As we near season here in Alabama, I'm thinking back to one of my most memorable hunts... Certainly there are many, but this one happens to stand out in my mind - mostly because it involved a youth hunter that went with me & shared in the hunt, but also because it taught me a huge lesson on patience & persistence...
The day started like any other - up on the highest point on our property, listening & calling some, looking for action... We hadn't roosted a bird, but knew they were in the area... Around 7am, we hadn't heard anything, so I got aggressive with my box & mouth calls, and my "lucky charm" huntin' buddy, Alec, excitedly said - "I think I heard one gobble - do that again!"
So, I did - cut down on my mouth call, and then I also heard him gobble - *slam gone* from where we were, but I had a good idea of where he was... So, off we ran down through the pasture, headed to another remote pasture on our property where it sounded like he gobbled...
As we were going there, a coyote ran out in front of us, and stopped us momentarily - but, on we went & down into the other hidden pasture, we stumbled up on a gobbler standing straight up!! Argh (I thought) -- busted!! But, we hit the deck, and I threw some light purrs & yelps at him, and as he was trotting off, he stopped, turned around, settled down, and then just walked off... I gave him a few more yelps - thinking he was the bird that gobbled - and got the answer we were looking for - big boy hammered down, and came strutting out of the woods with 4 other gobblers & about 5-6 hens (if I remember right).
Game on!!
Alec & I slithered into position, close to a pine tree in the middle of the pasture, and setup ... for what was going to be the long haul... We watched this bird strut & gobble, hour after hour after hour... Every now & again, I'd give him a soft, little "yelp yelp yelp", he'd gobble, blow up, and show out for his girls!! We had decoys with us, but we were exposed & had no chance of setting up a jake to try & lure him towards us... This went on for a while, and the bird gobbled God knows how many times - he'd gobble at crows, he'd gobble at us, he'd gobble at crickets, and he gobbled at a helicopter that passed up above!! Hahaha... He definitely was putting on a show & we were thoroughly enjoying it, too...
A few of the suboridinate gobblers came into gun range a time or two, but Alec & I had our sights set on the big'un; we were cool to wait until he came towards us -- hopefully! Finally, his hens couldn't stand all those light little "yelp yelp yelp"'s coming from up the hill, so here they come ... And guess who followed them?? You got it - big boy! So, we settled into position, and I got my gun up & ready to hammer down on his noggin... Slowly (painfully to us!), strutting the whole time, he followed his girls up to our position until finally ... *BLAM* *flop flop flop flop* WE GOT 'EM!!!
Hahaha!!! I've never seen anybody jump so high as Alec did!!
It was a great memory that I'll never forget, and I hope this season to have a repeat with Alec again; apparently, they've been battling an old bird, and I think I saw him during deer season ... So, I'm heading down there this spring to help Alec bag his own big boy this time!
