I lost my lease in 2017 and didn't really hunt TN much. maybe a total of 6 hours since '17. I've not hunted any in TN or VA this year as i've been trying to take my kids.
Last night my wife came back from a walk about 7 and said you should go hunting out back. I get my clothes on and head out to a known roost ridge about 300 yards from the house. I sit down against a big tree facing this horse shoe ridge, it 's 7:21. I call off and on for a few with some aggressive cuts. Nothing, just dead silence. I give it some time and think i should work over to the next ridge about 80 yards away and call some more. I put my box call in my vest, look at my phone, 7:44. just as i put it back into my vest i hear a jake calk about 50 yards down ridge on my 3. I turn to see a strutter coming from behind me about 60 yards out through the brush. I slowly turn and soft call. he struts back and forth forever. He had 5 jakes with him, 2 finally fly up into the roost trees. 2 more are 20 yards away to my right looking at me. The longbeard keeps strutting back and forth over the ridge and back down. at 40 yards he fold ups the wings and starts to walk fast over the ridge, i cut with my voice and he goes back into strut and starts moving closer. he gets into a open spot 35 yards away, he raises his head up and i squeeze it off, he rolls. i jump up and run to him, amount run over a jake trying to fly away. He rolls down a near vertical ridge to the bottom. i look at my phone before I go down to him. it's 8:03! Go get him at the bottom and work my way back up and to the house. it was almost 9 before i get back. My first bird ever in the afternoon. Time to spend the rest of the season hunting my VA farm.
21.53 lbs
10" beard
L = 1.125"
R = 1.250"
Last night my wife came back from a walk about 7 and said you should go hunting out back. I get my clothes on and head out to a known roost ridge about 300 yards from the house. I sit down against a big tree facing this horse shoe ridge, it 's 7:21. I call off and on for a few with some aggressive cuts. Nothing, just dead silence. I give it some time and think i should work over to the next ridge about 80 yards away and call some more. I put my box call in my vest, look at my phone, 7:44. just as i put it back into my vest i hear a jake calk about 50 yards down ridge on my 3. I turn to see a strutter coming from behind me about 60 yards out through the brush. I slowly turn and soft call. he struts back and forth forever. He had 5 jakes with him, 2 finally fly up into the roost trees. 2 more are 20 yards away to my right looking at me. The longbeard keeps strutting back and forth over the ridge and back down. at 40 yards he fold ups the wings and starts to walk fast over the ridge, i cut with my voice and he goes back into strut and starts moving closer. he gets into a open spot 35 yards away, he raises his head up and i squeeze it off, he rolls. i jump up and run to him, amount run over a jake trying to fly away. He rolls down a near vertical ridge to the bottom. i look at my phone before I go down to him. it's 8:03! Go get him at the bottom and work my way back up and to the house. it was almost 9 before i get back. My first bird ever in the afternoon. Time to spend the rest of the season hunting my VA farm.
21.53 lbs
10" beard
L = 1.125"
R = 1.250"
