I just got back from hunting in Tennessee. We had hunted a couple of farms in Smith and Clay Counties. On the Smith County farm I called in several jakes, but no mature birds. The last afternoon we hunted the Clay County farm. We parked near the family cemetery on that farm which is on a buff that overlooks the farm and I spotted two mature gobblers in the pasture below with binoculars. We knew we would be spotted if we approached directly. So we drove the truck to the top of the mountain and walked the ridgeline out to the end and dropped down into the valley. At the bottom we split up hoping to improve are odds. When I worked over to the edge of the field I again used the binoculars and I spotted the two gobblers between two large trees. I dropped down and put a hill between myself and the gobblers and went to the left and set up on a hardwood finger that extended out in the valley floor. I started calling and I saw the two gobblers coming around the side of the hill coming in my direction. I happened to look to my left and saw another mature gobbler coming in from my left. I let it get on top of a little knoll and shot and down he went, he stood back up and I shot again and he was down forever. It always surprised me how fast things can change hunting turkeys.
This gobbler had a heavy beard and I did not realize it until later that this gobbler had a nice double beard. In all the years that I have been turkey hunting it is my first double bearded gobbler. This gobbler had some very nice spurs as well. I think I lost ten pounds running up and down the hills in the Cumberland Plateau. It was a great hunt.
This gobbler had a heavy beard and I did not realize it until later that this gobbler had a nice double beard. In all the years that I have been turkey hunting it is my first double bearded gobbler. This gobbler had some very nice spurs as well. I think I lost ten pounds running up and down the hills in the Cumberland Plateau. It was a great hunt.
