12 years tomorrow to be exact. I used to get one every Spring. Had a number of close calls over those years but held off rather than take a chance wounding a bird. It felt very good to finally get to carry one out again.
It was windy here this morning...opening day in VA. I have a little under 100 acres to work with so don't move around too much. A little after 10:00 I hear a lone gobble very faint like it may be off the property. I was set up in a funnel near a pond. The pond is in the woods. 60-70 yards above the pond is a large 20+ acre field. I suspected that he might be in the back corner of that rolling hilltop field, about 500-600 yards away from me. So I hiked around the pond across the dam and up to the field edge. I just got a few steps into the field when sure enough I could see the tip of a fan tail pop up over the terrain in the back corner...about 200-250 yards away. I stepped back into cover before I was spotted....couldn't see if there were any hens with the strutter.
So now I am in a situation that I have been in at least half dozen other times in the last 12 years, in this same field, almost the exact same spot. A strutter with or without hens in the back corner of that field, and me at least a couple of hundred yards away. I have tried to call them across all that distance without luck. I have tried to use the field terrain (rolling) to cover closing the distance and then calling them from the field...always busted. I have maneuvered through planted pines in the other side of the field to call them from that direction...busted or didn't work.
So this time I dropped down the back side of the dam through 175 yards of very thick timber/brush briar invested mess. Following the flow that comes out of the pond. I crossed over a skid trail that goes up the steep hill into the field. When I figured I was within 75 yards of the back corner of the field, I set up 15-20 yards inside the woodline. I used a cedar tree that had been high stumped by loggers a few years ago. I sat down and there was some brush between me and the field but I could see up into it. I let out a few yelps. A few minutes later I see the full fan tail crest the terrain and come into view in the field. He is strutting. Then he gobbles. I wait a few minutes and yelp again. He very slowly comes my direction. When he was about 25-30 yards away he gave me a shot and I let him have it. Very good to finally have the monkey off my back.
21.5 pounds...spurs just over an inch. Beard was damaged by the shot.
It was windy here this morning...opening day in VA. I have a little under 100 acres to work with so don't move around too much. A little after 10:00 I hear a lone gobble very faint like it may be off the property. I was set up in a funnel near a pond. The pond is in the woods. 60-70 yards above the pond is a large 20+ acre field. I suspected that he might be in the back corner of that rolling hilltop field, about 500-600 yards away from me. So I hiked around the pond across the dam and up to the field edge. I just got a few steps into the field when sure enough I could see the tip of a fan tail pop up over the terrain in the back corner...about 200-250 yards away. I stepped back into cover before I was spotted....couldn't see if there were any hens with the strutter.
So now I am in a situation that I have been in at least half dozen other times in the last 12 years, in this same field, almost the exact same spot. A strutter with or without hens in the back corner of that field, and me at least a couple of hundred yards away. I have tried to call them across all that distance without luck. I have tried to use the field terrain (rolling) to cover closing the distance and then calling them from the field...always busted. I have maneuvered through planted pines in the other side of the field to call them from that direction...busted or didn't work.
So this time I dropped down the back side of the dam through 175 yards of very thick timber/brush briar invested mess. Following the flow that comes out of the pond. I crossed over a skid trail that goes up the steep hill into the field. When I figured I was within 75 yards of the back corner of the field, I set up 15-20 yards inside the woodline. I used a cedar tree that had been high stumped by loggers a few years ago. I sat down and there was some brush between me and the field but I could see up into it. I let out a few yelps. A few minutes later I see the full fan tail crest the terrain and come into view in the field. He is strutting. Then he gobbles. I wait a few minutes and yelp again. He very slowly comes my direction. When he was about 25-30 yards away he gave me a shot and I let him have it. Very good to finally have the monkey off my back.
21.5 pounds...spurs just over an inch. Beard was damaged by the shot.
