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Been a very tough season this year. Hardest I remember in a long time. Friday night I got a bird roosted at 20:15 hours.
Called my buddy Eric who knew the area the bird was in better then I do, we formulated a plan for in the am. At 5AM Sabrina
and I pulled up to where we were gonna park at. As we were gathering our gear @ 05:08 hrs an owl hooted and he gobbled!!
I couldn't believe it as Ive never heard one gobble a full hour before the crack of dawn!! It was a good sign for sure as this was gonna
be a hunt to remember.
We walked up and met Eric and slipped down into the swamp to within a few hundred yards of where the bird was. We waited and at 06:12 he gobbled.
We started closing the distance and followed the drain towards him on the pine flat.We were hoping he was gonna travel down towards us to the main
creek bottom. We found a great set up about 175 yds from the bird and got set. Eric to our left about 30 yds and Sabrina and I to his west setting together.
The idea was for Sabrina to shoot and if bird wouldn't offer her a shot one of us may be able to pick him off as he tried to slip by.
The gobbling was nonstop!! he was HOT!! then we heard some of his girlfriends between us and him...we decided to try and make the hens mad and
try to pull them to us.Eric started yelping..I started cutting..hens got louder..we got louder..bird gobbled more and more..IT WAS INSANE!!!!
Soon we hear the hens getting closer..they were coming!!! then another hen fires up behind us!!! we must of slipped past her in the dark..plus we heard what sounded like a jake
gobble several times with her. She started tree hopping towards us...other hens to south by gobbler getting louder..gobbler raising cane from tree..Eric and I
never stopped calling..Cutting purring yelping keekee runs..you name it..we threw it at them..and a lot of it!! I was running my slate/crystal and a diaphragm at the same time.
Eric was running a diaphragm and a slate..so we had 5 different sounds coming from us..CONSTANT and LOUD!!! I have NEVER called so much in my life!!
But the birds were coming!! and they were LOUD!!!
The gobbler hit the ground at 06:35 hours..he gobbled.. a few min later he had cut the distance in half!! GOBBBBBBEEELLLLLL he was on his way 75 /80 yds.
The hen who had tree topped from the north was just left of Sabrina and she pitched down towards him....the god awfulness fight broke out between the hens!!
wings flapping..birds flogging each other cutting GOBBBBELLLLLLLLLL.. CRAZY!!!!
Then they went silent.....you could hear a pin drop...so we shut down our calling..... about 5 min went by....nothing......silence......BRRRMMMMMMM
BRRRMMMMMM we could hear him drumming!!! he was close....I purred real soft on the diaphragm as I dropped the slate...I got Sabrina to shift towards her right a bit.
BRRRMMMMM BRMMMMMMMM BRRRMMMMMMM constant drumming... eric gives a few soft clucks..I can see him..hes down on his gun.....then I look to the front scanning.
I give a few short soft yelps..BRRRMMMMMM..close..so close......then I see movement..I wisper to Sabrina...The birds stopped coming towards us and were cutting out to the east feeding.
Sabrina sees them..3 hens slip by..I call..they ignore it and keep going...I then see the white light bulb of a head what seems about 40 yds out. Sabrina sees him but has no shot.
Shes got too much brush in the way and at that range it wont work with the 20 guage.. he moves more to the east hes not turning, Sabrina looses him..hes following the hens. I see him again farther out.
I told Sabrina..I got him...she said Kill that B*$%##@..(thats my girl!!!). LOL I flipped off the safety and sent a 3.5 in load of #5's towards that light bulb..BOOOM..he was flopping!!!I looked at my watch
it was 07:00 on the dot. What a crazy amazing hunt. One We will never forget!!! Turns out the shot was 53 steps. Sabrina made a great call not shooting with the 20 guage. That girl
is cool under pressure. Turns out that Eric could see the bird the whole time it was drumming and strutting it was about 75 yds from him, just too far.
Great team work...patience, persistence and determination got this bird. I can only guess at how much he gobbled. Id say 40 times. Ive never called so loud and so long and killed a bird.
That's completely breaking my self imposed rules of little soft calling... I guess its why I love turkey hunting..its NEVER the same twice!!
They say dynamite comes in small packages..well this is the lightest bird Ive ever gotten. he just tipped the scales at 15 lbs even!!! 10 in beard 1 in spurs. A Banty rooster for sure!!
