Kentucky bird!

[Spring_Woods]

What a crazy awesome hunt this morning. I will tell the story when I have more battery. It was easily the best hunt I've had in a while. Haven't measured anything yet but it was a 2 yr old bird so the spurs were avg and beard was avg.

[DirtNap647]

 

[tomstopper]

Congrats.....

[Wingboneman]

 

[Wrangler95]

Very nice gobbler,congrats!!

[captin_hook]

 

[buck_hunter21]

 

[kansas hooks]

Congrats!!

[JVA54]

   Congrats!!

[trkycaller]

Congrats!!

[boomer]

Congrats!!!

[surehuntsalot]

congrats on the bird

[Spring_Woods]

Well we setup on the same ridge my buddy killed his last year, but this year I was up to bat.

The night before we were on the ridge trying to roost one close by. We were unsuccessful in hearing anything nearby but did hear a few good gobbles off in the distance. About 125 yards below us we both heard what sounded like 2-3 birds fly up for the evening, but no gobbles. No big deal.

We settle into the spot a good hour before daylight and I put out a lone hen decoy. I rarely use decoys, but just had a feeling. We setup on the side of the ridge closest to where we heard those birds fly up at and at daylight we are stunned. No gobbles! Heard the ones wayyyy off in another county going nuts, but nada from the few we heard fly up!

So at good daylight I let out a soft series of calls and get an immediate response from the ridge below us! Excited, but I'm wondering why he is still in the tree with perfect daylight and not a single roost gobble. So we settle in and listen a few and my buddy gets the call out after we hear some wing flapping. He gave a series of soft tree calls and a few sweet purrs on the hooks slate. Gobble! We let it get quiet for a while and listened to scratching below us where we heard him gobble at last. Figuring he would come right up and see the decoy I kept my gun barrel pointed at the decoy. To my left, above me I look out the corner of my eye and see a strutter moving towards my decoy about 100 yards away at this point. 100, 90...down to just 30 yards! He is not alone either, with a hen in tow. She eyes my hen decoy very suspiciously staring our direction. The Tom is above my decoy and as I'm watching out of the corner of my eye gun barrel on the decoy, I'm thinking she is gonna freak and spook any second now. He's doing his thing, not gobbling but strutting, drumming and spitting LOUDLY! Awesome show he put on. After an agonizing 5 minutes that felt like an hour he finally moves down to the decoy and just as I'm telling my buddy to call so he will raise up, he folds out of strut on his own and BOOOM!

I didn't get the stats on his spurs and haven't measured his beard yet. What a blast. I could literally feel my body rocking back and forth against the tree when he was drumming and spitting. Amazing hunt!

Don't know what it is about this cheap $20 Hooks slate but I rarely find a bird that doesn't love it!

[jay scott]

Nice bird!  What slate and striker is that?

[WV TURKEY THUG]

Great job.