Home opener redemption

[Yoder409]

So Florida sucked.  Maryland was a bust.  And I was "informed" a week ago that an intruder was going to be hunting the same place as me on OUR family property.  And the weatherman was calling for 90% chance of rain.  I wasn't in the best of moods, to put it lightly.

Couple days ago the intruder decided to hunt a distance away from where I planned to be.  So that was a plus.  A plus UNTIL the only bird I roosted Friday night was on a limb RIGHT where this person was gonna be.  Nothing but a hen roosted where I had planned to go.

So, Saturday morning I made the decision to hunt this roosted bird from 350-400 yards away.  I get to where I had decided to set up and I put a decoy out.  I had thought the bird had flown up BETWEEN where I was and where the other person was going to be.  At 6:00 sharp he gobbles....and is on the other side of where my competition was to be.  Crap !!!  So, now, if I can call this thing that whole way, it's gonna walk RIGHT past the other hunter.  All I could do was hope the rain had kept the other person in the house.  I was going for broke with my fingers crossed.

So, I never call to a bird on the limb unless I'm in tight and it's some nearly inaudible tree talk.  Not this time.  I did 3 separate fly-downs and finished them out with some hard cutting.  Basically, painted that boy a turkey porno flick in his mind.  He was going nutz.  He flew down and started gobbling and I just poured it to him til I could tell he had moved my way some.  I shut up and started praying to NOT hear a shot when the bird rounded the woods corner where the other person may be.  He kept gobbling and moving my way.  Then it became apparent that he was past the woods corner.....no shot and still coming.  Gobbling HARD !!!  So I gave him some more aggressive cutting and wound him up like a clock spring.  Gobbles were now 10 or 15 seconds apart and every one was noticeably closer.  Then he comes into sight and walks to about 65-70 yards and stops.  He's standing there gobbling his head off...but looking very tentative.  CRAP !!!  He starts walking straight to one of our tractor roads that is right in front of him.  It goes straight away through an open stand of maple timber....and outta sight.  He gobbles.  I yelp softly.  He gobbles.  I start cluck-purring.  He double gobbles.  Triple gobbles.  I keep it up and he walks back outta the timber and 10 yards closer.  He starts down the edge that'll bring him right in front of me at 30-couple yards.  Dot is on his neck, hammer is back and finger is on the gas pedal.  I am looking from him to my decoy and back and figuring he IS close enough if I have to, but PLEASE keep walking.  He stops.  I glance to the deke for another distance reference and when I look back, he's turned and had taken 2 steps back into the timber.  Full send on the Heavy 7's.  Dumps him with authority.

I had a very strong feeling this was the bird I was hoping to target with one of my tags.  I had a couple trailcam pics of a bird with decent spurs and a couple barred center tail feathers.  Bingo !!  Walked over to him flopping his last and there were the tailfeathers.  There were the spurs.

Pretty tickled with him.  Definitely NOT the way I go about things most of the time, as far as the calling game went.  But, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measure.

Improvise.....adapt.....overcome.

[Tom007]

Great story brother! Congrats

[POk3s]

Love to see it! You deserved one! Now...explain how an intruder can be on your land and you can't tell them to well "eff off"?

[JeffC]

Congrats Don, when it happens like that, you forget all about the empty trips and BS it takes to get it done. Great pictures and story.

[Yoder409]

Now...explain how an intruder can be on your land and you can't tell them to well "eff off"?

It's a frustrating concept.

Between 5 separate family members we have 5 adjoining parcels that total right around 385 acres. 

Not every member shares the same passion for hunting as do I.  And not every member seems to feel ownership = "exclusive family rights".

Don't misunderstand. I'm an S.O.B. when it comes to trespassers.  But, even I do allow a SELECT few on my parcel to hunt.  But, my best friend in the world wouldn't ASK me to hunt turkeys in the spring. I may INVITE him, but....  It's just an understanding. 

Anyways..... A certain person has made themselves WAAAY too much at home on another parcel and that owner could care less.   

[POk3s]

Now...explain how an intruder can be on your land and you can't tell them to well "eff off"?

It's a frustrating concept.

Between 5 separate family members we have 5 adjoining parcels that total right around 385 acres. 

Not every member shares the same passion for hunting as do I.  And not every member seems to feel ownership = "exclusive family rights".

Don't misunderstand. I'm an S.O.B. when it comes to trespassers.  But, even I do allow a SELECT few on my parcel to hunt.  But, my best friend in the world wouldn't ASK me to hunt turkeys in the spring. I may INVITE him, but....  It's just an understanding. 

Anyways..... A certain person has made themselves WAAAY too much at home on another parcel and that owner could care less.   

I knew it would probably bring up a sore subject, and I apologize. I don't have any family land to hunt but do hunt on other land from time to time and seeming everyone struggles with this.

[Yoder409]

Now...explain how an intruder can be on your land and you can't tell them to well "eff off"?

It's a frustrating concept.

Between 5 separate family members we have 5 adjoining parcels that total right around 385 acres. 

Not every member shares the same passion for hunting as do I.  And not every member seems to feel ownership = "exclusive family rights".

Don't misunderstand. I'm an S.O.B. when it comes to trespassers.  But, even I do allow a SELECT few on my parcel to hunt.  But, my best friend in the world wouldn't ASK me to hunt turkeys in the spring. I may INVITE him, but....  It's just an understanding. 

Anyways..... A certain person has made themselves WAAAY too much at home on another parcel and that owner could care less.   

I knew it would probably bring up a sore subject, and I apologize. I don't have any family land to hunt but do hunt on other land from time to time and seeming everyone struggles with this.

No apologies necessary.  Not in the LEAST. 

Kinda funny the way the intruder ended up getting the big "eff u" and they weren't even there to realize it.   

BTW..... Got one roosted this evening and he's in a really bad neighborhood.   

[POk3s]

Now...explain how an intruder can be on your land and you can't tell them to well "eff off"?

It's a frustrating concept.

Between 5 separate family members we have 5 adjoining parcels that total right around 385 acres. 

Not every member shares the same passion for hunting as do I.  And not every member seems to feel ownership = "exclusive family rights".

Don't misunderstand. I'm an S.O.B. when it comes to trespassers.  But, even I do allow a SELECT few on my parcel to hunt.  But, my best friend in the world wouldn't ASK me to hunt turkeys in the spring. I may INVITE him, but....  It's just an understanding. 

Anyways..... A certain person has made themselves WAAAY too much at home on another parcel and that owner could care less.   

I knew it would probably bring up a sore subject, and I apologize. I don't have any family land to hunt but do hunt on other land from time to time and seeming everyone struggles with this.

No apologies necessary.  Not in the LEAST. 

Kinda funny the way the intruder ended up getting the big "eff u" and they weren't even there to realize it.   

BTW..... Got one roosted this evening and he's in a really bad neighborhood.   

Good deal!! Go get him!

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Congrats on a great bird!

[a_jabbo]

Yes sir!!! Way to go Yoder. What a great gobbler.

[nyturkeyduster]

I deal with this every season on a couple of the private spots I hunt. You learn quick to get there first and hunt the bad weather days, when the part timers are still in bed.

Congratulations. That's a beautiful bird.