Well, I haven't had time to post my story, so I figure I would sit down and re-live the hunt for you guys.
Luckily my good hunting buddy was passing by one of our local spots we hunt that hasn't held turkeys in 3 to 4 years. We try every year but have yet to have any luck. It was late Thursday afternoon around 5 o'clock. He got out of the truck walk down the road a ways and hit the slate call and he said the woods lit up with gobbles. He set up and had one come in to his set up but he was actually positioned wrong to get a shot off. They lost interest and eventually flew up to roost right in front of his face. He called me and said he just had the best hunt of his life that didn't result in a kill. It total he saw 6 strutters and a few hens. He told me he couldn't hunt the next morning and said I should go over and set up and try to take one. So, I didn't hesitate to get right on that the next morning.
I knew where they were roosted and I sat up in almost the same place he left off the night before. I knew they were there so I just sat up my decoys and settled in. The sun started up and they started firing off, but I only heard 2 birds. Who knows where the others went that he saw but I had these two at the bottom of a steep ridge and just knew they were coming. 20 minutes passed and they were still at the bottom. There is a creek in the bottom and I started to think they were on the other side of the creek. It's very thick on the other side of the creek so I didn't think they were across the creek. Another 20 minutes passed and they were still hammering back and forth up the creek. So my impatience set in and I tried to close the gap between us. I headed down the steep ridge towards the creek because at this point I thought I heard them going away from the creek in the opposite direction.
We have had a pretty good bit of rain and when I get to the creek it's flowing pretty strong. I start to cross and boom, water fills the knee high boots. So I'm thinking that wasn't too bad, I can keep going with out emptying the boots. So I keep going. The small branches off the creek was flowing as well but I crossed those pretty easy. I hit the box call and it sounds like they hammer right in front of me. I sling the decoys out and set up. I hit the box call again and it sounds like they are crossing in from of me about 200 yards. I adjust and slid around the tree a little and wait a few minutes. I hit the box call again and magically they are on the ridge I just came down. Right were I had set up originally. The creek bottom was throwing my hearing off and I though for sure they were in front of me when all the time they are behind me on the dang ridge I was just on. I guess that's why they say patients kill turkeys. I let that logic fly right out the door and got impatient and I moved when I shouldn't have. I leave the decoys in place and head back back towards the big creek. Well, the banks of the smaller branches of the creek was a slippery as anything I've ever stepped on and I slide in the creek two times, filling both boots this time almost to the top with water. At this time I'm pretty fired up and almost saying a few cuss words. I just sit there and stare up the ridge listing to the two birds hammering.
At this point i've been hearing these two birds gobble on and off for about two hours and I swore that if I caught up with them and they were jakes, that both of them were getting shot just because of the frustration. I take a breath and regroup and decide to go back, get the decoys, and completely circle the birds and come back out on top of the ridge down the road about 200 yards from where I last heard them gobble. I call, not a peep. I walk 50 more yards, call again, not a sound. At this point I'm really frustrated, wet, and ready to give up. I call my buddy that roosted them for me the night before and he told me I'm not allowed to leave the property until a turkey is on the ground. So I set up, put the decoys out and just do some blind calling. I sat there for about 45 minutes and don't hear a sound. So, I head to the decoys, pack them up and head towards the truck. I'm kicking myself pretty hard for not being patient and waiting on those birds to come to me. I get within 100 yard of the truck and I decided to hit the box call one more time before getting too close to the truck and he hammers back about 100 yards away! I set out a decoy, set up on the road out in the open, and hit the call one more time. BOOM there he is again. He never gobbled again but ran in to his death. From the time I heard the gobble until I pulled the trigger was maybe 3 minutes. Because it all happened so quick and I didn't get a chance to get hid that great, he came in and knew something was wrong. I thought he was going to turn and run but I was able to get the burris fastfire on his head and finish the deal. All week of hunting and I finally get one on Good Friday.
All in all, I had a good week. I called in a bird on opening day for a good friends son, and then I called in a bird for my other buddy's son this morning. it was his first bird ever and he was fired up. I have to say I enjoyed the week off and now it's back to the real world.
