Went to the home place this morning but this bird was gobbling across a big hollow over on a section of land that ajoins the home place that we call the lease place. I really did not want to walk through that bottom which has a creek in it and a thicket on both sides of that creek that would give Tarzan pause. But he was the only bird gobbling. So I went through the briar thicket; waded the creek and went through the rest of the thicket on the far bank. Now my feet are wet and the front of my legs look like I've been in a knife fight in a phone booth. But he was still gobbling. The woods he was in were so thick you couldn't see 5 feet. But I knew there was a little road that cut through those woods near were he was roosted. I figured that's where he would fly down. I made it to the edge of the road and heard him gobble up that road to my left. Problem was there was not a good place to set up. The woods were so thick you could not see up or down the road without stepping out into the road. I took my box call out and yelped softly to gauge were he was. Nothing. I yelped again and he gobbled not 30 yards up the road to the left. Obviously he had already been coming my way. It was a strange sounding gobble. Kind of like a immature gobble. So I backed up in the bushes about 10 feet where I could still see the road and sat down. All I could do was try to shoot him as he passed me in the road. I got the gun on my knee and reached over and scratched in the leaves and straw. He didn't gobble or drum but withing a minute I saw him. And through the bushes in the low light (about 6:30) I wasn't sure if it was a jakes head or not. (Remember the weird gobble). So I waited. Finally he moved a few steps forward into a little better gap and I saw that beard. No doubt then. BOOM! Load of Hevi-13 at 12 steps. And he's a fine gobbler.
Tale of the tape.
18lbs
11 1/2 inch Beard.
1 3/8 inch right spur and 1 7/16 inch left spur.
