Adult Spring Gobbler season started Saturday and it was a nasty morning with temps in the late 40s, high winds and rain. No surprise that nothing happened. I decided to go back home and try again on Monday. Monday found me starting the morning off with the same temp but no rain. At daybreak I had 6 hens, 2 gobblers and 1 Jake fly into the field to my front about 100 yards. I started calling and they slowly began working my way. No sooner than they started my way, 2 hunters began walking on the road on the adjacent property and the birds got spooked and came running to the side of the field that I was set up on. When the gobblers were about 55 yards away, I shot and missed cleanly. I knew better but just made a rookie mistake.
Fast-forward to this morning and I decided I would try again before I started my jobs for the day (figured it might be a waste of time due to missing the day prior and that the weather was still around 50 degrees but can't kill them from the couch). Just before daybreak, I heard one gobble from about 150 yards behind me on the other farm. I figured with it being leased to a hunting club, I wouldn't get a shot at him so I just tried calling one to my position blindly. At about 7:30 the same 2 hunters walked down the road again and I figured nothing was going to come out in the field now so I started scheduling jobs from my phone and calling periodically. At 8:15 I heard a loud gobble from my right and seen a gobbler walking the field edge away from me.
I tried calling but with out any luck. I decided I was going to have to make a move if I was going to take him so I went to the only spot I could to stalk him, the hog ditch that separates the field and woodline (I have permission to hunt the field only and it is strongly prohibited to enter the woods as it belongs to a hunting club that is leased). It has about 6in of water with some deeper spots and is about 4ft high (the only place that offered any cover). Basically had to crawl on hands and knees through the nasty cold water for about 50 yards before I got to the spot where I would use Gooserbats prototype ceramic call to coax him in and take a 35 yard shot at him in the field. Needless to say but this time I didn't miss and got my first gobbler of the spring for 2023. By far the nastiest way I have ever taken one but still so worth it (just glad I didn't get pulled over on the way home because I had to ride home with my pants around my ankles as not to contaminate my truck seats lol).
16.64lbs, 1in spurs, 10.5in beard
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