The season started out well with a nice two year old taken with a Magnus Bullhead. Missed a bird with the Bullhead the second day of the season that was a real good one. Went back to reshoot all the Bullheads and found that between arrows ( all the same type, weight and fletching) I had different impact points. Was not able to get consistent enough with my shooting to take them back out yet.
Seems birds are kind of shut down in some of my hunting spots while ten miles away they're still firing up. Birds were fired up on the roost the morning of the hunt. I could hear multiple gobblers in both directions of my set up. All on non-huntable properties. When they hit the ground they would answer the call, but not really moving much closer. At one point they sounded under a hundred yards, but I can't see them because of a heavy brush thicket about 50 yards wide.
About an hour or so into the morning I hear a gobble from the opposite direction. I peaked out a side window and could see a tom about 50 yards out, standing erect and looking at the decoys. With in a few minutes he had slid in and was struttng 10 yards
behind the blind. He never came to the front, but after a few minutes i started to call when he'd strutt away. He'd gobble and the other group of birds on the opposite side of the brush thicket would respond also.
Sorry for the poor photos- taken with my flip phone- I forgot the camera. This is the strutter behind the blind.
Calling went to aggressive cutting and fighting purrs. Gobblers were gobbling at each other. The ones on the far side of the brush thicket gobbling at the bird by me. I was standing up to look out the back/side window to watch the behind the blind strutter when I heard a putt in front of the blind. When I looked out front.... they were all coming out of the brush.
First thing I did was grab the bow... then I thought ... get a picture first. So here it is before I shot. Bird on the far right was going to be the target. A toad. Might be a little shaky- wish I had a video of this.
Well short story is he was in full strutt. When all the birds came in they were bumping the jake decoy. It turned the decoy to the side, so when he came face to face with it I had a side shot. I wanted a rear strutting shot, but now had been at draw too long. I tried to get too fancy and shoot him in the head. Must have missed an inch behind his head. Just cut feathers. They all scattered. He looked like he was staying out, and one of his com-padre's came back.
Shot looks a little low, but he was above me a little. Rage 2" actually cut the junction of the windpipe to the lungs. He went about 6 yards. Spurs 1", beard 11 1/4" and 19 1/2 pounds.
A picture after I had shot, the big one did come back in. Hope he doesn't die of old age before next year. Birds in the background were by the dead bird in the grass.
Calls that I use are from SS Custom Calls, and Bill Baublit Custom Box Calls. I was using one of Bills slate for the cutting and purrs. I can only do that on a slate. Its been a good year.
