Tagged out in NY with a big tom

[alloutdoors]

Yesterday I  finally made contact with the landowner for one of the properties I hunt who had been out of town, and I got the go ahead to hunt there again this year. The first three days of the season I was seeing birds on the adjacent property when I drove out, but there is one large field that straddles the property line which is delineated by two strands of electric fence. My plan was to get right up against the fence and try to draw them over the line. I've been seeing a pretty big flock there so I decided to bring every decoy I have to create a competing flock of my own.

I got in early this morning and got everything setup, I wasn't sure exactly where the birds were going to be roosted but I knew it would be close to the field edge. As it turned out, about two minutes after I got in my blind the first bird gobbled and when I looked I could see him fanned out in a tree about 150 yards away. Soon three more birds were gobbling close by as well as three or four more farther up the ridge. Two toms flew down on the neighbors property 100 yards away about 10 minutes before legal shooting time. More birds began to join them and eventually there were eight hens and four longbeards on the ground. The hens started to move off toward the center of the field with the toms following. Two of the gobblers were eyeing my decoys so I pulled on the cord that I have tied to my strutter to make him spin around and started cutting hard at them on my trumpet. I kept at it and eventually they started to drift away from the rest of the flock and come my way.

The two gobblers ducked the fence and immediately rushed my jake decoy. They flogged him several times and knocked him to the ground. All the racket they created got the attention of the other two gobblers who started to come at a run. By now one of the other toms had climbed up on top of my jake decoy and was facing straight at me. I drew back, settled my pin just over his beard, and sent him crashing to the ground with a well placed arrow. The other three gobblers were running all around the decoys, strutting, and gobbling their heads off while their companion death flopped a few times. After a minute they calmed down and headed back for the real hens, and then I watched the entire flock for another hour as they slowly made their way across the field. I'm tagged out now, but I think I will probably head back there tomorrow to try and help a friend fill their tag on one of the other birds.

My bird weighed 23lbs 15oz, had a 10 5/16 beard, and a 1 7/16 spur on one side with a broken spur on the other side that was right at 1". Even with the broken spur the final score was 68.9375.











Took this while waiting for the other birds to leave the field.


Found this feather while cleaning the bird, I'm pretty sure these are the eggs of feather lice but I haven't seen them before myself.

[njdevilsb]

Congrats on a great bird.  Sounds like an exciting hunt.

[Crockrj]

Great Job and Photos! 

[trkycaller]

congrats!

[catman529]

Congrats, bet that was a thrill having em come in to beat up the decoys.

[DirtNap647]

nice job congrats

[troutfisher13111]

Congrats!

[bcknuts]

Very nice bird and great pictures.

Kevin

[Gooserbat]

That's a great bird and some awesome pics. 

[Gold Spur]

Congrats on a beautiful bird...

[beagler]

Congrats!

[captin_hook]

Awesome one. Congrats

[tomstopper]

Very nice. Congrats.....

[boomer]

Congrats!!

[Wrangler95]

Very nice gobbler,congrats!