Old Warrior Down

[harleytom]

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Been going back and forth with this old boy for over a week. He rooted in the head of a bottom that had a nice clover field on top. Heard him gobble from the roost several times since opening day but he would never come to my calls and only entered the field sporadically. My tracking cameras showed him there on days I hunted elsewhere or didn't hunt so I told my wife I was gonna lock in on that field and hunt there until I got him or season ended. Yesterday morning I sat up before dawn and he began gobbling at sunrise. He was not firing off quickly even to my calls but just letting everyone know he was there. He gobbled about 3 times after fly down and began to walk down the bottom as was his routine. I figured he was henned up but still gave him a few light cutts and yelps. As he seemed to get further away I decided to just go quiet. After a few minutes he gobbled again and I thought he sounded much closer but I just continued to wait. About 10 minutes later he popped up on field edge about 45 yards away. He as eyeing my decoy and went into half strut. I had an awkward shooting angle (of course) so I was going to wait. He wouldn't move an inch and then he gobbled hard at the decoy. Fearing he was suspicious I took the shot. To my dismay, I missed, and he began running across the field parallel to my left. I swung on him and shot again. The load of #9 TSS caught up to him at 52 yards and he rolled up without a flop. Standing over him I almost regret not being able to hunt him again. He was certainly a cagey old bird and I must have just caught him on a morning without his hens close by. Many memories made on this bird and very impressed with the performance of my gun and load.

[xarcher]

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Awesome story. Way to stick with it.

[OldSchool]

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Congrats on a beauty!! Thanks for sharing.

Bob

[surehuntsalot]

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congrats on the bird, great hunt

[FullChoke]

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I understand the feeling of regret of not being able to hunt this old man anymore. He is a great gobbler. Congratulations.

FC

[Eric Gregg]

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Persistence pays off! Great job

[old frank]

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Patience kills more turkeys than anything else.

Congratulations!

[harleytom]

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Thanks and I agree, the one thing I've worked on that has helped my turkey hunting more than anything else is being patient. It's also been the hardest thing to learn for me.

[old frank]

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It is hard because you can't buy it or learn it from a video!
Yesterday I sat five hours at the end of a field where it meets the woods. Friend has been seeing a big gobbler there. I heard and saw nothing.
He text me this morning and from his porch he can hear the bird gobbling.
He is trying my patience but I will stay with it.

[harleytom]

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Hang in there, it's worth it in the end. Good luck. I'm on field edge today. Had on talking good early but must have gotten with hens soon after flydown. I've had 5 different hens come in on me so far. Prepared to sit it out if necessary.

[cramerhunts]

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Man that's awesome! Congratulations on taking the old warrior!

[Hooter]

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Another nice Gobbler, and nice Stoeger too!!! 

[Dr Juice]

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That's a smoker, congrats!

[mason3toes]

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Great story.