- 39,171
- 274
.
After watching a bird for weeks strut in a spot visible from the road he disappeared a couple days before season. Thursday evening found us in his zone seeing if we could hear a roost gobble.. After a couple calls on a gobble call and waiting him out a few coons started fighting right at dark and he shock gobbled.. Alex and I just looked at eachother like "what in the world is he doing in there"..
When we got home we started looking at Bing's Birdseye View to formulate a plan. He wouldn't be easy to get as it's thick and swampy in there.. The map scouting showed us a couple clearings no bigger than an acre or so.. That's where he has to be strutting.
Friday morning found us walking towards the bird at 5am. The plan was to swing wide and come in behind him.. He would be funneled right to us if he wanted to go anywhere but that small clear area or the swamps. We began the walk in the dark and found that we were in deep.. Between the swamps, beaver dams, and thickets it was hell to get to this bird.. I had topped my boots crossing the water and I swear i thought I had a fish in my right boot. Suck it up, I didn't get up at 4:30 and walk through half of beaver city to go home because of wet feet.. 38 degrees outside or not we we're in it to win it..
We were getting close and a check of the gps showed we had about another 100 yards to go before getting in the area we wanted to setup.. We heard a tom gobble on the roost.. He sounded about 150 yards out.. A little closer I said.. 50 yards later i happened to look almost directly above me at the trees and there he sat with a hen.. Great. We're directly under this bird and it's light enough now to where he has already roost gobbled.. Alex started sneaking back and I waited then followed.. The bird was pruning and stretching. Looks like we're good..
We setup and Alex started calling, the bird was hammering.. A hen cut up and challenged him, Alex got aggressive and she shut up. The bird flew down and instantly bust into strut. I wanted to let him come in closer but I knew that hen was around and would eventually pull him back.. Not to mention there was a deer standing 30 yards to our right staring us down intently. It was only a matter of time before it stomped, bolted and snorted.. I decided it was now or never. 35 paces and the Mossberg 500, jellyhead choke, and Winchester Supreme #5s dropped him stone cold dead.. Not even a flop.
22 lbs
9 inch beard
1 inch spurs.
[video=youtube;h-OJPDJ6Dig]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-OJPDJ6Dig&feature=youtu.be[/video]
After watching a bird for weeks strut in a spot visible from the road he disappeared a couple days before season. Thursday evening found us in his zone seeing if we could hear a roost gobble.. After a couple calls on a gobble call and waiting him out a few coons started fighting right at dark and he shock gobbled.. Alex and I just looked at eachother like "what in the world is he doing in there"..
When we got home we started looking at Bing's Birdseye View to formulate a plan. He wouldn't be easy to get as it's thick and swampy in there.. The map scouting showed us a couple clearings no bigger than an acre or so.. That's where he has to be strutting.
Friday morning found us walking towards the bird at 5am. The plan was to swing wide and come in behind him.. He would be funneled right to us if he wanted to go anywhere but that small clear area or the swamps. We began the walk in the dark and found that we were in deep.. Between the swamps, beaver dams, and thickets it was hell to get to this bird.. I had topped my boots crossing the water and I swear i thought I had a fish in my right boot. Suck it up, I didn't get up at 4:30 and walk through half of beaver city to go home because of wet feet.. 38 degrees outside or not we we're in it to win it..
We were getting close and a check of the gps showed we had about another 100 yards to go before getting in the area we wanted to setup.. We heard a tom gobble on the roost.. He sounded about 150 yards out.. A little closer I said.. 50 yards later i happened to look almost directly above me at the trees and there he sat with a hen.. Great. We're directly under this bird and it's light enough now to where he has already roost gobbled.. Alex started sneaking back and I waited then followed.. The bird was pruning and stretching. Looks like we're good..
We setup and Alex started calling, the bird was hammering.. A hen cut up and challenged him, Alex got aggressive and she shut up. The bird flew down and instantly bust into strut. I wanted to let him come in closer but I knew that hen was around and would eventually pull him back.. Not to mention there was a deer standing 30 yards to our right staring us down intently. It was only a matter of time before it stomped, bolted and snorted.. I decided it was now or never. 35 paces and the Mossberg 500, jellyhead choke, and Winchester Supreme #5s dropped him stone cold dead.. Not even a flop.
22 lbs
9 inch beard
1 inch spurs.
[video=youtube;h-OJPDJ6Dig]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-OJPDJ6Dig&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Last edited:
