sbracken
04-17-2008, 11:24 PM
Got my first turkey ever this morning about 7. I had a Pretty Boy, a jake, and a hen decoy set out in front of my blind which was set up in front of a patch of brush in the middle of an open field. I got settled in my blind about 6:30 and heard a distant tom gobble on the roost a long way off. I called on a box call and he answered me. A few silent minutes later, I called again. Nothing. And I heard nothing for 25 minutes! Just when I thought it was a bust of a morning, two gobblers and a hen came from behind me to the left at a full run. As I raised my Mossberg 12 gauge, they slowed down about 10 yards from Pretty Boy, and I tried to size up which tom was the biggest. The bigger of the two went into full strut and rushed up and put the hammer down on Pretty Boy. My kingdom for a video camera! The subordinate gobbler walked right past the decoy and the boss gobber and wander on up the field. I was locked in on the strutter, just waiting for him to come out of strut and stretch his neck out a little bit. When the hen started to follow the lesser tom, the strutting tom ran after her, and my heart sank. But to my surprise, he "herded" her back to the decoy set up, I guess just trying to keep him for himself and away from the other guy. He continued to strut and beat up on Pretty Boy. I kept waiting for him to go out of strut, but when the hen wandered off again, and he was in full profile. I decided it was now or never. Deep breath. Exhale slowly. Gently squeeze. BOOM. Ouch. I'd forgotten to put my ear plugs in. But the tom went down like a sack of potatoes. No death thows. No thrashing or twitching.
My phone buzzed. It was my buddy who lives near the property I was hunting.: "Was that you?" "Yup." :)
The other gobbler (who, I guess now had the hen all to himself!) and the hen only wandered off about 40 yards away, and he started gobbling his head off. Little does he know that now that I have my first turkey ever under my belt (using all the tricks I have read about on this forum), I'm going out tomorrow morning with no gun, no decoys, no blind: just some camo, a bow and arrow, and a few calls. Hope to ruin his honeymoon!
First turkey: 23 lbs, 9.5 in beard, 1.5 inch hooks.
My phone buzzed. It was my buddy who lives near the property I was hunting.: "Was that you?" "Yup." :)
The other gobbler (who, I guess now had the hen all to himself!) and the hen only wandered off about 40 yards away, and he started gobbling his head off. Little does he know that now that I have my first turkey ever under my belt (using all the tricks I have read about on this forum), I'm going out tomorrow morning with no gun, no decoys, no blind: just some camo, a bow and arrow, and a few calls. Hope to ruin his honeymoon!
First turkey: 23 lbs, 9.5 in beard, 1.5 inch hooks.