I know a lot of you guys that read the Hunt America forum will have read this one, but I had such a good time today that I wanted to share it over here too.
Well, today was quite the day for me and my best friend Scott. We had talked over the last day or so and decided to go after a few birds Sat. morning. So we set our clocks and packed our gear.
I get up and get ready, which included a couple of ibuprofin, as I had a splitting headache when I woke up. I never get headaches much so this was a bummer to start the day. But I got it in gear anyway.
4:00 am and I am in Scott's driveway. He is ready like good hunting buddies should be, and in minutes his gear is in the truck and we are headed to his dad's house to pick up his youngest son who spent the night up at grandpa's. He is up and ready too, anticipating a big gobbler.
We decide to go to a farm we have hunted for years but had not hunted in the last year since they clear cut the farm next to it to the bone. Nary a tree standing. We thought it best to stay away while they cleared the land, and figured the turkeys and deer would move on. Well, we were wrong.
We are sitting at the base of the mountain at 5:00 am getting our gear on and checking everything twice. First light is peaking across the horizon, so we make our plans and split up. I walk up the mountain, break left and settle in a nice saddle, facing a long ridge to start my calling. I wait for good light and cap my weapon of choice, a White 12 gauge Tominator.
I am just about ready to start my calling, as my hoot tube located three gobblers on the ridge across from me. I am just about to make my first peep, as the light is just right for shooting, when I hear "Blam!" where I know Scott and his son are. I get on the Nextel phone and direct connect him. Sure enough, he scored on a nice bird right off the roost. The birds were roosted above a small grove of pines, and they had gotten set up just above the birds. They made a blind from some old military netting and set it in some of the tree tops the loggers had left there. The birds came down right to them, and well, the rest is history. The bird fell with one shot of the #6's at 35 yards. They decided to see if they could pick another bird on the far end of the farm so after they secured that bird, they headed out in hopes of getting Bobby a bird.
I had in the meantime watched the gobblers gobble doubles, triples, and quads on the roost from where I sat. I had a beautiful time listening to all the music they were making. It was a cool but not cold morning, about 40 degrees and not a stitch of wind. Can't ask for any better weather. The birds come down off the roost, but I guess there was some sweet-talking hens on the far ridge, and each bird went to the far side and none came toward me. Since we did not have permission to go over on that land, I headed for the top of the mountain, to look over the new clear cut and to see if I could round up another bird.
Once on top, I radio Scott and they are in another gang of birds on the far side of the farm. I can hear a few birds below me near where I was first thing. So I make my way back down very carefully and call softly from time to time, and I get and answer every time. I finally sit back down not 40 yards from where I was in the morning early, and start to call. A young jake answers and starts coming in to the call. A hen also answers and starts making lonesome calls to me, and comes looking for me, bringing the big boy I was looking for in tow. She comes up, and I can hear her walking in the leaves, softly calling to me, and the gobbler wants to see who this new young sweet thing is that is all alone and sounding like she needed company. I have the gun up and ready, finger on the safety. The big bird come in just to the right of where I have my gun pointed, and I adjust when I have opportunity. He rounds a small oak and is 35 yards, the exact distance I had practiced at. I turn loose of the #4 magnum shot, and I can't see through the smoke, but I hear the bird thrashing before I can even get up and make a run for it. I bolt over to the bird, who is flapping his last. Man!!! What a morning!!!!
I radio Scott to let him know what was going on, and he is on his way back, as the other birds were headed across to another farm and he couldn't follow. We all meet back at the truck and get the camera out. These birds could be twins!!! 9 3/4" beards, and about 7/8" spurs, give or take a 1/16th of an inch either bird.
No matter how you slice it, and believe me I will be doing some slicing, we had an awesome day. I gave my bird to the land owner, who loves wild game. Scott and I even dressed it and helped his wife put it in the pot. So they will be eating turkey for supper tonight! But it's great to know the game is thicker than ever on the farm, and to score doubles was something extra special.
