I couldnt get a gobble at sunrise so I settled in in a narrow strip of mature pines lined with oaks and cypress heads. I had seen 2 nice gobblers cross the road into that section right at dusk yesterday evening.
They were there but werent talking.
I did some light calling off and on until about 8 am. I had to be at work by 9:30 this morning so I kept glancing at my watch. At 8 I finished my last series of soft yelps and clucks and placed my Kaiser Aluminum call into my vest pocket. I got the gun up in the ready position. 15 more minutes I sayed to myself. A couple of minutes later I heared a light crunch in the pine needles just to my left .
I very slowly turned my head and THERE HE WAS!
8 steps away. How on earth he managed to slip in that close on my blind side I'll never know. This bird was in full strut looking right at me. I could have swore I saw little hearts swirling around his head. I swung the gun around and before I could get a bead on him he was
out of strut and moving back the way he came. I shot when he was about 10 yards out . Missed. He kicked in the afterburners and I shot again. Missed aganin. He was airborne now at about 25 yards. I made one more farewell shot and watched him sail ever so gracefully through the pines. I sat quietly at the base of my pine tree amongst the empty Federal shells and palmetto plants feeling dejected and outsmarted once again.
Bad news is I missed. Good news is I still have one more bird to get for my season limit. Seasons still young.