California bird down

[Hayudog]

After the other morning blind FUBAR , I enlisted help. Two persons setting it up worked.
Shoot time came and went. Didn't hear a bird on the hill. Just sitting and calling is a test of patience.
At 2 hours in I heard a distant response. And about 20 minutes later he was half way at least. And finally could hear him so close, but couldn't see him. Sounded like a Jake, he definitely was hanging back.
What seemed like a long time he finally walked in. Had a full beard, but his fan looked like it had just filled, and I could almost make out notches.
I videoed him at the decoy for at least 4 minutes. I ran the call and heard another gobble, and figured it to be a better bird that was staying out of sight.
A hen walked in and I think that with the other gobbler at the decoy, made him give it up.
That's when the easy part got hard. I had 2 fail to fires from my .410 single shot. Not sure if the video will post. But, first fail was when he was standing on the Jake decoy. Second was as he was leaving plus ten yards. And he looked back at 40 steps. Pop gun finally went off.
Have not put the tape to him yet, but looks like 1 1/8" or so spurs. 9" beard. And probably 19 pounds.
Video by my assistant that got up with me at o400!


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[Hayudog]

Not letting me post the video. Maybe Rut can, I sent it to him.



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[RutnNStrutn]

Congrats Doug!!  Our team needed that, and more.

[RutnNStrutn]

Here's the link to Doug's video.

https://youtube.com/shorts/iWfKQR05y2k?si=WVPvWFmrq68fIRiw

Turn your volume ALL THE WAY UP!!

[RutnNStrutn]

Way to stick with it, and work through the misfires Hayudog!!! 

[JeffC]

Congrats on a beautiful Tom! I heard a lot of snaps, sometimes it pays to be lucky!!! You must have just caught the top of his head, didn't see a single tail feather hit.

[RutnNStrutn]

I heard a lot of snaps, sometimes it pays to be lucky!!!

Jeff, I'll take lucky over good any day of the week!! 

[WildSpur]

Good work buddy!

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[suburbhunter]

  Nice One!! Congrats!! 

[Twowithone]

Just watched the video AWESOME job Doug. What were you using Im hearing clicks is that a smokepole.

[RutnNStrutn]

What were you using Im hearing clicks is that a smokepole.

No Brian, he was shooting a .410 pop gun.

[Hayudog]

The miss fires in the video are when the second tom has knocked over the Jake decoy and standing on it. And when he's about 10 yards from the decoys walking away. The rest of the sounds are me breaking the single shot gun open to get the little shell out with fat fingers. Here's a picture of the light primer strikes on the two that didn't go off. And the one that did.


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[Twowithone]

Thx Doug for the explanation was wondering what the He** that noise is. Wow 2 out of 3 shells didnt go off send em back to the manufacture.

[Hayudog]

I talked to the guy that reloaded them.... Me!  I think primers are set too deep. Couple of guys on my reloading group have complained about the factory primed hulls we buy being set too deep. I've got
 more shells reloaded and will either harvest the TSS from them or recheck the seating depth of the primers before I hunt them again.


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[Hayudog]

Upon further review of the first tom in the video....
He wasn't being very aggressive with the Jake decoy. He was a long beard, but looked like a small bird. When he fanned it almost looks like he has a notch on both sides like a Jake fan. But his spurs tell a different story. Might have had better spurs than the bird I shot. Hope he makes it one more year, gun season ends Sunday.


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