Not huge, but a good bird. I flew down Saturday and shot him on my property near Macon this morning. I'll get pics up when I get home.
19.5 lbs, 10 inch beard, 1 inch rt and 7/8 inch lt spurs
I got to Atlanta around 11 on Saturday, April 2nd. The drive to Macon was roughly 2.5 hours with some traffic and I stopped by my place to walk around and see what has or has not been in the area. The first thing I noticed is how green and thick it already is down there, The last few years I have went down in April haven't been like this. It seemed like June and Macon had received 4 inches of rain the week I came down, with 1/4 inch the night before I showed up. The roads were washed clear of any tracks so I decided to back on out and go get some food and sleep.
Morning 1, April 3rd. No gobbling off the roost at all. Seemed like a perfect morning to me, right around 55 with a high predicted of 70, little wind to speak of. I waited till 7:45 on a high point on the property. Sunrise was 7:20 am and I had heard no signs of active birds, so I decided to head to a part of the property where I have seen a few birds and missed one 2 years ago. It's a nice area that transitions from pines to an oak bottom with a food plot about 100 yards away. I sat down and gave a few yelps and began the wait. About 15 minutes later a jake showed up and busted me a little too easily. I wasn't planning on shooting him, but even if I had, he nailed me. I decided to move the operation to a better concealed area around some briers and a fallen hickory tree. I sat there for two hours and saw two different hens, each alone and I began to suspect things were a little ahead of schedule here in GA. They were likely nesting somewhere near and I decided I had had enough and moved to another area. As I walked I came upon another lone hen feeding on an old logging deck. I made a little too much noise and she was gone. I grabbed a bite, napped and started off for an old field, where I sat till near dark. No other bird sightings.
Day 2, I moved further off the property to a buddies where two power lines converge to make a T. 7:10....GOBBLE...but only once and that was it, I gave a soft yelp at 7:25, but nothing. Tight lipped!!!!! At 7:30 or so I heard a bird pitch down on the other side of the power line. I was set up in some thick pines with only three shooting lanes. The power line is hilly and the grass was about 7-8 inches tall. I caught a glimpse of two hens followed by a strutting gobbler at about my 9 O'clock. I was walled in good and had no trouble turning my head to watch, but I didn't try to move. The bird never gobbled....only spit and drummed. I could hear the spit but he was too far for me to hear the deep drum. I estimate he played around at 70 yards for 25-30 minutes before heading off over a hill at the top of the line. As he crested the hill I gave some yelps with a good cutting sequence and he hammered off....he got pretty excited and came back to the top of the hill to gobble, but always looking back to where I assumed the hens were. He gobbled every minute or so for 10 minutes before disappearing back over the top of the power line.
Here is where I went against my gut and decided to move after 20 minutes of no gobbling and having lost sight of the bird. I made a horse shoe through the pines and toward the top where I had last seen him. I figured he heard me and would come back my way as soon as the girls were dome with him. As I made it back close to the power line, I saw him......I thought I was busted for sure, but as luck would have it, his butt was facing me, in full strut and he couldn't see me. I quickly squated on the best spot I could find and after a few minutes I began some soft yelps. As i got a yelp out, I heard a hen get fired up and I caught sight of her heading my way. I'm thinking "I'm Done", but as luck would have it, the gobbler tried to cut her off and ended up 35 yards from me. He turned to strut toward the other hen and I was gun up. The closer hen putted, but it was too late. Bird down.
Congrats :z-guntootsmiley:
Guns-N-Hoses gettin it done now! Right on!
Congrats on a fine bird :icon_thumright: #3 on the board for us, wooo hooo :smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an
That's an awesome Gobbler for sure. :firefighter:
Sweet!
Good job
Good bird down. Sounds like a plan worked. !!!
Good job!
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Good deal.
Sounds like a very exciting hunt!! Congrats!!
Good going bod, congrats!