tomshateme

Here's a funny story that happened a few years ago to me and a friend. Late in the season, we set out pre-dawn to an area that we knew was holding some good gobblers that hadn't been called at too much. As planned, we stood on top of a particular ridge and waited for the morning chorus to begin. On cue, the birds began gobbling their fool heads off and after two or three minutes of listening, we picked out a particularly vocal tom and headed off in his direction to get set up before flydown. We slowly and quietly crept through the early morning darkness until we figured we were about 75 yards from his roost tree, sat down, and waited. Light came and we heard turkeys flying down in the distance, but our bird hadn't gobbled since we set up. The woods began to quiet down and I was thinking that maybe we had bumped him on our way in, but I didn't think so. I was just about ready to give up on this bird when I heard it, pfft..drrrummmm! There was a small area that I couldn't see because of some brush and I knew he had to be there because I could see 100 yards in every other direction, but how did he get there? We still thought he was in a tree 75 yards in front of us. We waited another 30 minutes without another sound when I decided to scratch the leaves, pfft..drrrummmm! This bird was so close we could hear his feathers scraping together as he went in and out of strut. I was getting ready to risk a small cluck on my mouth call when a hen clucked in the woods about 60 yards away. I stayed quiet, knowing that if the gobbler started toward her, he would go right past me and it would be over for the sneaky sonofa... The hen began yelping loudly and looking straight at us. I was thinking oh Christ, we're busted, and I still had not seen the tom. Just then, the gawdawfulest flapping started and I just knew the tom had spotted us from behind and changed zip codes, but he landed between us and the hen and went into full strut. It took me 3 or 4 seconds to realize what had just happened! The gobbler had been in the tree above me the whole time! We had misjudged where he was roosted and gotten in right on him, somehow not busting him in the process. I raised my gun and shot him at 28 steps, scaring the other 2 birds he was roosted with off and sending the hen running the other way. If she hadn't came along when she did, I may have given up and left. This is the only time I've ever had a hen actually help me while hunting. My dad told me later that he heard the shot at 8:45. That's a long time to sit on a bird waiting for something to happen and by the time I got to the truck I was drained, with adrenaline pumping for that long. It's a wonder I was able to shoot, my nerves were so shot. This goes to show that everything doesn't have to go as planned to turn out well in the end. Oh yeah, my friend was fumbling with his safety when I shot, we hadn't worked out who was designated shooter beforehand. he did score the next day, so I'm partially forgiven.

BuckoDuck

That's a great story. I know there's no way I'm going to be able to sit on that one tree for that long. I sure can see how you were drained after that ordeal. I've stayed with toms for that long before but not one that I couldn't see or at least know his location at least some of the time. I am surprised that he stayed on the limb that long. Was it a rainy or windy day?

jalvja

Great story,Just goes to show patience pays off

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Bobgobble2

Good story,appreciate the post!!

trapper T

Wow that's a great story, I guess they say get as close to a roosted tom without spookin' him