Been working non stop since turkey season ended but here is the story of our hunt.
Was looking forward to this hunt for a year after my 12yr old daughter got her first bird last year in Oklahoma. She told me she wanted to do what I did and try to get birds in other states so I was more than happy to oblige. I told her as soon as she got out of school I would take her and my dad on a trip, were headed to Nebraska first. We stopped in south Nebraska to hunt some land Reid and myself had found last year. First morning we found ourselves skirting a big field and a deep creek. The sun was starting to brighten the surroundings and we needed to get set up so for the first time in a long long time I set out some decoys, one DSD jake and an Avain X hen. Well as we got back to the tree we wanted to set up against and as Georgia starts to sit down I look in the morning haze and tell her to grab her gun and just shoot him. It was a huge Nebraska gobbler with a rope running swinging from wing to wing closing the distance. At 14yds she rolled him as my dad any myself stood beside her. It was awesome. We high-fived and she slipped out to get her bird. We said a prayer and tried to get two other gobblers to play but they didn't want any part of it.
We headed to north western Nebraska to try for her Merriam. We found some birds right at dark and came up with a plan for the morning. Never would I, or could I have dreamed of what the next morning was to hold for us.
We got set up well before the sun thought about breaking the horizon in the area we had seen the birds the afternoon. Our set up was a huge cedar tree at the base of an oak tree. It was so thick that we couldn't get against the base of the tree so I cut a hole out and wedged myself as far under it as I could get and Georgia sat with her back against my legs. My dad sat next to her. Neither of them had ever hunted for Merriam's and I was hoping it would work out. As day broke we could hear birds in the distance but nothing close to us so we waited and after about 15 minutes a bird half gobbles and yelps right above us. Then it happened birds went nuts all on top of us we were literally sitting in their bedroom. No one said a thing but just sat still and quiet. I had my decoys out again at about 15yds. A gobbler and two hens pitch out and said about 75yds away and hit the ground looking back at the decoys then it sounded like a duck flush. There were birds pitching out all over us and two gobblers cupped up like a pair of mallards and almost landed on the decoys, it was unreal. Georgia ever so slowly raised her gun as the two gobblers strutted and pushed on the jake decoy. When she got her gun raised I told her to take her time and she rolled the bird on the right and my dad rolled the bird on the left just after she shot. We were all so happy and I started cutting hoping to get the other gobbler to come closer when another bird gobbled up the ridge we were on, so I laid into him with my calls. In less than 2 minutes he was looking at my dad's dead bird when I hit him with the Lil 20ga. 3 generations of hunters and 3 birds down in the mountains of NW Nebraska. I wish I had videoed it but ill remember that hunt forever.
We had a couple more days before she had to be home so I said let's try Kansas. So we loaded up after taking some pics and headed South.
We found some public land that had birds on it and scouted\hunted the first day. The second day we got on a lot of jakes that would run the gobblers off which worked to my favor. 5 jakes ran this bird into an alfalfa field and he just stood out there. We watched him and I told my dad and Georgia to make a stalk on him with the layout of the land. They got within 70yds of him and he saw something he didn't like, he came my way and as I was making a move on him to cut him off he decided to make a change in directions back to where I had been sitting. I crawled and made a move but dint see him and I figured he had squatted down in the alfalfa. I pulled out a fan I had in vest and crawled up to the field edge. I looked and looked but couldn't find him, finally I see a dot in the grass and I figure that's him. I start cutting at him and he finally stood up and I rolled him. It wasn't the hunt I had envisioned but it was fun none the less. The Lil 20ga is a mean little sucker.
That afternoon Georgia asked if she could pick a spot and scout some, heck yeah you can! She saw some birds and showed me on the map where she wanted to set up the next morning. My dad went to another sop and we set up where she wanted to. After seeing some birds she calls and they head our way. I told her to keep calling and to be ready. Then one bird breaks away and here he comes, it was the 5 jakes that ran by gobbler the morning before. She lets them get to 20yds and rolls one. It was her setup her calling and her bird 100% It was so awesome seeing her hunt and get it done by herself. She was so happy and shaking so bad.
We met up at the truck and was getting ready to leave when she sees a bird waaaayyyy out in the cut corn field and tells my dad he should go try that one. He was right at 1/3mile away so my dad grabbed my lil 20ga and made a big loop on him and actually got to the edge of the field without him spooking. We watched through binoculars and waited for what seemed like forever then we see the bird start flopping then about 3-4seconds later we hear a faint boom. Now that was pretty dang cool. We don't get to stalk or bushwhack birds much nor is our preferred method but in some cases it sure can be productive.
My dad has killed a truck load of birds with a 20ga but he hasn't shot one in a long time, He was beyond impressed with my lil 20ga and I was amazed at the shot he had made.
Can't ever thank the Good Lord enough for all he does and provides for us, but ill sure try.
We packed up and headed home with a cooler full of meat and feathers. She asked me if she would ever get to try Florida, It's her Christmas present this year. We're headed to Florida in March to hopefully finish her grand slam, fingers crossed.
