The Fox in the hen house

[3seasons]

When the Mr. Fox vest came out i knew I wanted one. (I should have bought a Dixon when I was younger but I had a vest and I didn't need another one at the time, live and learn) I missed out on an opportunity to get one in Nashville but decided I'd go to West Point and try for one there. I got there at 9:45 Friday morning and was 207th in line. Saturday morning the line had grown to over 900. When we got in line for our vest the cashiers and workers were handing out vest in random order. I was hoping I would get a pretty low number but when I was handed mine it sported the number 1731. I was kinda disappointed but extremely glad I got a numbered vest, not for resale value but just for the collectibility of it for me.

I decided  I would use the vest and try to kill a turkey in it then I would hang it up for display. This vest is fine! It's built like a tank and made of some really top notch material. Just not my style any more. If you filled all the pockets on it I don't know if you could pick it up.

So Tuesday 3/14/23 night I'm scrambling, we sold our house and we're in the the process of building a new house so everything is packed up. I'm digging through boxes looking for something to wear on the opener. Finally i uncover some camo then I have to load some shells and pattern my gun. Yep that's how ready for season i am. I've been so busy in the shop getting everyone else ready for season I haven't done anything for myself. 
I get my Mr. Fox vest. Put a Madhatter copper pot and striker in it, and a pair of gloves and face mask.  I grab a trumpet that Matt Fulkerson made me and a pack of Black Label mouth calls that I haven't even opened that my wife gave me for my early birthday present a few days ago. Thats it. 

3/15/23
As day starts to break I can hear a faint gobble in the distance. I had a few hours before I had to be at work so i decided I would do a little looking around the property.  I walked by the tree I killed the 6 bearded bird on last year and walked into the bottom
and saw where I had called the birds across the year before and it was nasty. Can't believe they came across all that. When I top the hill I soon found out why the birds liked it the prior year. It was a beautiful flat with mixed hardwoods and pine. I made a soft call and heard a turkey gobble in the distance. I moved up a few hundred yards and set up. I made a couple calls with my pot call and then made a few calls with my trumpet.  The bird would gobble pretty good, but seemed like he was fading in the distance. I made another move down the ridge and got within 20 yards of where the ridge fell off into a bottom. I wasn't for sure where exactly he was at so I'll soft called and he would gobble below the top of the ridge. We went back-and-forth for a few minutes when all of a sudden hens started putting, I don't believe they saw me and I'm not real sure what spooked them but they putted a lot , and then left,my heart kind of sunk until I made a soft call and he cut me off. A couple more soft calls with him gobbling at me and then I hear drumming next thing I know I see him  pop up on the ridge about 40 yards away, standing in a direct beam of sunlight coming through the trees, like he was the start up on stage. Beautiful all white head and his iridescent black feathers shining in the morning sunlight.

I had a beam of sunlight shining on the side of my face now, so I was holding my breath. It was cold this morning around 34°. As he stood there, looking for the hen he had heard I couldn't hold my breath anymore and let out a slight exhale, I'm not sure if he saw my breath or not but he started acting funny and did that head bob and started to walk back towards the edge of the ridge.  That's when I saw he beard.  I let out a soft whine and when he stopped to look that's the last thing I remember. My gun goes off and he's laying there.  I had just taken a fine gobbler on opening morning of the MS season.  I finally regained my composure and walked over to the bird.  Wow what a fine gobbler he is.  Huge thick beard, nice spurs, heavy and some beautiful colors.  I said my prayer and took a few pictures.  I recorded the audio of the whole hunt and just happed to glance at the time stamps and that's when I realized what had happened.  And I think it's pretty dang cool.

I set out to kill a bird with the Mr. Fox vest.  I was able to get in tight with a gobbler and his hens (6-8 from all the putting) I was able to somehow call the gobbler away front his retreating alert hens and get a shot on him.  So I was able to do what I set out to do, kill 1 bird with the Mr. Fox vest and I did so at 7:31    Things happen for a reason and we don't always know why or how it's supposed to go down. But I guess there was a reason I got vest 1731 and I'll forever remember this hunt. The Good Lord really blessed me with a beautiful morning and a successful hunt










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[HookedonHooks]

I've seen the story on the Fox Vest Conservators page.

Truly unbelievable how some things end up working out. Congrats again from #0264 here!

[FullChoke]

Roaring fantastic start to a great season. Beautiful bird! Congratulations!

Cheers   

FC

[Kygobblergetter]

Congratulations! I knew a lot of you all start in Mississippi so I had to pop in and check how y'all did this morning. I sure am jealous. You're off to a great start!


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[afhunter1]

Congrats!  That is a beautiful turkey. I have a fox vest on the way too.   Hope to bloody mine as well.

[crow]

Congrats, nice paintbrush

[JeffC]

Congrats, that's a paint brush for sure, great read.

[xarcher]

Great story. Great hunt. The 2023 ice has been broken. Lots more to come.

[GuideGun]

Congratulations and awesome story!

[Happy]

Good looking gobbler. Congrats

[GobbleNut]

Great story and pictures are outstanding!  Congrats on a beautiful gobbler!   

[randy6471]

 Congrats on your new vest AND a really nice gobbler! Thanks for sharing the story and pics.

[Vintage]

Congrats on a good bird.

[cannonball]

Congrats and thanks for sharing that great story with us.

[GobbleGitr]

Congrats buddy...a good story for a book of your exploits you should consider in the future