K
Kat
Guest
Today was the first day I’ve made it out this season. I left the decoys at home because I honestly just didn’t want to bother with them today. The birds were sounding off in several directions around me, but they were all far away. By 7:30 I was really cold and was thinking about moving to the other side of the hill where the sun was shining, but I decided to do one more sequence of calls. Two gobblers sounded off behind me (in the sunny area,) one was close and one was maybe 200 yards away. For the next two hours the closer tom gobbled his head off, but he would not crest the hill and come to me. I tried calling softly, I tried calling aggressively, and I tried scratching in the leaves. I even tried not calling at all to make him think that the hen left. He gobbled through all of it.
After two hours of him gobbling and drumming on the other side of this small hill (and less than 40 yards away from me by the sound of it,) I realized that I was going to have to be the one to put all the effort into this relationship. I left my gear at the base of the cedar I was under and slowly did the belly crawl/kat-sneak to the top of the hill, knowing that he might come to the top of the hill any moment and bust me. I got to the top of the little hill and peaked through the grass and saw him looking around for the hen that he heard coming to him. By the time he figured it out it was too late. Afterwards, I paced off the shot – 15 yards.
Weight is unknown, but he had a 9 ½” beard and ¾” spurs. Just a nice two year old bird and a new lucky shirt. Can’t wait to get back out there for another one!
After two hours of him gobbling and drumming on the other side of this small hill (and less than 40 yards away from me by the sound of it,) I realized that I was going to have to be the one to put all the effort into this relationship. I left my gear at the base of the cedar I was under and slowly did the belly crawl/kat-sneak to the top of the hill, knowing that he might come to the top of the hill any moment and bust me. I got to the top of the little hill and peaked through the grass and saw him looking around for the hen that he heard coming to him. By the time he figured it out it was too late. Afterwards, I paced off the shot – 15 yards.
Weight is unknown, but he had a 9 ½” beard and ¾” spurs. Just a nice two year old bird and a new lucky shirt. Can’t wait to get back out there for another one!
