Ladies and gentlemen,
2013 will go down as my best season ever chasing long beards. It started on our youth opener whe Harrison tagged out on this fine NH eastern.
This hunt literally lasted 10 min from setup to shot. I put the decoy out, got back to my seat, and heard a shot from the other end of the field. I made one series of yelps, and not 2 min later this big boy was making his way right to our setup. He walked to within 10 yards of our decoy, and Harrison ended his day with a shot of Heviweight #7 to his neck.
My season started slow. On the opener, I heard lots of gobbling, but was setup in the wrong field, so no dice. I spent the rest of the day chasing, but heard no gobbling.
On the second day, I got into a secluded field, and called in 3 jakes. I had a blast watching them gobble and look for the "hen"!
Days 3 and 4 were unproductive. I heard a ton of gobbling on the roost, but no luck. Had to leave early for baseball games. Day 4 was a late start, but even though I had no success, it put me in position for a very productive day 5!
I found out there was a gobbler on a power line that was coming, but he backed off due to a thunderous gobble in front of me. That bird came in silent, but wouldn't commit to the field. I never saw him, but I went in the next morning to try to get him.
From daylight there was nothing. I called periodically every 45 min or so, and it was silent. Around 9:30, I started yelping hard, and heard a deep gobble from the powerline above me!
I got ready, and game on! He kept gobbling, and finally, I saw him running through the woods! He stepped out from behind a tree and I saw the beard! He walked behind another tree, and I got my gun ready. Once he cleared the next tree, I settled the FF III on his noggin, and sent a load of Hevi-13 3-2-7 his way. He dropped like he had been hit by a truck!
My season was short, but given the fact that I didn't expect to get out much at all, it was great. On the day my boy shot his bird, it was fate. We only got out because his games were moved from the morning to the afternoon, so we capitalized on that, and by the Grace of The Good Lord, he tagged out.
I just wanted to say thank you to all my teammates. I know I have been a boat anchor these last few seasons, but you guys all have never quit on me, and I will always be greatful for that.
I wish all of you a very relaxing summer, and productive deer season!
