Bird Down!

AlabamaLongbeards · March 31, 2014, 08:22:24 AM

Had a friend call me last night and he wanted to go hunting this morning. Said he had a good idea where the bird was going to roost but he had trouble getting to him. I told him I would be glad to go hunt with him. We pulled in the gate and drive about 500yds from the spot he hoped he was roosted in. We walked a fire lane through some pines that were about 15ft tall. We stopped about 100yds shy of the food plot and listened for a gobble. After the first hoot the bird hammered 30yds to our right. I look up and there he is in the top of a dead oak tree. I just knew that we spooked him but that was not the case. We hit the ground and crawled back up the lane where we just came from. We circled around the bird and followed another lane that came out on the backside if the plot. There was no way we could get set up in the plot without him seeing us so we sat down on the lane that looped around the plot. We gave him a soft tree yelp and he hammered. A hen also called back and we then found out a hen was roosted directly above where we just sat down. Knowing we were in a tight until the birds flew down we just sat and waited it out. Five minutes later he flew down into the plot before his hens. We gave another soft yelp and he was on a beeline too us. We could hear him drumming about 20yds out around the bend in the road. He came around the bend and my friend put the hammer to him. Wasn't the most organized hunt but we got the job done. Nice 3yr old bird with a 9 inch beard and 1inch spurs. Feels good to get a bird down!