I killed my first gobbler of the season this morning and posted it in the kill thread...
Yep, I smoked a nice Tom this morning - just a few minutes after fly down! I believe he took a dirt nap about 7:08AM.
These are the same birds I've been setting up on in a swampy area of my hunt club. They seem to always roost in this area, but off property some times. This morning they were well within our side and close to the road and canal. So, I cross the canal bridge to get over to where they usually are and hear some gobbling and other turkey noises. I move that way and setup and get quiet - then I hear hens tree yelping in the direction I heard the gobbler and knew I was in a good spot. I heard the gobbler sound off a few more times and I guess a Jake trying to gobble as well after the Tom gobbled. I sit awhile and hear 1-2 more gobblers further down the way and 1 right across the road 100 yards to my right...that's the first time I have heard one there. So, all of them were on our side for once. I start tree yulping, peering and putting with my glass pot call and so are the hens close by. This must have been music to this gobbler's ears.
So, I reckon right at sunrise (7:03AM) this gobbler pitched off the roost and started heading my way. I didn't see him pitch out and figured he was still on the roost (like the hens) and then he gobbles on the ground 60 yards from me! I was a little surprised and glad he sounded off 1 time, so I could pinpoint him. Then I see him off to my right and I need to reposition a little since I'm right handed. I watch him go behind a cypress tree and then see he will be behind a clump of big cypress trees in a few more steps. Once he goes behind them I repositioned on my gobble lounger and waited for him to step out from behind those trees and BOOM! BBD! Big bird down in the SC low country...he dropped dead in his tracks at 30 yards from me. He didn't even flop once - that is a first for me, usually they flop a little. The 3.5 inch Nitro 4x5x7 loads are deadly!
I went up to him and checked him out - he was taking a dirt nap for sure. Then I head back to my gear and hear that other gobbler sound off across the way, and thought he might fly down over here with the hens still on the roost near me. So, I waited and called some more and he stayed on the roost for another 20 minutes or more. I watched 1 of the hens fly down over the canal onto the road to him. So, I grab my bird and gear and head back to the bridge and my truck. Then I hear this gobbler still gobbling, so I head to him but no luck that hen pulled him away. I'll go after him another day.
Here are the stats from today's kill:
10 3/8 inch beard
1 1/4 inch spurs
15lbs. 8oz.
