Decided to hunt a big set of creek bottoms this morning. I had watched a longbeard fly out into this set of bottoms about a week before season, and last Tuesday I hunted the woods joining these fields and had a longbeard strut 35 yards from me for three hours never giving me an opportunity for a shot except for fleeting glimpses through the brush. This morning after the twenty minute walk to the end of the bottoms I found a good sized tree with descent cover along the creek bank beside the field. As I was setting against the tree to check my field of view a turkey gobbled right behind me in the woods across the creek. He was so close I could here him spitting and drumming on the limb. I crawled 10 to 15 yards back out into the field, put my hen decoy and Montana strutter decoy in the ground, and eased back to the tree. Come fly down a hen flew out to my right about 60 yds. and the gobbler and another hen flew out about 70 yds. to my left just out of view. I never made a call. The hen with the gobbler came in to my decoys and fed on. I was afraid she was going to bust me but she didn't. A couple minutes later here come Ol' Tom about half strut into view. When he got to what I thought was in range I let him have it. At about 06:10 I had my hands around his legs. Even at 42 steps the Browning BPS 10 loaded with Nitro Co. 3 oz. #4s (101L) wreaked havoc on this poor fellow. After missing two turkeys the first day, killing one the second day (last Sunday), and having this turkey give me the slip the other day, it felt good to let the thunder roll this morning from the 10 down in those creek bottoms. The good thing is both Sundays I was back in time for church. Which, I not missing Church for turkey hunting. I have to keep my priorities in check.
