I've had a few but here is one from my hunting journal from April 12 2015
Persistence and public land
Whew it's been a tough but fun season. Between my dad and myself we've hunted this bird for 23 days this season alone. It's was looking like it was going to be one of those birds that you really should just forget and move on to another one but being hardheaded and determined I was either going to make or break my season on him. Being a public land bird he only gobbled 3-5 times and that's all you'd get, if you made a call to him it was game over. We've fought weather and people and not to mention the 45min hard walk to get to him. Well this morning I decided to try again so I was where I wanted to be an hour before first light. Well of coarse he wasn't anywhere close to where I was hoping he would be(he had 4 different roost spots). When he finally gobbled and I realized where he was I picked up and took off. I got kinda close to where I thought he was roosted and he gobbled again. So once I finally tiptoed to the right finger ridge I eased down to the tree I wanted and he gobbled for the 4th time. I relaxed looked around and made the slightest softest purr I could on my Madhatter 4track copper pot and then I set it down and used my wing to do a couple fly downs and scratched the leaves. It's got eerily quiet and finally after about 15 min passed and I see a hen coming towards me and I think I can hear drumming every now and then. She mills around and walks past me walking up the hollow to my left going up into some pines. 10 minutes passes and I can still hear drumming and then a crow caws over my head and he gobbles 75yds away and now I can see him strutting and walking my way. He struts up the hollow to my left and I have one good opening to shoot through. When he struts into it I yelp softly and he broke strut like nobodies business and that's all I needed. I let my little 20ga work. After a very gracious prayer to the Man upstairs for his awesome creation I looked at a bird that has had me humbled and kinda depressed the last few weeks. I couldn't be happier with this year's season. I've called in a few for friends and my dad and now I finally got this old bird. He's got a 10" beard and 1 1/16" needle spurs.
The second one on the list came into my life opening morning of the 2017 turkey season.
Another story from my hunting journal
I found this bird opening morning and of coarse he was across the property line. I had him gobbling every breath and coming my way when I hear the loudest racket coming from behind me, two coyotes nearly run me over going to him. It happened so fast and it was so thick I never got a shot at them. Needless to say I see the gobbler fly up into the tree about 150yds away and 3hrs later he's still there and I have to get some sleep so I can go to work later that evening. I worked nights that whole season and hunted that bird every day of the season and never heard him gobble again. I set out cameras and he would show up 1-2hrs after I checked them it was so aggravating. So one day I had off I said id outsmart him, I check my cameras and made some calls as normal then walked out and drove up the road 3\4mile and parked then slipped back into a blind I had made out of pine limbs right where I was getting all the pics of him. He never showed up, its like he had a 6th sense. He haunted me the whole year and I was dreading the 2018 season.
March 20, 2018
The bird that haunted me is back.
So we get back from Hawaii around 10am and I clean my poor gun that has been getting rained on for a solid week. Then me and Caitlin sit down for a second and completely crash out. I had set my alarm for 12 but we finally got up around 1:30pm
I got my fans and took them to Mr. Alan's(my taxidermist) and told him all about our hunts and then we talked about birds that drove us crazy last year. From there I rode by and talked to Granny June until it got later in the day and I told her I needed to leave and go check some cameras we had put out before our trip.
I get home and tell Caitlin that I'm going to go check the camera and she said she wanted to go too. She's in her PJ's (Oscar the grouch pj's) so she throws on a jacket and her boots and I grab my gun and a call just in case. We get to the gate and while we are walking in I make a few soft calls but never hear anything which is expected. Once we got to the first camera I told her we would grab it on the way out and made a soft set of calls. We then walked to the last spot and picked up the camera and started out. When we made it back to the first camera I was standing in the road as she went to retrieve the camera. As I'm looking at some hen tracks I look up and around the curve comes the ghost I had been hunting all the prior year. There he is standing there looking and all in can do is look down at the ground in disbelief. He clucks a couple times and starts my way I couldn't believe it, I slowly get one hand out of my pocket and ever so slightly motion for Caitlin to stay still and she finally sees me and locks up. Now the bird has closed the distance to about 50yds and I reach behind my back with the hand that I was motioning to her with and turn my scope on. I then ease it back to my side. The bird is hesitant but still not spooked. He actually starts pecking in the grass and when he did that I made a quick move and got my left hand around and on my forend of my shotgun. He looks around and keeps walking (the only thing I can figure is I must have blended enough with the grass and gravel spots for him not to make me out, and a lot of divine intervention) towards us. Now he is about 35yds and can start to see my wife and probably me because I'm shaking like crazy now. I ease my hand out of my right pocket and make my move constant and smooth and he stops and goes to take off and I squeeze the trigger and almost fall forward because I have forgotten to take the safety off. Then panic on both our parts sets in and I slap the safety off and make the shot before he disappears into the thick woods. I couldn't believe it, I was so happy and Caitlin was in awe. She said it was so cool watching me and the bird. I believe that every bird has one day that you can get them on and that was his one day. Said a big prayer to the Lord and thanked him for everything he has done for me. Ill sleep better now that I don't have to chase this big ol gobbler again this season. 21lbs 10.75" beard 1.25"spurs.
Present day I've got a bird that has gotten the best of my the last 2 years, granted I've only hunted him 5 or 6 times but he's slick. Shoulda gotten him on my birthday last year but a squirel saved his life. I'll be back after him this year and hopefully have a great stroy to tell about him.
Sorry for the long read but hope you enjoyed some of my misadventures if you read this far.
