Heard this bird early in the season. Had a pile of hens so decided I would try him later on after I can get out alone. Got in there yesterday morning and heard nothing on the roost. The last time I was in there I had talked to an old man who had heard him as well that had a rifle so I thought maybe he killed him. About 6:30 I hear a hen yelp on the mountain across from me about 400 yards away. I yelped back and she came back cutting. We went on like this for about 10 minutes and I thought dang there must not be any around or they got killed. Finally one gobbles a couple hundred yards right of her then one behind me. Bingo there he is.
I went off the ridge and straight up another. I yelped as soon as I topped out and he cut me off about 125 yards away. I sit down and get my gun up. A few minutes I see him coming at a fast walk about 75 yards away. He goes down in a depression about 50 yards away and triple gobbles. I thought well this is going to be a quick hunt (you know how that goes). I catch movement to my left and I can see a hen standing not 15 yards away. My mind races, do I use her as a live decoy or spook her off? I chose not to spook her and that backfired. She went straight to him and never heard or seen him again rest of the day.
Go back this morning. He gobbles about 80 yards away at 6:04. He gobbled about 10-12 times on the limb then I done a flydown cackle and he answered. Next 20 minutes was silence from him and me. I thought I would be able to hear him fly down but never did. All I heard was doooooooooom. I get my cheek on the stock and he pops his head up about 25 yards. A small sapling had half his head covered so I decided to let him take one more step but after 10 secs I just eased out a tad and let the TSS eat.
All I see is a turkey fly up in a tree! Im like no way did I miss. I sat there with a deep sickening gut feeling while this turkey is in a tree putting at me. It pitched out a few minutes later and seen it was a hen so I got up and walked over and sure enough he was laying on his back stone dead. With a visual of a turkey flying and no audio of one flopping I naturally thought the worse. Talk about going from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs! Good way to end on already great season. These are the sharpest set of spurs I've killed on a mountain bird and the 3rd longest. Got him in the freezer to be mounted. Anyone know any good taxidermist in the western part of Virginia? 21 lb 6 oz, 1 3/8" spurs, 10 1/8" thick beard
He did get a piece of me though when I was carrying him out and my hand slipped.
