One word to sum it up, Fortunate. This is going to be long but it encompasses the last three weekends of turkey season.
With the bad weather we had last year in 2011 in Indiana I wasn't able to get it done but I am sure making up for it here in my new home state of Tennessee.
Opening day
I killed a jake that sure had me fooled, thought he was tom had plenty girlfriends.
Shot at 35 yds, 4 inch beard, 1/4 inch spurs 16lbs
Then last Saturday went back to the same property after a long week in the academy. Learned kinda where the birds were roosting after the opener so instead of setting up on the field I chose to walk about 100yds due east along the timber and cut in about 60 yds to the north and button hook back to the west 60 or so yards, and this put me right at the point of a gentle slope. I was in with plenty of time to spare, got all settled in to see how the morning would unfold.
As twilight dawned, I started to notice something moving in a rather large cedar tree then several other things moving in the same tree,I am only 40yds off the roost tree you dummy.
Well the hens in this cedar started lightly tree yelping and the woods was brought to attention by a thunderous gobble to my right about 80yds.
As the Hens started to get fired up another gobbler blasted off on the roost straight out in front of me about 60 yds, Okay I was telling myself, don't call, let these hens get them all hot and bothered and you slip in like a cat burglar and take one of the toms.
Well the Hens started taking flight, one then three for a total of 7 took out first, all the while the first tom and the 2nd were losing their minds, I lost count how many times they fired off.
After the 7th hen took flight the Tom to my right took flight also and followed his ladies out to the field, Dang my plan was coming apart at the seams, Well there were three more hens in the cedar and the other Tom out in front was still in his roost just blasting off. The last 3 hens took flight and of course they went to the field but the 2nd Tom was still in the tree. Jackpot, I lightly called on my slate call, he cut me off, I paused did it alittle louder, he cut me off before I even finished a yelp. Got em. I already had a mouth call in, set the slate down, picked up the shotgun, no sooner than I had picked up the gun, he flew down in the timber and landed 60yds to my right, As soon as his feet hit the ground he was strutting and trying to find the lone lady he heard.
I have a blown down dead cedar in front of me and the decoys are set off to the left side of it. I yelped only 2 with the mouth call and here he came right down the hill on the outside of the blown down. I didn't let him make it to the decoys, he periscoped that head that was all he wrote.
20 lbs, double beard 9inch, 5.5inch 1inch spurs
Now brings me to this morning Apr 14th, 2012
Those hunts above took place in Sumner Co. and on Saturdays, and on Sundays I venture down to a small parcel 7acres that buts up a turkey mecca haha, and I strictly bowhunt this property because of the lay out and ease of using a blind.
Well the original set up was just 60 yds from the roost but the birds always pitched down to the open field on the adjoining landowner who I didn't know and I wasn't going to cross the fence without permission etc. So two Sundays and saw some birds and had some jakes that I could have shot but just wanted to hold out. During last Sundays hunt it was about 11:30 and I here the adjoining landowner riding his ranger around and he was coming closer, he went by once and didn't see me and as he was making his way by again he saw the blind and decoys and stopped. I got out and we were talking across the fence. He stated that he didn't want me shooting on him etc and I was very neighborly about it stated I wouldn't do it and if I had cause to come over the fence I would come and ask permission first. We exchanged goodbyes and Happy Easters and he went about his way and I packed up all my gear and blind and made my way back to the truck. Once there my buddies father n law that I hunt on came over and said Terry (the adjoining landowner) stated that since you bowhunt you can go on over the fence and hunt on him. HAPPY EASTER TO ME
So this brings us to Friday the 13th, I get done at the academy and I have my Double Bull in my truck. I take off once released for my hour drive to the turkey mecca. I head on back along the fence row and see two strutters and 6 hens strutting it up about 200yds to my east, so I continue to the back field where the turkeys roost and fly down every morning that I have been here. The stage is set in about 10 mins of arriving, I was in and out like a shadow.
For me to make it down there in plenty of time I got up at 330am Apr 14th and take off to see how the morning is going to unfold, I am sure glad I can't see into the future I would have been a total wreck.
I get to the blind at about 5:15 and set the decoys up, hop in the blind get all the gear (bow, quiver, coffee haha) situated and open the blind, I am thinking if its anything like last Sunday they will be on the ground at 6 and start talking about 545, well they must have had a rough night because they were about 15mins off, had me worrying that I might have pushed them out. At 6am a tom gobbled across the field from me, then another, then another, (THREE TOMS) then a jake, but I hadn't heard a hen yet.
What started at 6am-ends at 6:16 but for that 15mins in between is etched in my memory for ever. At about 610 two hens pitch down, then another, but the 3rd one I swear, lands 6ft away from the blind, in between me and my one feeding hen. Then I hear another bird pitch down (TOM) okay its game time, then another Tom pitches down. When the first Tom hit the ground he looked over saw the strutter decoy and came a running, the other Tom which was bigger kinda noticed and was just takin his time coming to me.
So I wasn't going to be picky, first opportunity I have ever had and I have Tom running in to beat down my strutter, green light. Well the First tom does make it to my strutter and commences to giving my decoy a thrashing, as he is doing this I have my bow at the ready, only need him to do is give me a good angle, he thrashes him again and starts coming around front of my decoy to get eye to eye, and that when I sent arrow quartering up in him. At the thump of the string dropping, he takes off to my right and right away I can see he isn't going far. Well the other bigger Tom must have thought my decoy which at this point looks like hot mess, had whipped his buddie and here he came in, but I didn't care, the adrenaline dump was like nothing I had ever experienced, I set my bow down, and unzipped the blind and took off to see my trophy, I am sure I scared the every living crap out of the 3 hens and the Tom but I shot at 6:16 so they have all day to get back in the area again, here is the kicker, as I am bring my bird back to the blind and packing up, I can hear hens up in the tree, the roost tree hadn't even cleared yet
21lbs 10oz
11.25 inch beard
Left spur 1 1/4
Right spur 1 3/8
Again I can only say I am grateful and fortunate, tomorrow I will be back in that blind and even if I don't hear or see a bird, the smile that is on it right now will still be there.
