critterslayer
Senior Member
I'll give the short 2 day summary: Had a cow pasture scouted and was pumped for opener: got there Sat, 2 guys had it surrounded with blinds and muzzleloaders, neither of us had known the other was hunting there. So, after the turkey duck shoot stopped, my brother and I left. Tried that spot this morning, seems as though only hens and jakes left....Fast forward to this evening, I decided to go out about 5:00, (ive NEVER killed a bird this late), i hiked way high to a finger on the mountain I tried hunting last year, these birds up there are odd, they gobble maybe a couple times, don't join the hens much, and are just hard to get on. But, i knew the birds liked to roost there. So I sit myself down, and periodically yelp and cluck on my Pecker Wrecker. After over an hour, I could hear something walking my way around the side of the mountain. I get my face cover on, but still not sure if a bird is coming. My mossberg is leaning against the chestnut oak in front of me, and my camera/tripod is in front of my legs. As i'm looking in front of me, I catch movement up the mountain....
Red head staring down at me, and I might as well have been asleep...gun and camera in front of me. He stepped behind a tree, putted, and i turned the video camera on and grabbed my gun...knowing I had about 5 seconds before the evening just became another story of these high elevation birds schooling me. Safety off...and boom. He hit the ground without a twitch. Man was I pumped. Several firsts for me this evening. They don't always come in strutting and yelling there heads off, but having that old, respectable mtn bird come in all cautious, had me just as excited. The 20 minute hike back had my arm about to fall off. I wished I could have told the story a little more in detail, but i'd have to write a book. But I did get a lot of meat off that ole long beard.
Very awesome evening....and awesome weather to kill one.
Red head staring down at me, and I might as well have been asleep...gun and camera in front of me. He stepped behind a tree, putted, and i turned the video camera on and grabbed my gun...knowing I had about 5 seconds before the evening just became another story of these high elevation birds schooling me. Safety off...and boom. He hit the ground without a twitch. Man was I pumped. Several firsts for me this evening. They don't always come in strutting and yelling there heads off, but having that old, respectable mtn bird come in all cautious, had me just as excited. The 20 minute hike back had my arm about to fall off. I wished I could have told the story a little more in detail, but i'd have to write a book. But I did get a lot of meat off that ole long beard.
Very awesome evening....and awesome weather to kill one.
