Missouri bird #1
05-02-2010, 11:38 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Southeast Missouri
Posts: 968
Missouri bird #1
Hi all!
Just wanted to share a couple pictures from my 1st Tom this year. I killed him on the second monday of the missouri season. I struck out at daylight, and decided to move to another block of Government ground to do some walking and calling. It was actually quite windy that morning, and about 0715, I had made my way down a log road and was at the end on the egde of a clearcut. I gave a call from my lil duece slate and was about 70% sure I heard one answer me, but wasn't sure how far away he was. I had a general direction so I moved about another 75 yards down the edge of the clearcut and called again. I got an immediate answer, and figured he was about 150 yards away. I had very limited options as to my set up, so I decided to lay down prone in the log road and see if I could call him to the road.
I called a few more times with no answer. About 20 minutes later he gobbled looking for me. He was about 80 yards out. I called again and got nothing from him. About 15 minutes later, I can hear him drumming off to my right. I was totally hosed! I figured I'd let him wander off and repostion and call him back in. I still hadn't laid eyes on him yet. After another 20 minutes I hear him gobble again and he's moved back out to about 60 yards toward the point he'd come from. I quickly flopped over to my back and put my feet toward an opening on the same line he'd folowed in the 1st time. I'd had my mouth call in the whole time, so I hit him with an aggressive cutt followed by a few purrs. He immediately responded, and I let him have another series of cutts. He double gobbled and started coming back my way. He really fires up now and I'd estimate he gobbles 10 to 15 times a minute for about the next 5 minutes. He doesn't seem to be coming my way, so I give him the silent treatment. I finally hear him drumming about 30 yards out, but he ends up getting by me again. He circles around to my right again and steps out on the log road about 45 yards directly to my right. I'm right handed, so my shooting at that point was out of the question. He makes his way down the road, drumming and half strutting till he's about 17 steps away. I'm watching him and realize that there's only 3 ways he could run to get out of there. He had the dense clearcut to his left and a huge downed tree to his right. He could only run straight away, straight at me or fly straight up. With the wind blowing pretty good, I figured I could try and make a move, but that I'd have to be quick. I thought the odds of letting him walk off then calling him back a 3rd time were pretty slim. So, I rolled to my right and got a knee under me. Then I raised up and pulled the gun around on him. He never moved, putted or acted like anything unusual was going on. I nailed him at 18 steps with a 2 ounce load of #6 shot.
He was a nice two year old. 20.5 #, 9.5" beard, 3/4" spurs.
GH
Just wanted to share a couple pictures from my 1st Tom this year. I killed him on the second monday of the missouri season. I struck out at daylight, and decided to move to another block of Government ground to do some walking and calling. It was actually quite windy that morning, and about 0715, I had made my way down a log road and was at the end on the egde of a clearcut. I gave a call from my lil duece slate and was about 70% sure I heard one answer me, but wasn't sure how far away he was. I had a general direction so I moved about another 75 yards down the edge of the clearcut and called again. I got an immediate answer, and figured he was about 150 yards away. I had very limited options as to my set up, so I decided to lay down prone in the log road and see if I could call him to the road.
I called a few more times with no answer. About 20 minutes later he gobbled looking for me. He was about 80 yards out. I called again and got nothing from him. About 15 minutes later, I can hear him drumming off to my right. I was totally hosed! I figured I'd let him wander off and repostion and call him back in. I still hadn't laid eyes on him yet. After another 20 minutes I hear him gobble again and he's moved back out to about 60 yards toward the point he'd come from. I quickly flopped over to my back and put my feet toward an opening on the same line he'd folowed in the 1st time. I'd had my mouth call in the whole time, so I hit him with an aggressive cutt followed by a few purrs. He immediately responded, and I let him have another series of cutts. He double gobbled and started coming back my way. He really fires up now and I'd estimate he gobbles 10 to 15 times a minute for about the next 5 minutes. He doesn't seem to be coming my way, so I give him the silent treatment. I finally hear him drumming about 30 yards out, but he ends up getting by me again. He circles around to my right again and steps out on the log road about 45 yards directly to my right. I'm right handed, so my shooting at that point was out of the question. He makes his way down the road, drumming and half strutting till he's about 17 steps away. I'm watching him and realize that there's only 3 ways he could run to get out of there. He had the dense clearcut to his left and a huge downed tree to his right. He could only run straight away, straight at me or fly straight up. With the wind blowing pretty good, I figured I could try and make a move, but that I'd have to be quick. I thought the odds of letting him walk off then calling him back a 3rd time were pretty slim. So, I rolled to my right and got a knee under me. Then I raised up and pulled the gun around on him. He never moved, putted or acted like anything unusual was going on. I nailed him at 18 steps with a 2 ounce load of #6 shot.
He was a nice two year old. 20.5 #, 9.5" beard, 3/4" spurs.
GH
