Post by songdog on May 5, 2007 19:52:09 GMT -5
I have hunted every morning since opening day . The first five or six days a few birds would gobble on the roost but only did so for a small time . I had a couple of close encounters on day one and two but birds stayed with hens strutting about 50 yds out. Tuesday morning I decided to go to another location and harrass some new birds . The next three mornings I would get close to a bird but could not budge him my way , tried everything I could think of but I,m sure he was henned up . I decided to go and try to catch him off guard on Thursday evening but ended up chasing a couple of gobbles on the other side of the property.As I climbed into the truck for the ride home I heard my bird gobbling up a storm over near where I had been working him for the previous couple of days. I decided to be there waiting for him in the morning.
Got up earlier than usual to give me time for the long walk in. I arrived on the right ridge ( miraculously ) at about the time he decided to open up .I was about 60 yds.out and still with plenty of darkness to find a decent calling position and set up . I gave a few soft yelps on my Cales slate and he continued gobbling for 10 or 15 min. I gave him one or two more soft yelps and set my call down. He gobbled off and on until daylight when he pitched down and out of sight to my right . I readjusted my position and he gobbled twice on the ground . I hit him with some soft yelps with my mouth caller and within seconds watched his head bobbing behind a brush pile , he came around stuck his head out and gobbled . I let loose my #5s as he was in mid gobble and it was over. 21 lbs. ,10 1/2 inch beard , 1 1/4 and a 1 inch spur. Praise the Lord.
This has been a very tough year hunting and I really did not think I would score,so everybody hang in there if your still hunting because I think the birds are just starting to get right.
Will post pictures when I can.
Got up earlier than usual to give me time for the long walk in. I arrived on the right ridge ( miraculously ) at about the time he decided to open up .I was about 60 yds.out and still with plenty of darkness to find a decent calling position and set up . I gave a few soft yelps on my Cales slate and he continued gobbling for 10 or 15 min. I gave him one or two more soft yelps and set my call down. He gobbled off and on until daylight when he pitched down and out of sight to my right . I readjusted my position and he gobbled twice on the ground . I hit him with some soft yelps with my mouth caller and within seconds watched his head bobbing behind a brush pile , he came around stuck his head out and gobbled . I let loose my #5s as he was in mid gobble and it was over. 21 lbs. ,10 1/2 inch beard , 1 1/4 and a 1 inch spur. Praise the Lord.
This has been a very tough year hunting and I really did not think I would score,so everybody hang in there if your still hunting because I think the birds are just starting to get right.
Will post pictures when I can.
