Opened our season with an old buddy of mine and his fiance. She has been wanting to kill a bird, and I promised her last year i would call one up. This guy has access to the "little Swamp" We went yesterday and got on some aggressive hens, and heard 3 gobbles. He wanted to go hit public land today and I talked into going back here. Today we were doing it my way. Parking the boat and WALKING. I got to him to beach the boat at a spot I had eyeballed. We got out the boat and immediately had one gobbling 150 yards away, then another close to the boat. We hustled in. I wanted to get in TIGHT...and my definition of tight is 75 to 50 yards. I set my buddy and his girlfriend up next to the bird, and I went left towards the others. My plan was to call from in between them and get them jealous. I would pull these bird off the roost and right in front of Jennifer. Well I hit a soft tree yelp with Mero trumpet, and also had my tom bomb in. I hit it as well to make sure reeds werent stuck with a soft tree yelp. I waited a few minutes and wanted to get some gobbling on video so I picked up the camera and yelped on the tom bomb and then quit. The bird to the right gobbled, then he gobbled again, and then to my left a LOUD gobble. I looked over and saw two longbeards running straight to the other gobbler. They werent on the right angle for Jennifer to shoot, so I cut at him and they both stopped. I let him have it with the little 20.
Jennifer still wanted to kill one so we moved down river and set up in another bottom. Changed calls and used my aluminum pot and my houndstooth split V. Worked 3 other gobblers and got one to come right in. Got it on film. Had told her to re-postion, but she didnt listen and it cost her this bird. He was standing at 35 yards and she couldnt shoot. He just turned and walked out.
