Last Day Gobbler - Tagged Out

[Green Trumpeter]

Well it has been a tough season filled with some highs and some lows. After I took a bird a week into the season, the hunting has been difficult. Dad and I have been fooling around with a few toms on one property all season. The birds on this property get a fair bit of pressure through the season and they are tough birds to hunt. I have had toms within gun range 3 times this season but was unable to manage a shot and have had toms at 60-100 yards too many times to count.

Today dad and I headed out for the last hunt of the year this morning before school. On his way to and from work yesterday, dad spotted a bird strutting in a field on this property that was likely the tom I had a few run-ins with at the start of the season. We had not hunted this property since I took a bird on it a week into the season. I went to the same spot as I did on the last hunt. I was sitting in a narrow stretch of bush that connected two large blocks of bush together. Dad set up on a field to the east of me. In the bush to my east between dad and me there is a ridge that turkeys often use for a roost. As daylight approached, gobbles began shooting out from the ridge. The bird was close and the game was about to begin.

After my first set of calls, I was scolded by two hens roosted ten yards behind me. For just under half an hour, we yelped and cutted back and forth. Eventually, I decided the two hens weren't going to fly down until I stopped calling so I went silent and sure enough they were soon on the ground. I then turned my attention back to the gobbler. The bird had stopped calling and I was worried he may have flown down and moved off. I let out a series of calls and a gobble boomed back close by. The turkey was on the ridge but still out of sight. Two more series of calls were met with two more gobbles getting increasingly closer. I went silent and waited for the bird to appear.

Out from behind a tree came one bird and then another. In the low light under the forest canopy I couldn't make out whether they were hens or gobblers. The birds worked closer and I could soon tell the back bird had a red head. The lead bird moved behind thick brush only to pop out 15 yards away. My eyes were drawn to the red white and blue head and the beard dangling below. With the safety off, I had to move my gun less than an inch to be able to get a shot off. The second I moved, both birds spotted me and retreated back into the bush. The lead bird was heading straight away from me and as he passed a small opening I knew it was now or never. I fired and the turkey dropped.

The bird was a nice tom, with 1 1/8" spurs, a 10 ½" beard, and weighing in at 22lb.

[troutfisher13111]

Great bird and awesome way to end the season, congrats!!

[barry]

Way to go young fella!

[Neill_Prater]

Nothing like winning the game in the bottom of the ninth. Congratulations on a fine bird.

[Doug-Va]

Congrads on a last day bird!!!

Doug

[tomstopper]

Congrats. Way to get it done.....

[ILHUNTER]

Congrats on a fine start to your season and a great ending.

[WiLL B]

 

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Well done.  Very nice bird.

[Rokhal07]

Congrats. Great feeling doing it right at the end!

[renegade19]

 

[MKMGOBL]

Well done

[Gold Spur]

Congrats on a awesome bird...

[eddie234]

It's always good to get one early but nothing like the feeling of getting one on the last day. Congrats.


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[Tail Feathers]

That's the way to close a season!
Congratulations!