It is fun to tell our successes, but I seem to enjoy the failures a lot more for a story. "He gobbled every breath and came in on a string and I killed him at 20 steps" is just not as interesting to me. Not that I mind when that happens, just that it does not make a good story.
So there is a bird (and a couple of other subordinates in the area) that we have been hunting. I say we because there are 5 family members that all share info freely-we all have other commitments and have been taking turns. We have been hunting these public woods for 25 years, so we know them well. Things have changed a lot since the hurricane and it is hard to move around due to the blowdowns and limbs everywhere. It is hard to get through the thick areas normally, but now it is really tough and we have been learning new ways in to the bottoms.
So we had this bird three different times within 100 yards of us-once me and brother, would not come around a blowdown and a hen went to him: once with my two nephews that could not get in front of him due to a once useable trail that is impassable; once my brother and my son in law but he would not come down the ridge he was on.
So I formulated a plan with my nephew. We were gonna beat him to the spot he would head to after flydown. Get there well ahead of him, so if we made a lot of noise, we were far enough away we could safely get there. We did just that on Saturday and sure enough, about 8:30, he showed up, about 250 yards from us. We heard him gobbling on the thick ridge above us. He liked my nephew's mouth call and gobbled to him multiple times, but would not come down the ridge, we could tell he was strutting up on the ridge. I implement my plan and ease up, with a blowdown between me and the bird and walk away, cutting and yelping as I go. I get about 40 yards away with my back to the bird and my nephew holding tight. Sure enough, he gobbles and has closed the distance. I keep at the light cutting and it is making him nuts and he is obviously following, quickly. He bends one way, so I ease the other, keeping my nephew between me and the bird-it is working like a charm. He is now getting close so I sit down, scared of spooking him. I can't see my nephew but can see the two leaning trees he is sitting near-about 80 or so yards from me. I do a single cutt and he explodes with a gobble - CLOSE. I think to myself he must be sitting on my nephew's head at this point. I get the gun up in case he skirts him and stop calling-I don't want him to skirt him. He then gobbles again and I can't believe I have not heard a shot. I am looking right at the trees my nephew is sitting under and way up in the very top of one of them, a big dead limb lets loose and falls, hitting some vines on the way down. It is a huge oak and my nephew is not even touching the tree, sitting several feet in front of it. WTH? The bird gobbles, then again farther way, then again even farther. Then my nephew calls and I know the game is over. The bird answers him, but almost out of earshot. I try to circle the bird, but can't get in front of him due to an oxbow in my way.
After it is over, I head back to my nephew. He said the bird came in perfectly, right down the little trail we expected him to. He stops and is strutting there and gobbling to my calls - 47 yards from my nephew who has his gun up. He holds off on the shot as too far and the bird starts working at an angle that will put him closer to him, strutting and gobbling. He walks behind the thick tangle instead of on my nephew's side. No shot and about 35 yards away. Can see him well, just too thick to take a shot. Then the limb lets lose, scared the shiite out of my nephew when it happened. He said the bird went out of strut and just started easing away-not totally spooked, but not coming back-keeping the thick tangle between him and the bird the whole way.
Our plan nearly worked, got him to close 200 of the yards, and just the randomness of the woods and the falling of a limb at the exact wrong moment saved Old Tom's life. He said he was a nice mature bird with a long thick beard.
The best part about the location is that is a long walk in from parking - right at a mile and we have not seen any other human tracks there. We know there are two other birds in the area as well, so we will be back.
