We had a great hunt this morning. It was the kind you dream about all offseason in anticipation of the next spring.
Was extremely disappointed at the lack of gobbles on the roost. In fact, I just heard one bird, gobble once. To beat it all, we had just come from that area first and had not heard anything. After waiting for anything else, to no avail, we went back the direction it had came from.
We came in from the other side and got down in there fairly close to where I knew I would at least hear it if it gobbled again. We had sat down and I was looking at my phone, when after after about 10 minutes of nothing but geese, owls, crows, machinery in the distance, etc, he finally gobbled. We weren't far. I've mentioned it before, but my dad cannot hear them gobble unless they are CLOSE. He hadn't heard this one.
We moved toward it, and sat up. He stayed back, as he wanted me to shoot. The bird was luke warm, but he would throw me a courtesy gobble every now and then. But, he wasn't budging, and we couldn't go any closer. Then I thought I heard another bird further way back at my 10:00. Then they got closer. Yes, they. There were two of them and they were coming hard. I tried to convince the one just down the hill that he better make a move now, and he answered but still not budging. But the other two gobbled even closer.
I tried to sign language to dad that there was one in front and two to the left. I'm not sure he understood. He just nodded
!
Anyway, the two ended up pretty close to where the one had been. He hushed. Then in just a minuted they were to my right about 80 yards, but there was stuff between us. And, another standoff ensued. They hammered! I did nothing. Then silence. I'm ready. Then more silence. I'm more ready. Now, I have already spun half way around the tree and back twice, and now I'm on my right cheek and not in the best of positions. But that didn't matter, because the next gobble is from 150 yards away :bash: !
I moved back to dad, and told him we needed to reposition. He started to stay back, but I told him we might have a chance to double and we needed to be sitting together. I found a pretty good spot, and looked back waiting for him, and he sat down 20 yards right, and slightly back of me. OK then.
I called, and they answered but had moved even further off. I stayed at it, and they cut me off and had turned around. Soon they were just over a small hill, and then there they were straight out in front of me about 60 yards. They were scanning the woods for the hen, but we had good cover. I waited until they were about 50 steps. I had let the one on the right move on around toward dad and was just waiting for this one to take two more steps. Finally he eased into my shooting lane, and I was just about to squeeze the trigger when ...... dad shot my bird :shock: !
The other one was out of my vision, so I had no chance on it. Dad felt so bad, and I didn't razz him too bad. He had lost sight of the other one as well, and was afraid that I didn't have a shot at this one. I told him I would have been ticked had he not shot while waiting for me if the case had been that I couldn't get a shot off.
Anyway, I'm tickled for him, as you never know how many more seasons we have to play this game. It's only his second time to kill three in a season. He says he's not going with me any more to prevent his killing another. I told him he could go, but he would need to not take his gun
!
Was extremely disappointed at the lack of gobbles on the roost. In fact, I just heard one bird, gobble once. To beat it all, we had just come from that area first and had not heard anything. After waiting for anything else, to no avail, we went back the direction it had came from.
We came in from the other side and got down in there fairly close to where I knew I would at least hear it if it gobbled again. We had sat down and I was looking at my phone, when after after about 10 minutes of nothing but geese, owls, crows, machinery in the distance, etc, he finally gobbled. We weren't far. I've mentioned it before, but my dad cannot hear them gobble unless they are CLOSE. He hadn't heard this one.
We moved toward it, and sat up. He stayed back, as he wanted me to shoot. The bird was luke warm, but he would throw me a courtesy gobble every now and then. But, he wasn't budging, and we couldn't go any closer. Then I thought I heard another bird further way back at my 10:00. Then they got closer. Yes, they. There were two of them and they were coming hard. I tried to convince the one just down the hill that he better make a move now, and he answered but still not budging. But the other two gobbled even closer.
I tried to sign language to dad that there was one in front and two to the left. I'm not sure he understood. He just nodded
!Anyway, the two ended up pretty close to where the one had been. He hushed. Then in just a minuted they were to my right about 80 yards, but there was stuff between us. And, another standoff ensued. They hammered! I did nothing. Then silence. I'm ready. Then more silence. I'm more ready. Now, I have already spun half way around the tree and back twice, and now I'm on my right cheek and not in the best of positions. But that didn't matter, because the next gobble is from 150 yards away :bash: !
I moved back to dad, and told him we needed to reposition. He started to stay back, but I told him we might have a chance to double and we needed to be sitting together. I found a pretty good spot, and looked back waiting for him, and he sat down 20 yards right, and slightly back of me. OK then.
I called, and they answered but had moved even further off. I stayed at it, and they cut me off and had turned around. Soon they were just over a small hill, and then there they were straight out in front of me about 60 yards. They were scanning the woods for the hen, but we had good cover. I waited until they were about 50 steps. I had let the one on the right move on around toward dad and was just waiting for this one to take two more steps. Finally he eased into my shooting lane, and I was just about to squeeze the trigger when ...... dad shot my bird :shock: !
The other one was out of my vision, so I had no chance on it. Dad felt so bad, and I didn't razz him too bad. He had lost sight of the other one as well, and was afraid that I didn't have a shot at this one. I told him I would have been ticked had he not shot while waiting for me if the case had been that I couldn't get a shot off.
Anyway, I'm tickled for him, as you never know how many more seasons we have to play this game. It's only his second time to kill three in a season. He says he's not going with me any more to prevent his killing another. I told him he could go, but he would need to not take his gun
!
