Jack Flynn
Senior Member
Finally, I mean finally, I get to hunt on a pretty day. I haven't heard a bird gobble since before opening day scouting. The weather has been horrible on me and my off days this year. Last night when I saw the forecast for this morning I was excited. Rolling on to Taliaferro County this morning and it was beautiful. My first stop, no gobbles. My second and third stop, same thing. I was actually going to go sit on a foodplot on a powerline for several hours when I decided to pull off and see where this small road went on the property. When I opened the door to get out I heard him gobble.
He gobbled probably 10 times while I was getting my gun and stuff on. Finally! He was no more than a couple hundred yards raising cane. I let his mouth guide me to a setup to call him. When I reached my first setup and called he thundered back. A couple minutes later I called again and it was that "time to get the gun up and pointed that way quick moment". He was coming and I should see him any second I thought. I had set up almost in the bottom of of gentle down hill slope and him just slightly above me. He gobbled one of those in your face but cannot see him yet gobbles and I moved a little to my right. He let loose again and man he was traveling from my left to right and quick! I called again per it looked like he was going on by me, he did, all the while gobbling down through the woods. He was below me and going away fast. I called, he gobbled. He was several hundred yards below me now moving away. I pulled out my glass call and let out some raunchy raspy yelps and he double gobbled cutting me off. He still never did come. I figure a gobbler will more than likely go where he has just walked a lot of the time so I called to make sure he was still a couple of hundred yards away and decide to move over the crest of a hill to where he had just walked by at. I gathered my stuff and called loudly on the glass call and he sent his greeting back. I quickly and quietly moved about 30 or 40 yds and called again all the while I was moving and calling to my other setup spot. I did this quickly about 125 yds or so until when he gobbled I knew he was on the same select cut row I was. He loved that hen coming after him. I sat down and called one time and he had cut the distance at least a third. I called again and he hammered and was still closer. Time to be quiet, and just then I see down the select cut row the top of his fan spread out. He's looking hard and gobbling all the way. I see him periscope and then strut again. Ahhhh, I hear a spittin and drumming, he is worked up and doing the two step and dance for me in the pine tree filtered sunlight. He periscopes again and I give him a little more direction about 75 yds out with a muffled purr. He looses it and spit and drums while inching closer and doing some of that in your face gobbling. I see another bird and a hen has come in from my right and doesn't like all this loving going on and she wasn't invited! She eases him to the right some in sparse bushes and all the while looking for me and he is still putting on a show of shows. She eases within 20 yds of me and she is looking and calling me out and he is reacting to her every move and will not get his head out of his chest. He's gobbling and drumming continuously for several minutes and he is behind a pine tree at 15 or so yds and ain't moving! I can see his fan and the back half of his body but no shot still. I decide to send out just a couple of almost silent yelps because this little hussy is fixing to step on me, I was scared she was going to be in the way of the shot when it presented itself. That leafy camo really must hide you good because she is at point blank range and I feel I'm fixing to get my cover blown. Finally he gobbles and takes a step and looks toward me and the hen. I soothed his sexual cravings with a little 20 ga # 5's medicine. The hen did not know what happened and ran back over to him! I called to her and got her all stirred up cutting and yelping at me while watching her would be lover flop on the ground. She eased towards me again and looked at the gobbler then for me then the gobbler then for me! I cut real hard at her and she showed me how to cut. After a few minutes I raised my right hand and surrendered to her and she ran off. What a morning. Thanks lord for not letting it rain on me again today!
He had a 9 1/8 inch beard and 1 1/8 inch spurs. Here's some pics.
He had a 9 1/8 inch beard and 1 1/8 inch spurs. Here's some pics.Attachments
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