Left out last Tuesday evening after work and headed to East Tn to meet up with knightrider. Guess we've had this planned ever since deer season. I stopped a little over halfway and stayed the night in a hotel and then arrived there about noon on Wednesday. We were hunting by 1:30 and had a bearded hen fly in off a high ridge that probably went 300 yards straight up. She landed about 40 yards but neither one of us had our guns up and ready. She was on the other side of a dry creek and as soon as she got in the creek I got my gun up and ready but instead of coming to the decoys she went the other way.
After a while we left and went to another farm to try to roost some. There were birds in the field when we arrived that ended up being 2 jakes and 2 hens. We watched them a while then spotted a strutter down the field about 500 yards. We seen exactly where they all went and had high hopes for Thursday morning.
Thursday morning comes and there isn't a gobble in hearing distance. The only thing we could figure out is the guys hunting the farm over spooked the birds off roost when they come in. About 10 we stood up and were trying to get a game plan and looked across the road about 3/4 mile away and he said that looks like a turkey. I glassed it and sure enough it was 2 gobblers in a food plot. A little later we seen they were with 2 hens so just watched them strut around through the binocs. Knightrider would call with his mouth call and they would answer. I know it sounds crazy but we were so high up in elevation and them too so i guess that's what helped us. They were moving towards us but never thought they'd come that far. As I was glassing them I noticed the hens moved off and the gobblers stayed. They kept slowly moving our way and crazy enough answering his calls. They eventually got down low enough I couldn't see them anymore. All was silent for about 30 mins and then they hammered and could tell they were on our side of the road probably 150 yards or so. I was thinking to myself that if we pull this off no one will believe us. They hammer again and they are with 60 yards and thought they were fixing to walk in front of both of us. They sound off again and i realize they are coming in behind us and we are both SCREWED because we can't turn around. I then spot them and luckily they went behind a cedar so I spun around quick so I could shoot. Knightrider was sitting about 15 yards to my left and couldn't turn around. They top the hill and spot the decoys and headed right to them. I had to wait on 2 different times to get them far enough away from each other before I could shoot. I picked the more mouthier bird and the one who was strutting the most and let him have it at 15 yards. To say we were both tickled is an understatement but both said no one will ever believe this lol. He actually measured the distance on his computer today and it was about 800 yards shy of being a mile from where they came from.
We went that evening to try to roost more and couldn't find any. Friday was a bust with no gobbling and so was Saturday. Did have a bearded hen with about an 8" beard that liked about 20 more yards to present me a shot but she fed on the other way.
It was a great trip to East TN and this site is what made it happen. They invited me into their home and treated me like one of them.
23.4 lbs, 10.5'' beard and 1'' spurs.
After a while we left and went to another farm to try to roost some. There were birds in the field when we arrived that ended up being 2 jakes and 2 hens. We watched them a while then spotted a strutter down the field about 500 yards. We seen exactly where they all went and had high hopes for Thursday morning.
Thursday morning comes and there isn't a gobble in hearing distance. The only thing we could figure out is the guys hunting the farm over spooked the birds off roost when they come in. About 10 we stood up and were trying to get a game plan and looked across the road about 3/4 mile away and he said that looks like a turkey. I glassed it and sure enough it was 2 gobblers in a food plot. A little later we seen they were with 2 hens so just watched them strut around through the binocs. Knightrider would call with his mouth call and they would answer. I know it sounds crazy but we were so high up in elevation and them too so i guess that's what helped us. They were moving towards us but never thought they'd come that far. As I was glassing them I noticed the hens moved off and the gobblers stayed. They kept slowly moving our way and crazy enough answering his calls. They eventually got down low enough I couldn't see them anymore. All was silent for about 30 mins and then they hammered and could tell they were on our side of the road probably 150 yards or so. I was thinking to myself that if we pull this off no one will believe us. They hammer again and they are with 60 yards and thought they were fixing to walk in front of both of us. They sound off again and i realize they are coming in behind us and we are both SCREWED because we can't turn around. I then spot them and luckily they went behind a cedar so I spun around quick so I could shoot. Knightrider was sitting about 15 yards to my left and couldn't turn around. They top the hill and spot the decoys and headed right to them. I had to wait on 2 different times to get them far enough away from each other before I could shoot. I picked the more mouthier bird and the one who was strutting the most and let him have it at 15 yards. To say we were both tickled is an understatement but both said no one will ever believe this lol. He actually measured the distance on his computer today and it was about 800 yards shy of being a mile from where they came from.
We went that evening to try to roost more and couldn't find any. Friday was a bust with no gobbling and so was Saturday. Did have a bearded hen with about an 8" beard that liked about 20 more yards to present me a shot but she fed on the other way.
It was a great trip to East TN and this site is what made it happen. They invited me into their home and treated me like one of them.
23.4 lbs, 10.5'' beard and 1'' spurs.
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