The New York season kicked off yesterday. I hunted the entire morning yesterday until the close of shooting hours and saw 1 hen, 9 jakes and 1 longbeard. The longbeard was kept out of range by a gang of bully jakes. Lots of gobbling, lots of repositioning trying to get the longbeard in close, to no avail.
I returned this morning and hit them from another angle, I didn't hear a gobble until well after flydown time but had 3 hens walk past me single file, so I thought I was in the game. I called soft and sparingly, and had a few close gobbles and jake yelps behind me. I sat quiet for a good while hoping for one to show up. The next round of gobbling sounded farther away and off the property so I let out some loud yelping and cutting and then sat quiet. Without warning, this longbeard trots in on a deer trail at 20 yards and screened by brush, catching me by total surprise. We see each other at the same time and the gig is up. He alarm putts and takes off on a dead run and I shoot him like a rabbit at 15 yards.
21 lbs.
9 5/8" beard
1" spurs
My 4 year old got to take some feathers into class for show and tell.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SXv84P3n/IMG-2753.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SXv84P3n)
(https://i.postimg.cc/rDq5Nx5w/IMG-2778.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rDq5Nx5w)
Congrats my friend, nice job!
AWESOME !!!
Congrats on a nice bird !!!
Longbeards trotting in is one of life's simple pleasures! Well done buddy!
Well done!! Congrats
That's awesome..great job!
It's crazy how ours ended May 1st and yours has just started!
Way to go! Congrats!!!
Heck yeah!!! Atta boy. Congrats.