DoneRight
PMA Member
Finally got a chance to hit my favorite honey hole on Friday May 9th. I knew there were a bunch of birds in there, due to my pre-season scouting. However, I had not been in there since the Sunday before 1st season started. The wind was supposed to kick up around 9am so I got set up on a 3/4 acre clearing in the bottom, and waited for the first gobble of the morning. I no more than sat down then there was a gobble 300 yds up the draw to the west. I thought I was in a pretty good spot and decided to hold off on calling of any sort until 6 oclock or so, when I knew most of the birds should be on the ground. I heard at least ten different gobblers around this little 40 acres of timber. At 6 oclock I let out a few soft yelps on the slate and a bird hammered a long way off in the distance. I figured they were in the clover field to the west of the timber, so I grabbed my fan and headed towards them. Never used a fan before GunDog showed me it could work the Sunday before, but thats a story for him to tell
Anyway I headed up below a small pond to the crest of a hill where I could see the clover field reasonably well to glass. I spotted him right away on the far hillside about 300 yds away from where I currently was. I never called again. I turned the fan a couple times when he was looking my way and before I could move 40 yds forward to some better cover, he was at the base of the hill 30 yds away. I turned the fan a couple more times and he was almost in my lap. Quite the rush I ended up shooting him at 7yds and am lucky I didnt blow his beak clear off. He ended up going 25 lbs, 11 7/8" beard, ls 1 3/8" and rs 1 3/8" for a total of 76.25. He is by far my best eastern to date.
