It's been a couple busy weeks and boy do I owe this group a couple stories. Between work, 2 boys playing baseball and an extended power outage from a storm it's been a while. So without further ado here is the recap.
April 26, Pennsylvania youth day. My oldest had an 8am baseball game an hour away so he's out. My youngest is up to bat. A_Jabbo and I had been watching a pair of longbeards so we set up the blind and let the woods wake up. Shortly after fly-down a hen worked up over the hill and not long after the two longbeards broke the field, gave the dekes a look and headed up over the hill without coming within 100 yards. Something about their skittishness made me think they were running for their lives. 10 minutes later that reason broke the treeline. 7 jakes came single file gobbling in unison and acting like they owned the place. They saw the dekes and and here came the parade. All 7 circled the Jake decoy and it looked like a merry-go-round at the carnival. One broke and I gave the OK to shoot and at 18 yards my boy clean missed! I guess that Apple doesn't fall far from the tree. A_Jabbo hit them with a fighting purr and they came back while I fumbled to get the gun reloaded. At this point they didn't want to fully commit back to the decoys but stayed within range and worked back towards the woods. At 32 yards, shot 2 rang out and only 6 of the jakes were capable of leaving.
(https://i.ibb.co/svfx2PQG/IMG-3827.jpg)
Fast forward one week and there's no baseball tournament for opening day weekend. So my oldest is up and we're chasing the same two longbeards. We're set up on the other side of the field and we left the Jake decoy in the truck. They gobbled on the limb some and and not long after flydown there was a shot at the neighbors. Close enough to put doubt in our minds for the rest of the morning. I told A_Jabbo we would just sit and wait till we had to leave at 9:30. We didn't have to wait that long. Half an hour after the shot a single longbeard broke the wood line and strutted into the pair of hen decoys. This is where things got a little squirrelly. E was in a position that he was going to hit the blind if he pulled the trigger. He noticed it, pulled the gun off the bog pod and slid onto my left knee and touched the shot off. Free hand. And at 25 yards that bird barely flopped. The kid has ice in his veins (until after the shot). He must get that from his mother.
(https://i.ibb.co/G4Pm9Qf3/IMG-3021.jpg%5B/imgSo%20that%20brings%20us%20to%20today%20and%20the%20mentors%20(read%20that.....old%20but%20not%20too%20old%20guys)%20get%20a%20chance%20for%20a%20little%20hunt%20before%20we%20had%20to%20punch%20the%20clock.%20As%20usual%20we%20go%20to%20the%20place%20we%20can't%20scout%20but%20has%20been%20good%20to%20us%20in%20the%20past.%20We%20doubled%20there%20last%20year.%20It's%20a%20hike,%20we%20don't%20have%20much%20time%20and%20when%20the%20birds%20gobbled%20from%20the%20tree%20we%20lost%20hope.%20The%20birds%20were%20low%20on%20the%20hill,%20a%20long%20ways%20from%20the%20gas%20line%20we%20were%20set%20on.%20Hope%20was%20low%20but%20they%20were%20gobbling%20well%20and%20we%20alternated%20between%20A_Jabbo%20running%20a%20mouth%20call%20and%20me%20running%20a%20pot.%20It%20was%20just%20fun%20to%20hear%20them%20gobble%20and%20watch%20the%20sunrise.%20At%20some%20point%20the%20birds%20stopped%20answering%20and%20A_Jabbo%20and%20I%20both%20half%20wondered%20if%20they%20were%20coming%20but%20never%20said%20anything.%20Out%20of%20nowhere%20a%20gobbled%20just%20about%20blew%20our%20hats%20off%20from%20right%20over%20the%20hill%20and%20like%20two%20big,%20bearded,%20and%20manly%20Olympic%20synchronized%20swimmers%20the%20guns%20came%20up%20in%20unison.%20The%20first%20white%20head%20broke%20the%20roll%20in%20the%20hill%20and%20I%20told%20A_Jabbo%20it%20was%20all%20him.%20The%20words%20barely%20left%20my%20mouth%20when%20the%20second%20white%20head%20broke%20the%20hill.%20Game%20on,%20I'm%20on%20the%20right%20bird%20A_Jabbo%20on%20the%20left%20bird.%20Countdown%20was%20initiated%20and%20at%20the%20shot%20a%20bird%20with%20a%20paintbrush%20of%20a%20bird%20flapped%2015%20feet%20in%20the%20air%20and%20landed%20on%20his%20feet.%20I%20knew%20my%20bird%20fell%20so%20I%20thought%20A_Jabbo%20winged%20his.%20I%20told%20him%20to%20get%20on%20his%20bird%20and%20he%20looked%20at%20me%20like%20I%20had%20lost%20my%20mind.%20Turns%20out%20there%20were%20three%20longbeards%20and%20there%20were%20two%20laying%20in%20the%20gas%20line.%20What%20a%20freaking%20great%20days%20of%20hunting!!%5Bimg%5Dhttps://i.ibb.co/sp3JF2NP/IMG-3865.jpg)
So that brings us to today and the mentors (read that.....old but not too old guys) get a chance for a little hunt before we had to punch the clock. As usual we go to the place we can't scout but has been good to us in the past.
We doubled there last year.
It's a hike, we don't have much time and when the birds gobbled from the tree we lost hope. The birds were low on the hill, a long ways from the gas line we were set on. Hope was low but they were gobbling well and we alternated between A_Jabbo running a mouth call and me running a pot. It was just fun to hear them gobble and watch the sunrise. At some point the birds stopped answering and A_Jabbo and I both half wondered if they were coming but never said anything. Out of nowhere a gobbled just about blew our hats off from right over the hill and like two big, bearded, and manly Olympic synchronized swimmers the guns came up in unison. The first white head broke the roll in the hill and I told A_Jabbo it was all him. The words barely left my mouth when the second white head broke the hill. Game on, I'm on the right bird A_Jabbo on the left bird. Countdown was initiated and at the shot a bird with a paintbrush of a bird flapped 15 feet in the air and landed on his feet. I knew my bird fell so I thought A_Jabbo winged his. I told him to get on his bird and he looked at me like I had lost my mind. Turns out there were three longbeards and there were two laying in the gas line. What a freaking great days of hunting!!
(https://i.ibb.co/sp3JF2NP/IMG-3865.jpg)
Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about, son !!!
Tons of congrats to all of yinz !!!
:z-guntootsmiley:
Beautifully done gentlemen or....manly synchronized swimmers! :funnyturkey:
That's a Pennsylvania beatdown. Congratulations.
Great stories, very nice birds and a great season so far. Congrats to you all. Z