Post by LongSpur39 on Aug 16, 2013 17:54:35 GMT -5
This past Spring my girlfriend was on her very first hunt. As we slipped through the dark woods, on our way to the top of the hill. I don't think she was big on no flashlight. And not being able to see. As we reached the field birds began gobbling in every direction. Except where I expected them too. My thoughts were it could be an all morning hunt. My buddy and I had shot the double opening day in the field. So I thought the spot might be tapped out? Just as we set up a hen touched down in the field. We scrambled to get the wall blind set up. The sun was right in the hens eyes , so I figured we were good. The first series of calls brought a lot of responses from the distant birds. I told jen I think its gonna take awhile. Not even a minute later a double gobble came from our right at 250 yds. He must of been roosting farther down in the hollow. That's why we didn't hear him. In hill or mountain country birds can be hammerin down off a steep ridge and you won't hear them. Unless your right above them. Anyway this bird was pounding. So I kept hitting him with the calls. I looked out and the hen was standing there at 300 yds. I called again the gobbler had made it near the edge of the field. But we could not see to that edge at all. Then I called again he didn't answer. I rose up over Jens head to look down the edge, into a big dip in the field. All I saw was a fan and red head. He was coming up out of that dip at 40 yds. I quickly sit back down. Jen said,"can you see him?" I said um yeah he's at 40 and closing fast. Right along the edge!! The tom was locked into the decoys. But traveling the way he was. He'd be way too close, 10 feet close! Jen is a little on the very short size. So she couldn't see him over the corner of the blind. When she finally saw him. He was full strut at the ten foot mark. She began to breath heavy and the gun barrel was shaking. Then of course he had to it let loose a thunder gobble. I said he's too close. Let him walk out a bit. He strutted for a few minutes. But it seemed like hours. I kept saying in a stearn whisper. If your shaking at this range you will miss. As if on cue he went into full strut facing away. I said get your bead on his fan. When he folds and pops that head up. Smoke his ars!!! Put it tight on his head!! She then says maybe you should shoot?? I said oh no no!! My gun is in my lap. Lol!! The fan went down. I said drop the hammer!!! Now!! Shoot!! Boom!! He went in a heap. Then she got the shakes bad. I said go get your bird babe. Definitely ranks as one of the top hunts in the turkey woods for me. And reliving that hunnt all morning made it a perfect day. Oh incidently as we were taking pics . The distant birds had made it within 100 yds of us. We had to jump back in the blind. Just as 6 Jakes and two longbeards walked in the field. I had taken the dekes down. But I wasn't interested in shooting that day. So we watched them travel across the field. It was her day anyway.
