miller
Senior Member
I was fortunate enough to take a nice North Florida gobbler on Saturday morning. He gobbled less than 5 times from the tree, but that was enough for me to plan my set-up. I closed the distance to about 300 yards and set-up on the edge of a two-rut road. This land is large open plantation type pine with occasional thick wiry underbrush. Anyway I thought he would work the road to me, wrong! He hit the ground gobbled and initially worked the road and I saw him strut through a cross road about 150 yards away. Instead of hanging a right and coming to me, he kept on straight. At that site I said to myself it's over; I thought he was heading to one of the fields.
A few minutes later I let out a series of soft yelps and He cut me, he was no longer on the road, but in the pines and too my right about 75-100 yards. Quickly I shimmied a quarter turn on the tree to face the last gobble. I waited a minute and let another soft series and nothing, I figured he was probably going to hang-up and wait for me to come to him. Another couple of minutes passed and still nothing. I was ready to let out another soft yelp or two when I heard it; SHPIIT, he was back to my left some 40 yards and about to step into the road. He only had to pass behind one pine and he would be in the road, as his head went behind the tree I made my move and shimmied a quarter turn back the other way.
As he cleared the tree I was in position and he hit the road-bed and blew-up (SHPIIT). I let him come another 10-15 steps and squeezed the trigger.
18 #'s
10.5 beard
1 3/8 on the longest spur. The other was broken, but still over an inch.
All-in-all a nice gobbler. I would not have made it without the thermocell, sketers are horrible down here, worst I can remember for this early in the year.
I am thankful for this bird; I had some needed things go my way, after not catching a break last weekend!
A few minutes later I let out a series of soft yelps and He cut me, he was no longer on the road, but in the pines and too my right about 75-100 yards. Quickly I shimmied a quarter turn on the tree to face the last gobble. I waited a minute and let another soft series and nothing, I figured he was probably going to hang-up and wait for me to come to him. Another couple of minutes passed and still nothing. I was ready to let out another soft yelp or two when I heard it; SHPIIT, he was back to my left some 40 yards and about to step into the road. He only had to pass behind one pine and he would be in the road, as his head went behind the tree I made my move and shimmied a quarter turn back the other way.
As he cleared the tree I was in position and he hit the road-bed and blew-up (SHPIIT). I let him come another 10-15 steps and squeezed the trigger.
18 #'s
10.5 beard
1 3/8 on the longest spur. The other was broken, but still over an inch.
All-in-all a nice gobbler. I would not have made it without the thermocell, sketers are horrible down here, worst I can remember for this early in the year.
I am thankful for this bird; I had some needed things go my way, after not catching a break last weekend!
