Shredder
Life Member
This had to rank right up there at the top of my 24 years of turkey hunting. Amanda and I have a hard time trying to get the time to go out together to hunt, especially of a morning so when my parents offered to watch the kids in the morning, we jumped at the chance. At 5:30AM, my mother showed up and Amanda and I grabbed our bows and blind and headed out. As we were walking in, we could identify 4 birds within 400 yards gobbling so we got on the closest ones ridge and set up camp. One fly down cackle on the slate let the birds know there was a willing hen in the vicinity.
By 6:15, we could hear 10-12 Toms and Jakes talking it up all around us, I hit the call pretty hard and loud cutting, yelping and an occasional cackle with responses from every bird within earshot. With Amanda being the shooter, I put her mid blind and center with our attention focused on the bird that skunked us last Monday. Every call was cut off by his gobble but he failed to budge. In the meantime, calling to the “Motor Mouth”, a big tom came in but skirted the edge of her range and headed up toward the gobbler of interest. Within 10 minutes, we had 4 mature toms within 100 yards of us but they were all within 40 yards of each other…still gobbling. I was calling every 2-3 minutes and would have 6-7 gobblers answer but all stayed put to their current location all within 200 yards now. I quit calling (Ghost’s Silent card technique) and the gobbling activity went down to nothing for about 20 minutes. I grabbed the slate and made the softest purrs and clucks while raking the leaves within the blind and BAMMMM….there he was up close, about 40 yards away and holding his ground.
At this point in time, Amanda is having to go to a church membership drive and is needing to get back home. As we are moving around in the blind, trying to find her a way out and a way for me to stay and hunt, she grabbed my arm and said “Crap…there he is….right in front of us” I turned to see him at 30 yards on a slow pace to the blind. As he was making his way in, he started to veer off to the left and out of her shooting lane and skirted the blind at a mere 20 yards and came in from behind. With a little fumbling with shooting ports and slide system (about 5 minutes of trying), I finally got her a shot as the bird walked down over the hill. I grabbed the slate and started cutting as loud as I could and he just exploded with gobbles but started to work back the way he came in. Within a minute, he was back out in front and I had somehow juggled the slides around to open up the blind enough for her to get off a shot. She came to full draw, anchored, settled the pin and proceeded to take out a nice black oak 15 yards in front of the blind. She just sunk as the bird ran out of her range.
I spit out a few calls real quick which stopped the bird but he was looking for his way out. Amanda handed me my bow and told me to try and get off a shot. As he was walking away, I got an arrow nocked, release on, and drawn inside 5 seconds. I was not in a position to shoot so I had to lean across Amanda, find the pin, find the bird and shoot…by the Grace of God, my arrow found its mark and he ran only 15 yards before taking a beak drive into the leaves. I guessed him around 23#, he has 1 ¼ inch spurs, 10 ½ inch regular beard, 4 inch double beard. I really wanted her to get off a great shot on him and I actually felt guilty in shooting but when she gave me a huge hug and high five…I got the feeling she was just as happy.
By 6:15, we could hear 10-12 Toms and Jakes talking it up all around us, I hit the call pretty hard and loud cutting, yelping and an occasional cackle with responses from every bird within earshot. With Amanda being the shooter, I put her mid blind and center with our attention focused on the bird that skunked us last Monday. Every call was cut off by his gobble but he failed to budge. In the meantime, calling to the “Motor Mouth”, a big tom came in but skirted the edge of her range and headed up toward the gobbler of interest. Within 10 minutes, we had 4 mature toms within 100 yards of us but they were all within 40 yards of each other…still gobbling. I was calling every 2-3 minutes and would have 6-7 gobblers answer but all stayed put to their current location all within 200 yards now. I quit calling (Ghost’s Silent card technique) and the gobbling activity went down to nothing for about 20 minutes. I grabbed the slate and made the softest purrs and clucks while raking the leaves within the blind and BAMMMM….there he was up close, about 40 yards away and holding his ground.
At this point in time, Amanda is having to go to a church membership drive and is needing to get back home. As we are moving around in the blind, trying to find her a way out and a way for me to stay and hunt, she grabbed my arm and said “Crap…there he is….right in front of us” I turned to see him at 30 yards on a slow pace to the blind. As he was making his way in, he started to veer off to the left and out of her shooting lane and skirted the blind at a mere 20 yards and came in from behind. With a little fumbling with shooting ports and slide system (about 5 minutes of trying), I finally got her a shot as the bird walked down over the hill. I grabbed the slate and started cutting as loud as I could and he just exploded with gobbles but started to work back the way he came in. Within a minute, he was back out in front and I had somehow juggled the slides around to open up the blind enough for her to get off a shot. She came to full draw, anchored, settled the pin and proceeded to take out a nice black oak 15 yards in front of the blind. She just sunk as the bird ran out of her range.
I spit out a few calls real quick which stopped the bird but he was looking for his way out. Amanda handed me my bow and told me to try and get off a shot. As he was walking away, I got an arrow nocked, release on, and drawn inside 5 seconds. I was not in a position to shoot so I had to lean across Amanda, find the pin, find the bird and shoot…by the Grace of God, my arrow found its mark and he ran only 15 yards before taking a beak drive into the leaves. I guessed him around 23#, he has 1 ¼ inch spurs, 10 ½ inch regular beard, 4 inch double beard. I really wanted her to get off a great shot on him and I actually felt guilty in shooting but when she gave me a huge hug and high five…I got the feeling she was just as happy.
