BOWHUNTER!
Senior Member
Been trying to get my last bird for 2 weeks now. The gobbling just came to a halt about a week ago and after a few hunts, I started getting frustrated. Well me and a buddy moved to the other side of the property where he has been hearing some birds. Yesterday morn we sat in his blind and worked a big gobbler for about an hour but he hung up and never came in. Meanwhile we heard several other birds off to our left about 300yds off to the North that were hammering pretty good all morn too but the location was less than perfect for trying to get them working. I decided that this am I would set up on those birds and leave the big Tom to my buddy Mike. I got there this morning and set up my decoys on one of the terraces where they could be seen whether he came from the East or West. I did not have my blind, so I set a camp chair off in the privet and behind a small tree. At daybreak, the Tom across the right away started hammering as usual along with 2 others. It took about 20more mins before the one on my side lit up. Once he started gobbling, we played back and forth for a while until he hung up behind me. I decided to play hard to get and shut up. I knew he would get frustrated and come to the right away to look for me. At 7:25, I look to my left up the hill and there he is. He spots the decoys and the show begins. he starts walking sideways with his fan up, spittin and drumming loud. He did this all the way to the decoys and stopped right behind the tree I was behind. Eventually he gave up on the decoys and started to move off but feeding in the process. He made it out to 30yds and I yelped twice to stop him. I settled the pin on him and let it rip. Thwack!! he went straight down and started flopping and I took off after him. before I got there, he managed to get airborne and off he went. I stood there and watched him fly 250yrds down the hill and turn left in the swamp. I ended up having to go into the swamp looking for a needle in a haystack but by the grace of God, I was able to walk right up on him. He was flopping trying to get away but he was too far gone. He made another 200yds into the swamp on top of the distance it took to get there. After a quick examination, it turned out to be the bird I was after that we nicknamed "limpy" He had a bum left foot and hopped around on his right one. His beard was 10in and had 1in and 1 1/8in spurs. Not a bad way to end my first season bowhunting turkeys huh?
I think I'm hooked now.
I think I'm hooked now. Attachments
Last edited:
)
