Sometimes plan B works out better than plan A

[alloutdoors]

I got to the farm I was planning to hunt this morning only to find that someone had beaten me there. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but yesterday I was working birds on this property when this same idiot showed up, saw my truck, and still decided to try and belly crawl the birds that were in the field. Needless to say I was a little steamed. I've been hunting this farm pretty hard because there are a ton of birds there, and with all my focus there I haven't been keeping close tabs on some of the other properties I usually hunt. Last weekend though I roosted a bird on another nearby farm so I decided to head that way and see if he was close by. A quick rain moved through about an hour before daylight so I figured he would head for the nearby field once he flew down.

I walked in and found a spot just off the field edge between the field and where I had heard him roost a week ago. As it got light he gobbled and was right where I was hoping. He gobbled two more times and then I heard a hen fly down out into the field. I gave a few soft tree yelps, waited a couple minutes and then gave another short series of yelps before using my hat to do some fly down wing beats. After a brief pause I let out several sporadic clucks and then shut up. I heard him hit the ground about 70 yards away, and he gobbled two or three more times as he came my way. It was all over in ten minutes when my M2 seriously ruined his morning.

The best part was when I drove out and the guy back at the other farm was still sitting in his tent out in the middle of an empty field. As I drove past and got near the top of the field two gobblers and a hen were crossing the road away from where he was hunting so I graciously slowed down to let them pass, then pulled up and "encouraged" their progress across the field and into the woods on the neighboring property. 

The bird weighed 22lbs 15oz, had a ratty 8 1/2" beard that looked like it took a beating with the snow we had this winter, and had 1 3/8" and 1 5/16" spurs.




The trumpet is from Billy McCallister, MacDaddy Custom Calls, and the lanyard was a gift from Del Crow. I had a chance to meet Billy when I hunted GA last month and he gave me the call in trade for one of my wingbones. It's the first of his new design and I'm calling it Black Magic for the effect it's been having on the birds, and because I was starting to wonder if I had acquired a curse by taking it from its master.  I've never called so many birds within range and not been able to get shots for one reason or another as whats been happening during the first week of our season. Thankfully it appears the curse has been lifted. I highly recommend hitting Billy up for some calls to add to your collection. He also makes some pot calls that are absolute screamers.

[budtripp]

  I would've left a few breast feathers on the other guy's windshield

[MAKEemQUIVER]

Congrats on the bird!! Good pics and good story

[DirtNap647]

congrats nice one

[RutnNStrutn]

Congrats on a nice gobbler, and some payback to boot!!

[tomstopper]

Congrats on a nice gobbler, and some payback to boot!!

2nd that..... Congrats

[WillH]

Nice job!!

[stinkpickle]

I bet that makes it even sweeter. 

[Rokhal07]

Good job. Congrats!

[Spring_Woods]

Gotta love when a plan comes together.
I'm guilty too of putting all my eggs in one basket! Or in this case one property.

Congrats!

[captin_hook]

Nice ! Awesome pics. Great quality

[savduck]

That's a beautiful bird,. Im glad you wore the mojo off....its still hanging over me like a cloud. 10 birds this morning at Jims. One gobbling and coming. A pack of coyotes ran in howling and all the birds shut up. We found the tracks and strut marks of the one coming...he was about 65 yards away when the coyotes did their thing.

[Mac daddy custom calls]

I'm glad the call has worked good for you. I had seen 2 die to that call myself. I'm glad it has brought you some luck. I was happy to trade you. The wing bones you make are awesome. I hope she brings you many more birds. It was a pleasure to meet you bud and next year we will bust a beak together. Thank you for the comments on my calls bud.

[beagler]

Very Nice!

[El Pavo Grande]

 Congrats!!!  Great pictures too.  It pays off to have backup plans.