That was nice!

[hs strut]

Let me start this by saying reading some of you alls post on a few of my previous posts has helped me change my attitude a little bit and helped me relax. Last season I did not kill a bird and that had me a little rattled coming into season this previous Saturday. I've hunted the past 5 days since it opened and up until this afternoon I wasn't even sure I remembered what a gobbler looked like. I hunted two different spots pretty hard til about noon and decided to go home. I checked my trail cameras upon arriving home to see that one of my gobblers had finally shown himself since disappearing 3 weeks ago he and 4 jakes and 2 hens had been on the front side of our farm only an hour and half before I got home. Excited to see this I kept an extra close eye on all of the pastures we can see from the house and sure enough around 1:15 I looked out and there he was. I rapidly got ready and tried to get around him and snuck to within 60-70 yards. Never able to really set up a hen showed up and they both fed along. My dumb horse eagerly greeted me sitting at the base of a tree and spooked the turkeys and I thought I was done for... Fast forward to 3:23 when I go outside to grab something out of my truck and a crow hammers behind my barn and this guy hammers 3 times in a row.. I grabbed my stuff and ran up the steepest ridge on the property. I set my avian x jake and lookout up in a roadbed that runs directly down the center of the ridge and go sit down. I decided to cut n Yelp on my box call and then shut up. Shortly after I see 5 turkeys cautiously pop up about 120 yards down the roadbed as they come closer what was 4 jakes bail off the side of the ridge and the Tom who immediately saw the decoys turned red with envy. He marched up and abruptly stopped at 40 yards and popped into full strut he slowly waltzed his way another 14 yards. I waste no time and send a 3" federal third degree screaming his way only to stop him in his tracks at 3:32 a mere 9 minutes after I heard him gobble. He had a 9 & 3/4 inch beard with matching 7/8 inch Spurs and weighed 21lbs even!

first i would like to say congrats on the bird. i goose egged last year myself and can understand the frustration but as you can see patience pays off.

[greentag]

i read your other post where you were shook up over not having a chance yet,congrats on getting it done.as long as you are out there after them you will always have a chance.sometimes it happens so quick its crazy,just got to not worry about things and get out there after them.he's a good looking bird too.now go get you another!

[bmhern]

Well done, congrats!!