The King is Dead.

[snoman4]

Well, last Tuesday, I had two friends, Eric and his wife Amanda, from Pennsylvania in hunting with me for 4 days.  It was tough hunting as the birds weren't really gobbling after a rain storm and barometer drop. 

On Tuesday, I took Amanda with me to go after the big bird while Eric hunted the area where Muzzy61 killed his bird, 2 miles south of us.  We got in close to where I knew him to be roosted, 100 yards away.  As daylight was breaking, he gobbled on his own.  I gave him a few owl and crow calls to keep him hot.  About 20 minutes before flydown, I did some light tree yelps and clucks and was rewarded with double and triple gobbles.  After flydown, he started yelping, and I cut him off, and he gobbled once but further away, heading northeast of us.   He didn't answer any more calls, and it was like he fell off the face of the earth. 

About 10:30, we backed out to a blind a few hundred yards south of where we last heard him to try and wait him out.  About noon, I texted Eric to go to an area about 5/8 of a mile west of where I was with Amanda that was across a large dirt road.  He got settled in, called a few times, and was rewarded with 4-5 gobbles in the neighbor's field.  He then saw hens fly into the swamp on our side of the fence along with a red-headed bird.  A minute later, he heard voices in the neighbor's field and knew they spooked the birds.  He wanted to leave, and I convinced him to stay. 

About 3:00 Amanda and I heard a shot and I told her that was Eric.  We texted and he said ding dong the king is dead.  The crazy bird traveled well over a half mile and across a dirt road from where we had him gobbling in the AM.  This is not typical for the Osceolas on the 1800 acres we hunt.  He weighed 19.8 lbs, had a 12" and 4.75" beard with a set of 1.5" and 1.58" spurs. 

[lacire]

Congratulations, beautiful bird.

[Tom007]

Real nice, congrats!

[zelmo1]

Stud down

[JeffC]

Congrats to your friends, how about putting me on 1 that size, good buddy ??  How many hours you think you have into chasing him? This is same bird from last year right?

[Muzzy61]

Congrats to your friends, how about putting me on 1 that size, good buddy ??  How many hours you think you have into chasing him? This is same bird from last year right?

I can confirm a lot of hours and a few sleepless night were involved in hunting this stud of a bird.
It's a testament to to what a good guy snowman is. He's had a lot of personal battles with this bird, it would have been easy for him to put his friends on another bird. But he knew they had come a long way for a Osceola and he was going to put them on the best bird he could.

[snoman4]

Congrats to your friends, how about putting me on 1 that size, good buddy ??  How many hours you think you have into chasing him? This is same bird from last year right?

Yes the very same bird.  I would say I have over 100 hrs in him between last and this year. 

[Happy]

Dang, that's a good one. Well done!

[Spellnj3]

DANG!!!!   Thats a boss gobbler right there!!