about 40-50 yards behind him and the two challengers about the same distance behind the hens. It didn’t take long and our long watched tom was standing 40 yards away in strut. I didn’t feel great about my nephew shooting at this bird with his 20 gauge and the two challengers were closing on a path that would bring them closer to us. It was all coming together, the 2 challengers were just about to where I was going to tell my nephew to shoot when it all changed in a flash! The first tom charged the 2 challengers and they started chasing each other in circles and within seconds he chased them to the east and out of sight in the brush! He was heartbroken as was I. I was wishing I had switched guns and let him get the single tom with my 12. A hen was left and I tried to pull her across the field with no dice. She melted into the brush too. I told my nephew that we would give it 5 minutes and try to see if they were in the field to the east. Time crawled. After 5 minutes I explained this was an all or nothing gamble because if we bust them, it’ll all be over. I gave him the option and he said go. Across the field we went. There was no way to quietly jump the v-ditch so I waded it, up to my knees in the water after last night’s rain. I crawled through the briars and eased my head out like a bear. No birds close. Further scanning confirmed that they were gone. Dejected I waded back to my nephew, who I had left on the dry side, and we started to ease back out. He said, “Uncle Brian, I think I see a hen up the field, come here.” I get to him, throw the binocs up and to my surprise here comes a tom hustling down the field, not spooked, but on a mission. His running buddy appeared working the brush edge that we were concealed within. They were after my jake decoy we had left out! I quickly called my nephew into the best position we would have. The farther tom quickly closed to about 30 yards and I had a shot but he said he didn’t. He was getting first crack. I had lost site of the second tom when all of the sudden there he was, 4 yards in front of me!! He knew something wasn’t right, his head changed colors, and he quickly walked to our 10 o’clock position which was a bad move. I told my nephew to “Shoot him, shoot him, shoot him” BOOOM. First one down at 10 yards! The second one ran about 10 yards, paused, and I dumped him at 41 yards! Our second public land double and his third tom, all public land birds!! This was definitely a day of highs and lows and I am so thankful that it all worked out. We punched tags with the spurs (new tradition started opening day) and were just ecstatic! I was glad after the opening day debacle that it all worked out! On another note, there was a pretty graphic first too. A portion of the shot cup from my nephew was buried deep in his bird’s head!

Final stats – Nephew’s bird – 18 lbs 8 oz 10.5” beard 1 3/8” and 1 1/4” dagger spurs
Mine – 18 lbs 12 oz 10 1/8” beard 1 3/16” and 1 1/8” spurs