Had a good weekend this weekend. I took Friday off of work so I left straight from work to go to the huning land on Thursday. When I get there I spot a big tom that I called in close on opening day and could not close the deal. He is the biggest on our land and I watched him and a hen work their way through a corn field. I was not sure where they went, but thought I knew where they would come back through on Friday morning. Got up early and got to the spot and could tell that it was not a good turkey hunting morning. Nothing gobbled and saw no birds. Got up from the spot at 7:30am cause I forgot my thermocell and was getting eaten up. Got in the explorer and decided to ride around and see if any of the fields had birds in it. Nope. At 7:45am it started drizzling and so I decided to park on a little road that goes back to one of our fields and take a nap for 30 minutes, well I wake up and it is pouring so I head to the house. About 10:00am it slacks off so I get in the car and ride and see birds are moving a little so decide to go sit in the back of the field I seen the big gobbler in the evening before and do a little calling. Get set up at 10:30 and start calling. At 10:45 it starts raining again slowly speeding up, and then thunder rolls. Get up and head back in. At 2:00 pm the rain stops and it starts to get pretty outside so at 3:00 I am headed out. Go back to the same field and set up and call. Sat until 5:30 with no luck. Decided to start walking and see if I can come up on one to call in. Finally see 2 nice birds working their way toward one of our fields. Got set up on them and called and they would look but would not commit, they finally drifted into some woods off our land. Decide to check another area, and see a hen in a field. Watch her for about 30 minutes and then eased out deciding to get back in the car and just try to roost a bird for the morning, abuddy that had never killed a turkey and this was his first year in the woods for turkey was hunting with me in the morning to try for his first bird. Ride by the big corn field and see a couple birds working toward the back. Decide to get out and circle them to see what they are and if nothing else roost them. Get around the field and starting looking for the in the field, saw 2 birds from the road. Find them, one is a hen and the other is either a jake or a bearded hen. The hen walked in the woods so I try to figure out this bird. Finally get a good look and it is a hen with a 3-4" beard, dang. Sit there cause she is 10 yards from me and something to my right catches my eye, another bird eating in the field but can not see its head. Watch it from the tree and it stands up looking and i see beard hanging, but to far. Hen is too my right also but starts moving to my left in some weeds, he loses sight of her and starts clucking and running around a bit, moving to my left and closer. He stops, I think he is about 45 yards, and I decide it is now or never. Squeeze off at 7:20 pm and he drops like a ton of bricks. He is flopping so I run out and put my foot on his neck to make sure he is done, when I get on him I look back to where I shot and realized this is no 45 yards. He is dead where he fell so I step it off, 63 yards stepped. I have hunted hard and was getting really fustrated and was about to give up for the season, but he renewed the fire in me. He was 17.5 lbs, 10.5" beard, and 1 1/8" spurs. I got over him and said a little prayer thanking the Lord. Now Saturday morning with my buddy ...
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