My apologies for just now posting but it has been hectic since I came home late Friday night. I was in camp with three other fellas, two from Mississippi and one other from Maryland. We drove around the evening before and I watched two strutters on the edge of a finger of woods that would be my spot in the morning. As luck would have it I did hear both birds gobble while on the limb. One more so than the other so my thought was I had a boss bird hanging with a subordinate and hens. After fly down the only thing I talked to was some hens. We had quite the conversation for quite awhile but she didn’t drag the old boy by for a shot. After returning in the afternoon I was able to get a gobble after a series of yelps on my go to Watkins box call. One gobble and nothing else until 2 hours later I hear him gobble close in the swamp. 5is swamp is full of water about 200 yards wide and about 500 long. I was on the side that opened up into a large sod field. The birds favored the side I was on my guess was for the bugs. I was able to get this bird to gobble 3 more times and each time he was getting closer. Thinking he would walk right into the field I was pointed that way until I hear sloshing to my right. At 10 yards walks this longbeard with his head as red as beet. I move to position after he walks behind a tree and I watch him walk in about a foot of water. Amazed at him walking in this swamp I let him get to about 30 yards before I lay the smack down. This would be the best of my 2 birds I kill this week which is the bird I posted for the score thread.
Now I continue hunting but changed spots to a beautiful hardwood palmetto bottom that brings me to my kill on Thursday afternoon.
Some of the prettiest of woods I have ever hunted. Now the birds have not been very vocal and very little gobbling on the limb which was experienced by everyone. I begin calling and after about a 2 hour sit and a series of yelps I hear something running through the leaves. About 80 yards out I have a gobbler in full strut running his rear off right to me. He stops, break strut and all that is showing is his head from behind a palmetto bush. Wildest thing I’ve seen! Once his head disappears I hear the spitting and drumming and my heart beating. Within a minute he’s strutting at 20 yards facing me. The rest was history.
I can honestly say I had an awesome hunt in some of the most beautiful woods in the U.S.A. The hunting was a bit tough as the birds weren’t as responsive as one would hope but still a great time. I didn’t see as many birds in the fields as I did last year so I’m guessing some patterns may have changed but I did bust a few hens that appeared to be nesting. One thing I didn’t like seeing was the burning by the foresters. I realize they had a wet Winter but this is nesting time.
I never did touch base with RutnStrutn because of how a fulls days hunting just wore me out. I do apologize but my plans are to be back next year as long as South Carolina DNR doesn’t change to much of the season for next year.
These are both of my birds with the second being an overall score of 55.475
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