Originally Posted by donw

I've been hunting both Spring and Fall for several years and have only harvested a couple of hens and a jake--all in the Fall. I've come close a time or two, but have previously failed to connect with a tom in the Spring. Yesterday, the second day of the last season, my luck changed. First morning, we heard a tom going at it almost right behind camp. But after calling to him with my glass pot call for a while, he shut up. My buddy and I trapesed around the woods all morning calling and hearing nothing. Then yesterday, I decided to ditch the pot call and try my ghost cut mouth call that I'd been trying hard to master. I'd never felt confident with the mouth call (although I'd been trying for a few years). This year, I felt like I was ready, and apparently the tom did, too. About 7:00 I leaned my ML shotgun against a tree, plopped myself in front of the tree, and started calling timidly. To my surprise, a gobbler replied immediately. I got serious, and grabbed my gun and pointed it in his direction (probably over 100 yards away). I kept calling, giving clucks and yelps that verged on kee kees. He kept on gobbling. Soon, I saw him cross an opening quite far away. I kept calling, using mostly clucks, as to not accidently make a weird sounding yelp. After loosing sight of him behind some trees, I looked over to my right and saw something red beside a tree. I thought, "that's got to be his head"! He walked further right behind the tree, and I used that opportunity to move my shotgun toward him. When he cleared the tree (at maybe 45 yards), I pulled the trigger and he went down. Quite a heavy tom with a 8" beard.
CVA Optima Pro with 12ga ML barrel
1-3/4 oz #5 magnum lead shot
BPI Multi-metal shot cup
75 grains 777
Mount: Cedar by Taxidermist' Woodshop; custom brass plaque by Nemoci, Amazon. Brass beard holder--cut down 30 06 shell.