3-22-23
As I'm approaching my listening spot in the middle of the property I'm hunting I hear a faint gobble in the distance to my south east. A gobbler that I had a good idea on where he would be roosted at. I had found him a few days before and he was roosted about 150yds across the property line, imagine that.
Well he was the only bird gobbling this morning so I figured what the heck I'd see if I could do something with him. I make my way to him before it starts breaking day and I see a ridge leading to where he is. I get up to the top of the ridge and I'm looking at my maps. The ridge is perfect and it runs right to where he is. Only prob is he's across the line like I figured but the ridge runs out into a big oak flat on my side of the fence.
Now the turkey hunter in me wanted to slip down that ridge and set up about 75yds closer but I just can't do it anymore. I quit crossing fences when I was in high school and I've done good to not cross a fence since. It so hard though lol.
My map showed the line to be about 40yds away from the old dim logging road I was standing on, so I sat on a huge pine tree and waited for day to break. A couple light clucks and tree yelps later a coupe hens crank up around me. Then a few more on down the ridge cranked up. They all flew down about 100yds from me and started going nuts. I figured my chances were over. About 5 minutes go by and he gobbles and he's still on the ridge. I'm still in the game, maybe.
As the woods lighten up more my heart kinda sinks as my 40yd buffer turns into a 20yd buffer as I'm now looking at an old fence row cascading through the woods. Broken in most spots but obvious on all the trees in the line.
I soft call and scratch the leaves for an hour and a half. He'd gobble every now and then (5 times when I went quiet on him) but he was about 100yds away and just out of sight because of a deadfall tree. I pull out my copper pot and hit it softly, he cuts me off 3 times in a row and I set it to the side. About 5min later I hear drumming. He's closed the distance but still can't see him. Now I'm wishing I was across that deadfall which was well across the property line. But I just can't do it.
Another 30min goes by and I hear this strange sound, a cross between a peacock and a hawk. He gobbles. It moves and does it again and he gobbles. Another hunter on the adjoining club or a poacher. Either way I now have company. They are on the property line and closing in. The turkey would gobble at the hawk call and at their calling if they cut. I continued to soft call and scratch in the leaves all the while looking for the gobbler and looking over my shoulder for my new neighbors.
The bird is at my 12o'clock and the fence is running 3-9o'clock 20yds in front of me. The other hunters are at my 9o'clock. A few min later I hear calling at its now at my 7o'clock which is real close to or is on my land. The land line makes a 90 a few hundred yards to my left. They call and peacock call on and off keeping tabs on the bird and I'm still doing my thing.
After another 30min or so I hear a spit and drum again but this time it comes from my 10:30. Oh dang he's moved and he's closer now. There was a small lip on the ridge then it drops off on a small flat just in the edge of the ridge. As I'm scanning now for the bird I see that beautiful but almost mean looking head pop up from that lip about 35yds from me. There he is, he steps out into view in full strut with 5 hens all around him. He would drum and look and strut and drum and look. Every time he would go into strut I wound yelp and cluck ever so slightly. The hens would look then mill around. He was 15yds from the fence and I have to just watch him. I ever so slowly move my gun towards him only to keep track of him. I knew that if I was lucky enough for this to work out and I shot that one of two things was gonna happen, 1 if it was a poacher he wound leave in a hurry and I wanted to try to catch them. 2 if it was hunters from the club then I knew I would indeed meet them after the shot. The hens started to feed in my direction and my heart is literally about to beat out of my chest. No way would I ever let a bird stand there at 35yds and me not shoot, but I have to here. The hens feed to the fence and on across, the last hen stops next to a tree with wire coming out if it 30yds to my 9o'clock and I aimed at her and said if he will get in that opening I've got a real shot at him. He strutted into that opening and took a step on the barbed wire fence. That the last thing I remember. I don't remember calling to stop him, I don't remember pulling the trigger all I remember is seeing fire out of my barrel and him flipping. I couldn't believe it I got him. I stood up and walked to him, I was hurting. After sitting in one spot without moving for 2 hours and 40 minutes I was hurting. I set my gun against a tree on my side of the fence and walked to get my bird. As he flopped he went farther onto the adjoining land. You could see the path of leaves he was pushing and I walked 8 steps and grabbed him as I walked back over the fence I hear a "hey" coming one the hill from my side of the fence. Two guys walk up and congratulate me and said how awesome that was. I know it had to scare the crap out of them but man I was happy to haven gotten a chance at the bird. They got to see me loose it and dry heave all over the place, we all got a good laugh out of it. Had a nice talk about the area and how hard it was for me to not cross that line. But when a bird is walking the line if he makes one strong step over it, he's gonna be in trouble. It sucks having a conscience and morals to do the right thing, but I'll live with it.
21lbs
3 beards
1" spurs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
