Opening day in SC lowcountry

[dmatheny21]

Started off the morning against a tree at 5:30 trying to get on a bird that has been around awhile.  I heard one gobble, but wasn't close.  I made several more set ups to no avail.  At about two o'clock after a quick break I decided to give one more go at it.  I slipped into a hard wood branch and put out my decoys.  I hit the call off and on for about 45 minutes without hearing anything.  My hope was starting to fade, but I gave out a few more yelps on the spring allure and was cut off by a bird 150 yards or so away.  I hit it again and he answered, but sounded farther away.  I gave it a second and let out a string of yelps and he sounded off, but was still out a good ways.  I decided I wasn't going to play this cat and mouse game and grabbed my call and gun and took off.  I left my phone, decoys, vest, and therma-cell right there.  I began closing the distance and could tell I was gaining on him.  I stopped and yelped at him and he some how made it to my far left about the same time an airplane came over.  It gave me a chance to move in real close with out bumping him.  I sat down and with a big oak to my back and a dirt mound in front of me.  I hit the call and nothing.  I waited and hit it again and still nothing.  I figured I might have gotten too close.  I let out a couple of yelps with the new Big Lake mouth call with no response.  I decided I would give him some time as long as the mosquitos didn't carry me off.  Well about 10-15 minutes later I hear something walking in the leaves.  Sure enough he came in on my far left strutting and drumming off and on.  I shoot left handed, so I didn't know if I would ever get a shot.  He ended up easing out in front of me and when he walked around a big oak tree I situated the gun for the shot.  After the kill, my nerves must have gotten the best of me because I grabbed the bird and went to walk out and didn't realize exactly where I was at.  I took off in the direction I thought my original set up was.  After about 75 yards of walking I realized I never picked up my Spring Allure call.  I turned back to get it and got really lost.  It took me close to an hour to get out and I never found my call.  Hopefully I can slip back in there this week and retrieve it.  Sorry for the long read.  I got it on video through my Ikams, but the footage isn't great.<br />
<br />
http://youtu.be/PllMFHt5jsU


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[JVA54]

  Congrats!!

[Roostem33]

Congrats!!!!

[TRKYHTR]

That was exciting. I was waiting for him to show up to the right of the screen, when you shot I couldn't see him. Was that camera attached to your hat? Good job.

TRKYHTR

[pseshooter300]

Congrats

[Hognutz]

Congrats on the nice gobbler. The footage was good!! Well done, Daniel!!

Joe. Looks like he was using those glasses with the camera mounted in them. (Ikams). The footagwas good. Like we were looking over your shoulder. I have not seen them in action before..Very cool!!
                                                                                                                                             Mike

[dmatheny21]

http://www.scducks.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1067793


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[dmatheny21]

My bad try this...
If you read my 3-15-12 post then you will get this. I have been working nights since the day after the opener. I ended up killing a bird and in the excitement I left my Spring Allure call by the tree. I went back to get it when I realized I had forgotten it. I ended up getting turned around and decided just to get out before I had a heat stroke or the mosquito's carried me off. It was real bitter sweet. I figured I would be placing another order. Well today was my first chance to get back out there after I got off of night shift. I left work and was signed in at 8:15. I made my mind up that I was going to slip back in there and make finding the call a priority. On my way in I stopped every couple of minutes to let out some yelps. As I reached the area that I thought the call was in I heard a hen raising hell and getting closer. I barely had time to put my face mask on before she was on top of me with two jakes in tow. I got some Ikam footage, but again it still isn't great. I put the red dot on the last jake as it walked past me at 20 yards, but just couldn't pull the trigger. I figured the turkey gods owed me one, so after playing with them for a couple of minutes I began my search. It didn't take long before I had that feeling that the call was real close. I ended up walking around the back side of a tree and was thinking this looks real familiar when I saw it waiting for me to claim it. I spent the next couple hours hunting with out hearing a peep, but it didn't matter. I consider it a very successful day in the woods. Here is the link to the video:
http://youtu.be/brGTXsb9XEE
__________________
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[Ol'Mossy]

Nice video, congrats on the gobbler 

[Basser69]

Congrats on the bird! I own a pair of the phazer glasses and have never used them. After watching your video I think I will have to dig them out!

[cannonball]

Congrats!