A little backstory....it's a long one so you might want to go to the bathroom or get a snack before reading...
I've hunted this particular property for at least 30 years. It takes about 1 minute to get to it from the house, which is a plus since my dad is 74 years old and can't go as far as he used to. We always manage to get a couple birds each spring..which is surprising considering it looks more like deer country than suitable turkey habitat. I always let him hunt first and this year he was able to shoot the big bird we let go last year.
I got on two gobblers Easter Sunday...they were gobbling good but they were henned up and weren't budging. I stayed a bit too long and was late for church. Since then they had disappeared...I know the neighbors have been hunting them a good bit so I just figured they either got whacked or moved on to parts unknown. I hadn't been hunting since.
Yesterday I got the call I've been dreading since December...the landowner told me a logging crew should be moving in next week to cut the property as he has a bad pine beetle infestation and wants to cut it before he loses everything. I decided I'd make one last trip before the cutting starts and was in the woods before daylight this morning....
Since the birds have been MIA I chose to walk a bit further south thinking maybe they were hanging out in the creek bottom. I got to the edge of a ridge where I could listen and waited for the woods to wake up. At 6 o'clock I think I hear a gobble...about 250 yards back in the direction I came from. I'm extremely deaf so I stayed put for 20 mins hoping to hear it again and get a better direction...I never did. I walked down to the creek bottom but didn't see any sign. Around 8 o'clock I decided that I'd head back towards the truck and check out the food plot on the way out.
This plot is about 100 yards from where I park the truck...it's only 15 yards wide but it runs for about 130 yards on a ridge with pines on each side. I stop to listen and immediately a bird sounds off and I'm pretty sure that's where he's at. I decide to move to the east and get above him so I can use the sun to my advantage. I hit the fire lane that runs to it and when I'm about 60 yards away I start crawling on my hands and knees. I get close enough to peek through the brush and the bird is in full strut about 100 yards away. I'm scared to crawl to where I really need to be so I find a tree about half my size with a huge pine 10 yards in front of it. I figure if I use this big pine to cover my approach maybe he won't see me...not the best setup but it's about all I can do at this point.
I crawl to my itty bitty tree and get ready. I can see about 30 yards to the left of the pine and about 80 yards to the right. My only shot will be a tight window to the left as the right side is too thick. I let out a series of yelps and immediately he hammers. I can see him every now and then and he's putting on a show. I call again and he starts making his way up the plot to me. Now there's a dead tree 60 yards away from me that fell down during deer season and it blocks the entire width of the plot. I'm telling myself that as soon as he gets to it he's gonna put the brakes on and that will be the end of it. He gets to the tree, looks for about a minute, hops onto the log and stays there for 10 minutes strutting and gobbling!
I didn't want to call anymore as I figured it would lock him up, so I took my left hand and began scratching in the leaves/pine straw. He plops down off the log and slowly walks my direction. He keeps walking and now he's at about 30 yards...and cue the big pine that's 10 yards in front of me...
He gets behind it and now I can't see him. I can hear him drumming and his wings dragging in the grass but I don't have eyes on him. He gobbles twice and then SILENCE. For the next 10 minutes I don't see or hear him. I'm starting to think he's walked away from me and used this flippin' pine to his advantage to get away. I resist the temptation to take a tiny peek to each side of the pine and I keep my eyes peeled. Then he walks out to the left of the big pine and begins to head toward the south edge of the plot..I figure he thinks the hen has left and it's time for him to go. He walks to the spot in my shooting lane and I let out two short yelps. He sticks his head up and that's when I end my hunt...
I don't get up immediately and go to him. I put my gun down and sat there for a couple minutes with my eyes closed, taking in the awesomeness of God's creation. After thanking Him for a beautiful day I went over and claimed my prize. At first glance he looked like a normal bird(minus one spur). As I got him positioned for pics I noticed he had two beards. Upon closer inspection I realized this bird had SIX! I've taken a few gobblers that had two beards and one with three but this is like winning the lottery! I looked at my phone and realized that I was EXTREMELY short on time so I ran home, put the bird in the camp house fridge, and the wife and I headed to church. I didn't have time to change so I showed up in the camo I wore hunting. I'm from a small town in Mississippi so do you know who cared about what I was wearing? Not one person...
I still have one tag left and have permission to hunt another property. There's about two weeks left so we'll see how it goes.
Sorry for the long read...hope y'all enjoyed it.
The log he perched on
View from my setup
