FL Opening Week Bird

[Panhandle_strutter]

Had a close encounter opening weekend followed up by a stomach bug Monday morning that sent me back home early. Saw a few turkeys and a henned up longbeard Tuesday morning and decided to stick it out all day.

Around 3:30 a single gobble rang out of the neighbors pasture. A hen immediately started yelping on top of the hill to the right of me which drew another response from the gobbler. I joined in the party, mimicking everything she did down to cadence and pitch and he had cut the distance in half gobbling hard. The hen eventually quit calling and I poured the coals to him for fear of the two linking up before he could get to me.

He closed to within a hundred yards and hung up, double and triple gobbling, begging me to come out into the pasture with him. Realizing he wasn't budging and still alone, I decided to get quiet. Ten to fifteen minutes later I caught movement slipping through the woods. A few seconds later, I was grinning ear to ear standing over my first longbeard of the new season.

They're all special but this one was a little sweeter. My season is going to be shortened by almost two weeks as I go on a missions trip to Africa in early April. Our Easterns rarely gobble in the afternoons here. I believe the good Lord was smiling on me Tuesday afternoon. Hope everyone has a great Spring!

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[joey46]

Beautiful!  Congrats.

[makestomstremble]

Congratulations on a beauty! Great picture too.

[roberthyman14]

Congrats.  What area of the panhandle are you in.

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

[Old Timer]

nice bird, beautiful pic! congrats

[boomer]

Congrats!!

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[dirtnap]

Nice hunt and write up Panhandle.

[Panhandle_strutter]

Congrats.  What area of the panhandle are you in.

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

Thanks! Washington County

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[roberthyman14]

Congrats.  What area of the panhandle are you in.

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

Thanks! Washington County

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Cool cool.   Not to far east of me.   Split my time in Okaloosa and Santa rosa.

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

[Greg Massey]

Congrats .. nice gobbler

[Wisgobbler]

Nice job! I want one of those Florida birds!


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[Wrangler95]

Nice going,congrats!

[RutnNStrutn]

Congrats!!

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[Tom007]

Congrats my friend!

[FLGobstopper]

Congrats on the good start! Ending on mission in Africa is going to make all of it that much more memorable. What part?