GMMAT

I posted this on the BOWHUNTING forum, yesterday.....but I thought you guys might get a kick out of it. I have NO QUALMS with gun hunting, AT ALL.....it's just not the CHOICE "I" have made. Don't read anything like that into it. I wish you ALL luck!

This was my first attempt at these birds with the bow. ........

If you don't like "We'll get 'em next time stories".....stop reading, now.

I gained access to some good land a while back....JUST on the other side of some land no one can hunt.....where I've been seeing turkeys on a daily basis. Saturday was our opener.....and I found out Friday night that my landowner's partner's dad was going to be in there, Saturday (He's the only other person hunting the property.....and he had previously told me he wouldn't be hunting on the weekends ....as he's retired). So.....Plan "B"....8 hours from the time I was gonna besetting up.

I decided to go to a field my father in law owns that's somewhere near thistract. I got set up early.....and sat back.At fly-down....I heard gobbling all around me. Good sign! Imade a few soft, short yelps.....but I figured they were with hens. I sat there until about 7:20.....and noticed a bird out of the right side of my blind.....about 80 yds out. It was a lone hen. I watchedher for about 5 minutes.....slowly feeding towards the woods. When she went in the woods.....I looked back to my right (where she'd come from).....and saw a tom in full strut........beard touching the ground.He was walking with a limp.......and no amount of purring I could do would get him to come over and check outMY hen. It's toughtto compete with a live hen, I found. he made his way towards where the hen had entered the woods......and I got to catch my breath. He never camecloser than 70 yds.

About 9:30.....I noticed a BIG jake heading out of the left field of vision, for me. He was alreday at 25 yds.....and closing on my hen. I got my bow ready.....locked on him at about 23-25 yds......and shot right under him. It was awkward position to shoot from ......and I just blew it. He scurried into the woods and my heart, again, pounded out of my chest. Welcome to the reality of bowhunting birds, Jeff.

I sat until a little after 10:00......and.....seeing or hearing nothing.....decided to go home and get ready to go to the spot I thought was the great one, that afternoon. When I got out of the blind......I looked to my right to see a lone red head just above the grass line. I knew he would pass a clump of brush in a few seconds that would allow me to get back in the blind.....IF he didn't see me. He made it to the brush.....I wasn't noticed.....and I got back in the blind....heart racing, AGAIN.

I purred on the slate call.....and I saw THREE heads appear over the grass! They disappeared.......and I purred, again. FOUR heads!.......They then came into view. FIVE HEADS! I purred some more and they started towards my hen. SIX HEADS! As they drew nearer....I stopped purring.....and my heart, again, pounded. SEVEN BIRDS (all jakes....but BIG birds)!

They came in VERY nervous......milled around below my hen (at about 30+ yds).....and I waited for one to turn and give me a back shot. The others, of course, wouldn't turn around at the SAME TIME.....but I found a shot opportunity at about 20+ yds. Missed, again. My heart was pounding......and I hadn't connected, yet.

They scurried around.....and I tried purring them back in. I even clucked a few times and watched all seven of them gobble, in unison. Man....what a morning.

Rob/PA will be here, Thursday......and I'm hoping I'll have a different story to tell, next week. I'm gonna be shooting a LOT more in the yard......in hopes I'll have a similar shot in the near future.

To you guys pursuing them with the bow.....good luck. They're a worthy adversary.

On a bright note......my neighbor.....PFC Nick U......missed a tom with his bow Saturday morning, also. He went shoppoing for some 3" mag. ammo.....and put the smack down on a BEAUTIFUL tom right after lunchtime. He shot it in the food plot his dad and I planted. There's another spot to hunt, this weekend.

Good luck, guys.

TROPHYHUNTER25

nice story