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First Long Beard

203ntyp

PMA Member
Over my long hunting career I haven't done much turkey hunting even though I love the experience of a hot gobbler strutting and gobbling his head off. It seems I'm always too busy in the spring but this year I decided to make time and got out before daybreak this morning. It was a very quiet morning, no gobbling or sightings.

I sat from 5:30 until 7:eek:o with a decoy 20 yards out in a food plot I just started. I decided to sneak over to a fence row to peek out into a large green field to see if any birds were out feeding. Nothing in the field but I noticed several birds still on the roost about 200 yards away in another fence row. I got down on my knees and gave a cackle followed by a couple yelps. I got a response but not from the roosted birds which I figured were probably hens. I caught movement on the opposite side of the field from the roosted birds and spotted two gobblers about 250 yards away coming in my direction. I gave a couple yelps and they both rattled off, I knew this would be my opportunity.

They'd disappear in the grass then would peek up with their periscope necks but were hesitant to keep coming so I softly clucked and purred and they started gobbling, strutting and came in quickly. The one circled behind some brush to my right while they other was straight out still out of range. Before I knew it the lead bird walked in 15 yards in front of me, lights out!

He was missing 4 tail feathers which disappointed me but when I weighed him at 22 lbs and he sported an 11 & 1/4" beard with 1" hooks I was elated. Not sure how you guys score gobblers?
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