here is ohio bird number 1. it has been a tough hunt. I have been messing with a couple of different birds but they just have not been gobbling much nor cooperating. well yesterday I thought I finally had a big ol birds number. he has been roosting in the same srea and has a jake and several hens. so the day before I slipped in and set up a blind right in the roost area. I woke up at 3 am and slipped in to the blind in the black of night. was setup an hour before the crack of dawn. it was perfect! except that the tom roosted where the jake had been and the jake roosted where the tom had been. so the tom flew out and the rest joined him about 150 yards away. he shut up after fly down. so I waited a couple hours with no action so I moved the blind again and slipped out.
I knew about a spot(from finding it last week while hunting with a buddy) that the birds were using and strutting a lot. it is an old oil well road that snakes through the crp grass. so I went there and just barely made it. while I was getting my gear another truck pulled up the road. but he was ethical and turned around and left. I slipped up the road and there was fresh tracks going both ways. it had rained yesterday so I knew it could be a good sit. got chuck(my decoy) set up and cut one shooting lane in the grass to him. set up my seat and settled in.
while setting my seat I heard a hen yelp a few times down over the hill. it was perfect. I called softly a few times in the next half hour or so. with no response. so at about 11:09 I called loudly and got hammered. so I responded and again got hammered. I waited about a minute and called again. he was closer. then another minute and called and this time he was about 100 yards out. I called again with no answer. so at 11:13 I went silent. let the waiting begin!
well it turned out that waiting did not take long. at 11:20 I seen them about 65 yards coming through the grass. when he seen chuck he blew up in strut and let loose a deafening drum! then started the mean walk. when he hit the shooting lane I had about 3-5 feet before he hit chuck. well turns out chuck did not have to fight. a longbeard 3 inch #5 at 25 yards ended what I am sure would have been a violent assault on chuck.
18 pound 12 ounce 10 1/4 beard and 1 1/4 spurs. turned out to be another fine public land bird.
