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05-07-2005, 07:40 PM

dvdegeorge

Typical Buck

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Join Date: Feb 2003

Location: WNY USA

Posts: 900

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Well for a change everything went perfect.Took the mountain bike out last night and biked in about 3.5 miles.Found a mature tom strutting with two hens in a green field. Watched them for over an hour until they worked to the edge of the field and I watched them fly to roost!Watched the tom still diplaying on the limb.I then quietly rode back out.Now the problem was how to set up on him in the A.M. He was roosted right on the edge of the field and the hens were about 75 yards from him, closer to the bike trail.An aproach along the edge of the trail would surely bump them,so I needed a plan.Wake up a 3:45 A.M. ride back in in darkness,then aproach from straight across from the Tom and set up at a tree in the field about 125 yards infront of the tom.I walked into the field and tried to keep the tree in the field in between me and the tom.After I got to the tree I belly crawled through the wet winter wheat and set up my decoys(a hen,Jake and a half strut Jake)I knew that the tom would have to see turkeys if he was to come close enough for a shot.Some how I got everything set up about 20 yards out infront of the single tree in the field and crawled back and got seated .As dawn started to break a couple of racoons started making a racket along the river where the tom roosted,that set him to gobbling.A while later the hen near him started calling and I let out some clucks and a couple of yelps.The hen the called more and louder and the tom gobbled every couple of seconds.The hen then flew down and the tom followed shortly after.He was about 100 yards infront of me and started to strutt.It took about 35 minutes of light clucks,purrs and yelps but I got the hen to drift my way and approach my set up.The tom came in tow following his lady.The hen passed at about 35 yards and kept walking,the tom then headed straight in to about 40 yards and then deceided he didn't like something,but it was too late as he turned and started to leave I pulled up and shot all in one motion and down he went at abot 45 yards!He weighed 20 and 1/2 lbs and had a 9" beard and 1" spurrs.I taged him rode back out and was home by 7:15A.M.