Yesterday was my last full day of hunting in Kentucky as I have to work all weekend so I'd only be able to hunt after 6 pm. I started off with a buddy and we set up on a bird but Jakes ran him off before we ever got a chance to kill him. Heard another bird and chased him for a long time but long story short I made a move to kill him and realized he was a jake so let him walk. I had to leave at noon for a dentist appointment but took my clothes and went back to hunting as soon as I was done. Struck out at the first spot so I headed to another spot that my buddy said I could go to. My plan was to get in an area I know birds roost and hang out until I heard something or I had to go home. As soon as I sat down I called and thought I heard a distant gobble but wasn't sure. Waited a couple minutes and same thing. I stood back up so I could hear better and called again and could tell it was for sure a gobble that I was hearing but he was a real long way off. I made my way to the tree line 75 yards away and called and he answered again and I thought maybe a little closer. I decided that since he was so hot I was just going to set up and see what he did before making any moves. He was in a tiny creek bottom and I had a great setup in the corner of this field where I thought he would come out. I could tell pretty quickly that he was coming and now he was gobbling A LOT. Finally he gobbled at about 125 yards and I'm getting really excited but the next time he gobbles he sounds farther away. I'm thinking a hen must have intercepted him because he was on fire and closing ground fast. I didn't hear him for the next 5 minutes or so and then heard a very distant sounding gobble way out in front of me across the field. Long story short, the best I could figure is he had a preferred spot he used to come out in that field. Anyway he's gobbling getting closer and before long I can see him at about 150 yards out in the field. I didn't have decoys out but I set up on a little hump where I could cast my calls over either side based on where the bird was so he couldn't tell there wasn't a hen there. He's closing ground fast but drifting to my right steadily. There's a small bush to my right and I can see the bird so I wasn't able to turn that way. As he's working to my right I'm casting my calls to my left to make him think the hen he's hearing is over the hump and in the corner of the field. Before long he's gobbling straight to my right still in the field and right on the tree line I'm set up in. I shift the gun to my left hand and get ready. He's gobbling every few seconds at this point and when he's not gobbling he's walking. It didn't take long and I could hear him spitting and drumming just out of sight due to that bush on my right. A couple minutes go by and I see him walking from right to left 25 yards out and about to be straight down my barrel. The guns in my left hand so I slowly begin easing it the last couple inches up to my eye and he has no clue I'm there. He walks a few steps, stops just long enough to go in to strut, and then starts walking again desperately looking for this hen he's been hearing. About the time I get the gun up completely he's straight down my barrel and stops to go into strut. As soon as he lifts his head back up I pull the trigger and end an awesome home season on an awesome hunt and an awesome bird. I can't complain one bit
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