One of the best hunts ive ever been on...wow...
Called my buddy Eric who knew the area the bird was in better then I do, we formulated a plan for in the am. At 5AM Sabrina
and I pulled up to where we were gonna park at. As we were gathering our gear @ 05:08 hrs an owl hooted and he gobbled!!
I couldn't believe it as Ive never heard one gobble a full hour before the crack of dawn!! It was a good sign for sure as this was gonna
be a hunt to remember.
We walked up and met Eric and slipped down into the swamp to within a few hundred yards of where the bird was. We waited and at 06:12 he gobbled.
We started closing the distance and followed the drain towards him on the pine flat.We were hoping he was gonna travel down towards us to the main
creek bottom. We found a great set up about 175 yds from the bird and got set. Eric to our left about 30 yds and Sabrina and I to his west setting together.
The idea was for Sabrina to shoot and if bird wouldn't offer her a shot one of us may be able to pick him off as he tried to slip by.
The gobbling was nonstop!! he was HOT!! then we heard some of his girlfriends between us and him...we decided to try and make the hens mad and
try to pull them to us.Eric started yelping..I started cutting..hens got louder..we got louder..bird gobbled more and more..IT WAS INSANE!!!!
Soon we hear the hens getting closer..they were coming!!! then another hen fires up behind us!!! we must of slipped past her in the dark..plus we heard what sounded like a jake
gobble several times with her. She started tree hopping towards us...other hens to south by gobbler getting louder..gobbler raising cane from tree..Eric and I
never stopped calling..Cutting purring yelping keekee runs..you name it..we threw it at them..and a lot of it!! I was running my slate/crystal and a diaphragm at the same time.
Eric was running a diaphragm and a slate..so we had 5 different sounds coming from us..CONSTANT and LOUD!!! I have NEVER called so much in my life!!
But the birds were coming!! and they were LOUD!!!
The gobbler hit the ground at 06:35 hours..he gobbled.. a few min later he had cut the distance in half!! GOBBBBBBEEELLLLLL he was on his way 75 /80 yds.
The hen who had tree topped from the north was just left of Sabrina and she pitched down towards him....the god awfulness fight broke out between the hens!!
wings flapping..birds flogging each other cutting GOBBBBELLLLLLLLLL.. CRAZY!!!!
Then they went silent.....you could hear a pin drop...so we shut down our calling..... about 5 min went by....nothing......silence......BRRRMMMMMMM
BRRRMMMMMM we could hear him drumming!!! he was close....I purred real soft on the diaphragm as I dropped the slate...I got Sabrina to shift towards her right a bit.
BRRRMMMMM BRMMMMMMMM BRRRMMMMMMM constant drumming... eric gives a few soft clucks..I can see him..hes down on his gun.....then I look to the front scanning.
I give a few short soft yelps..BRRRMMMMMM..close..so close......then I see movement..I wisper to Sabrina...The birds stopped coming towards us and were cutting out to the east feeding.
Sabrina sees them..3 hens slip by..I call..they ignore it and keep going...I then see the white light bulb of a head what seems about 40 yds out. Sabrina sees him but has no shot.
Shes got too much brush in the way and at that range it wont work with the 20 guage.. he moves more to the east hes not turning, Sabrina looses him..hes following the hens. I see him again farther out.
I told Sabrina..I got him...she said Kill that B*$%##@..(thats my girl!!!). LOL I flipped off the safety and sent a 3.5 in load of #5's towards that light bulb..BOOOM..he was flopping!!!I looked at my watch
it was 07:00 on the dot. What a crazy amazing hunt. One We will never forget!!! Turns out the shot was 53 steps. Sabrina made a great call not shooting with the 20 guage. That girl
is cool under pressure. Turns out that Eric could see the bird the whole time it was drumming and strutting it was about 75 yds from him, just too far.
Great team work...patience, persistence and determination got this bird. I can only guess at how much he gobbled. Id say 40 times. Ive never called so loud and so long and killed a bird.
That's completely breaking my self imposed rules of little soft calling... I guess its why I love turkey hunting..its NEVER the same twice!!
They say dynamite comes in small packages..well this is the lightest bird Ive ever gotten. he just tipped the scales at 15 lbs even!!! 10 in beard 1 in spurs. A Banty rooster for sure!!
One of the best hunts ive ever been on...wow...
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