Up and Down TN Opener

[shortmag4me]

Wow where to start.
Oh yeah them hillsides grew since last season.
After I made my accent to the top this morning I arrived to the ridge top with an overloaded vest and backpack with my camera and food and drinks and what not. I was staying until I killed or shooting time ended.
I popped over the top with the moon at my back at 5:45.
Stopped to rest and an Owl sounds off at 5:50.
Then came that magical sound. I went in blind and I've lucked into a close bird!
He gobbled again and then a 2nd with him gobbled.
Oh yeah perfect. I can get closer but not exactly to the place I wanted due to the bright moon and being sky-lined.
I set up got the camera ready and the Sneed Hot Hen and SS Scratch Box out, put the Swamp Boys Sweet Lips in and got ready.
By this time 5-6 more are gobbling with the first 2 all in the same area. Others are on different points. Holy smokes the most Roosted Gobbling turkeys I've been in.
I'm about to go nuts with all the gobbling. I started a couple tree calls and used a wing on the tree. They went crazy. I ran through a fly down and they bailed off the limb in a hurry.
Got them headed out the ridge towards me as they're on a different property. I can hear drumming in the open woods. I'm sure this will be a slam dunk.
BOOOOOM!
What the heck just happened! Someone was between me and them and under 100 yards at that.
Scared the daylights out of me.
That shut everything down.
Disappointed I packed up and sat there listening. Silence. Knowing birds went everywhere I got up and headed passed the area to a place I've killed before in hopes I can find one that went that direction.
Sure enough I got one to answer across the holler on an extremely tall knob.
I set up and went to work on the MM2.
He stood his ground and gobbled a lot.
After a silent period from me he crossed to my side.
Not happy with my set up I moved 20 yards to my left, I dropped my Halloran Ebony Striker. I'm severely distracted now thinking I must find it at all costs.
I fumbled for another striker and got him committed. Where he should have crested the hill at he didn't.  I'm trying to adjust as I hear him walking and Siri starts speaking in my pocket!!!
I'm trying to yelp over her.
He hammers and now I see him. Under 40 but a fallen tree top is between us.
I can probably kill him but I don't feel good about the marginal shot.
I elected not to fire and he eased out the ridge gobbling.
Remembering I just purchased a Vintage Red Wolfe Gobble tube I dug it out. Hit him with it in hopes he will turn around. He gobbled harder but continued on.
It's 8:00 now.
Aggravated I got up to make the long trek around the ridges to the other side and try and get on another.
I can't buy a Gobble over there and around 10:00 I decided I'm going back to where all the action was and I'm putting it in park and I'm staying as long as it takes.
I had several text messages to reply to once I got to the area I felt would be the most opportunistic.
I replied and explained my morning. I laid out 4 Calls and ran through them in a few minute span trying to get an answer. Nothing,
I gobbled on the Red Wolfe and relaxed. Nearly asleep I caught a faint Gobble below me. I answered it with the Crystal Heat. 10 minutes or so I heard it again closer but a long way still. He's starting to warm up and now I know he's coming.  I texted back and said he's coming.
Laid the phone down picked up the Crystal Heat bam he blew my hat off!
He had closed so much ground in minutes I was completely caught off guard.
He had came up a point I wasn't expecting him to and was directly to my right and above me now. Immediately I saw him. Well this ain't gonna end well. I'm on the edge of the log yard clearing and he's on the other side.
Suns at my back and I'm panicking thinking about glare off gun.
He's now 20 yards and I'm pinned down.
Now he decided to drop back over and spit and drum just out of site.
I swung 110 degrees and got ready.
He's walking away I yelped on the Sweet Lips and he thundered. Cutt hard and he's coming back Double gobbling.
I'm trying to pin point the drumming when I see his fan at 80 degrees. I've went too far right.
I let him get completely on the edge of the  yard road and told myself be quick!
1-2-3 swing I got on him fast and fired.
I lose sight of him a bird flys off.
I jumped up to make sure he's not crippled and in my haste to peak over I tripped over him lying there. He had some Hens with him and another Tom. They flew back to the bottom,
All had been silent. I nearly missed him. He was lying 14 yards from my set up tree.
What an amazing morning it had been.
I killed him at 11:40.
Probably the thickest 9" beard I've killed.
1" razor sharp spurs and 22.0 pounds even. Tied my heaviest weight.





Here's a video I recorded of some of the Roost gobbling. Unfortunately I didn't get where the majority where Gobbling.

https://youtu.be/nRnudSvkg1o


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[ouachitamtnman]

Nice work and good story

[surehuntsalot]

congrats on a beautiful bird

[Tommy Strutsalot]

Good stuff, congrats.

[renegade19]