I'm gonna get this out first before I go into details on this mornings hunt. I am blessed more than I deserve!! To have a season like I had last year and now this season off to a blistering start is just unreal and hard to imagine. I know one thing, I'm going to enjoy this ride as long as it will last. Thank you "Lord' for the many blessing you have given me!!
Now for this mornings hunt. I started out back in the field where I had the encounter yesterday. I set only one hen decoy out this time. It was misting rain and cold. I did't expect to hear one gobble and that was the case. I started calling every 15 minutes once I thought it was light enough for the birds to be on the ground. This proceed until 8:00 and I had all I could take. My patience had ran thin from not hearing or seeing anything. I pick up my gear and head back to the TAV. As I near one of our tower blinds I decided to climbed up to glass some of the surrounding crop fields. As I start up the ladder I see 3 turkeys looking at me. I freeze and they go back to feeding. I get the binoculars on them and they are all jakes. I let them ease on off and I resume my walk to the TAV.
When I arrived at the TAV I decide I will go glass another field. This field also has a big tower blind on it so the plan was the same. As I I near the blind I see a fresh gobbler track, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling. I had a strong feeling I was going to see him once I got high enough to glass the field. As I got 3 steps high on the ladder there they are. I said to myself, it's game time now big boy. I glass them for several minutes to see what direction they are headed. He's with 5 hens and 3 jakes. Once I determined where they were headed, I formed my game plan. I knew of an old logging road that would get me close to their location. I had to make a big circle to get to this road so I head out. By the time I reach the edge of the crop field via the logging road they were only 100 yards away. I sat down in some thick brush an started soft clucking along with some light yelps. He hammered back and also one of the hens got very vocal. I started mimicking her and the 3 jakes broke from the group headed my way. The gobbler didn't like this so he started my way as well. He must have had second thoughts as he realized he was leaving his hens so he applied the brakes. He stayed hung up and would not come any further. I got quite and the jakes lost interest an returned to the group.
At this point I saw the hens where carrying the gobbler away from me so I had one last plan to try. I got up and moved to a pretty little hardwood bottom I knew of. This would put me in front of the group and 100 yards from the filed edge. I get settled in right on the edge of a small creek bank. This will allow me to shoot to the crest of hill. I think to myself this is an awesome set up. There is a little flat right off the field edge then it drops off down to where I'm at. The plan was to call him out of the filed into the flat far enough so he come to the edge to look for the hen in the bottom.
I start calling and he's hammering back at me. I get the hens fired up and he's gobbling at them. One hen gets real bossy with me and we go back and forth. I can tell she is getting closer and I can also hear that pffffftdooooom. I'm looking hard to my right thinking that's where he's at and all of a sudden I catch movement straight in front of me. It's the top of his tail fan! Before I can get my gun up he's standing at the edge of the hill at 30 yards looking. I can't move and I can't believe I got caught being stupid by not having my gun up. All I can do is let him walk off. He starts paralleling the edge of the hill. Every few seconds I'd catch just a glimpse of his head. I start hammering him with some excited cutting and he turns just enough as he was approaching my last shooting lane. He stopped perfect on that lane and I unleashed the TSS pain train. He crumpled at impact and #3 was in the books.
He was another good bird @ 21 lbs 4 oz. 10 5/8" with 1 3/8" & 1 5/16" spurs.
Me and my trusty TAV. This little thing has made my season since I'm hunting crippled this year.
Pretty set of light colored spurs with black tips.
Now for this mornings hunt. I started out back in the field where I had the encounter yesterday. I set only one hen decoy out this time. It was misting rain and cold. I did't expect to hear one gobble and that was the case. I started calling every 15 minutes once I thought it was light enough for the birds to be on the ground. This proceed until 8:00 and I had all I could take. My patience had ran thin from not hearing or seeing anything. I pick up my gear and head back to the TAV. As I near one of our tower blinds I decided to climbed up to glass some of the surrounding crop fields. As I start up the ladder I see 3 turkeys looking at me. I freeze and they go back to feeding. I get the binoculars on them and they are all jakes. I let them ease on off and I resume my walk to the TAV.
When I arrived at the TAV I decide I will go glass another field. This field also has a big tower blind on it so the plan was the same. As I I near the blind I see a fresh gobbler track, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling. I had a strong feeling I was going to see him once I got high enough to glass the field. As I got 3 steps high on the ladder there they are. I said to myself, it's game time now big boy. I glass them for several minutes to see what direction they are headed. He's with 5 hens and 3 jakes. Once I determined where they were headed, I formed my game plan. I knew of an old logging road that would get me close to their location. I had to make a big circle to get to this road so I head out. By the time I reach the edge of the crop field via the logging road they were only 100 yards away. I sat down in some thick brush an started soft clucking along with some light yelps. He hammered back and also one of the hens got very vocal. I started mimicking her and the 3 jakes broke from the group headed my way. The gobbler didn't like this so he started my way as well. He must have had second thoughts as he realized he was leaving his hens so he applied the brakes. He stayed hung up and would not come any further. I got quite and the jakes lost interest an returned to the group.
At this point I saw the hens where carrying the gobbler away from me so I had one last plan to try. I got up and moved to a pretty little hardwood bottom I knew of. This would put me in front of the group and 100 yards from the filed edge. I get settled in right on the edge of a small creek bank. This will allow me to shoot to the crest of hill. I think to myself this is an awesome set up. There is a little flat right off the field edge then it drops off down to where I'm at. The plan was to call him out of the filed into the flat far enough so he come to the edge to look for the hen in the bottom.
I start calling and he's hammering back at me. I get the hens fired up and he's gobbling at them. One hen gets real bossy with me and we go back and forth. I can tell she is getting closer and I can also hear that pffffftdooooom. I'm looking hard to my right thinking that's where he's at and all of a sudden I catch movement straight in front of me. It's the top of his tail fan! Before I can get my gun up he's standing at the edge of the hill at 30 yards looking. I can't move and I can't believe I got caught being stupid by not having my gun up. All I can do is let him walk off. He starts paralleling the edge of the hill. Every few seconds I'd catch just a glimpse of his head. I start hammering him with some excited cutting and he turns just enough as he was approaching my last shooting lane. He stopped perfect on that lane and I unleashed the TSS pain train. He crumpled at impact and #3 was in the books.
He was another good bird @ 21 lbs 4 oz. 10 5/8" with 1 3/8" & 1 5/16" spurs.
Me and my trusty TAV. This little thing has made my season since I'm hunting crippled this year.
Pretty set of light colored spurs with black tips.
