Booner
Well-Known Member
Been a very hard week for me this year. Monday was a nightmare, roosted birds Sunday night only to have them fly down silently right to hens monday mornign, Tuesday morning and night hens continually got in my way. So this morning I talked myself into getting in super early hoping to gain inches on their roost tree. Got in around 5:15 and got set up hoping to here some tree talk by at least quarter to 6. When 6 rolled around all I had heard was gobbles way off in the distance. 6:15 and still no birds within distance of me and I'm thinkin to myself here we go again. 6:30 and finally a bird wakes up within 100 yds. He flys down soon after and starts right in, hits 80 yds and sounds committed, cutting me off with every yelp. Within seconds of hearing his last gobble I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and to my surprise 2 big yotes are standing in my decoys. I pull up looking for an opportunity to smash a yote and they both bolt. Which was good because I was fully committed to giving the big female some lead. Well after they bolt the only direction I want them NOT to go they go and head right to were the tom was coming from, needless to say that Tom didn't talk the rest of the day he bolted back down into the ravine.
2 hours go by and I'm beginning to hit the point were my moral is very low, no gobbles or hen talk for the past 2 hrs and I'm about to doze off. I decide to pull one more yelp out and low and behold gobble within 40yds then another gobble then a 3rd all coming my way. Needless to say I went from sleepy to alert real quick. I pulled up and sat patiently waiting for one of the gobblers to poke out and make his mistake. 5minutes which felt like eternity goes by with nothing then the thunder of a gobbler at 5yds directly behind me hits me like a punch. Heart is immediately in my throat and my heard starts racing. "Don't move, don't move, don't move," is all that was going through my mind. He catches glimpse of my decoy and his committed putting on his show. Spit drum after spit drum followed by one gobble then he steps out into my 5yd lane and spots me. He pops up fast, and i knew it was now or never. I pull up fast and quick draw him......MISS,clean miss you have to be kidding me right? I pump another shell in the gun and by that time he's out to 25yds and hitting 4th gear. I jump up to my feet step sideways of the tree pull up and shoot, connecting right in the goodies rolling him like a coyote.
Needless to say one of the best hunts I've ever been on, worked my tail off this week to get this bird. 23lbs 9inch beard and 1inch spurs, solid 3yr old.
2 hours go by and I'm beginning to hit the point were my moral is very low, no gobbles or hen talk for the past 2 hrs and I'm about to doze off. I decide to pull one more yelp out and low and behold gobble within 40yds then another gobble then a 3rd all coming my way. Needless to say I went from sleepy to alert real quick. I pulled up and sat patiently waiting for one of the gobblers to poke out and make his mistake. 5minutes which felt like eternity goes by with nothing then the thunder of a gobbler at 5yds directly behind me hits me like a punch. Heart is immediately in my throat and my heard starts racing. "Don't move, don't move, don't move," is all that was going through my mind. He catches glimpse of my decoy and his committed putting on his show. Spit drum after spit drum followed by one gobble then he steps out into my 5yd lane and spots me. He pops up fast, and i knew it was now or never. I pull up fast and quick draw him......MISS,clean miss you have to be kidding me right? I pump another shell in the gun and by that time he's out to 25yds and hitting 4th gear. I jump up to my feet step sideways of the tree pull up and shoot, connecting right in the goodies rolling him like a coyote.
Needless to say one of the best hunts I've ever been on, worked my tail off this week to get this bird. 23lbs 9inch beard and 1inch spurs, solid 3yr old.
