Got him!!!! GIANT!

devolve

Senior Member
Had an encredible encounter earlier this week with this guy but was 10 steps out of my comfortable range.

6:00 AM
me and my best friend arrive at the gate.
6:30 AM
we are set up on a knoll over looking the field that the birds have been roosting near.
6:48 AM
I do a fly down call and beat my hat on my chest. BAM! He gobbles from 125 yards away on the roost.
6:50 - 7:05 AM
they start the fly down. One by one pitching into the field.
No gobbler.............
7:06 AM
he appears in the wood line in full strut!
7:06 - 7:48 AM
He puts on a strutting/gobbling show for us!
Every time I yelped or cut he would hammer! I gobbled at him and he got mad as soon as he saw my jake decoy that was positioned behind my willing hen decoy.
7:52 AM
He strutted into the decoys and gobbled at 15 steps. Then flogged the jake.
7:53 AM
He took a 3.5” #5 to the face at 15 steps.

My 2nd biggest bird of my life. My largest eastern bird of my life.
22# 1.5” spurs 11.5” beardF2FE19C9-01FD-4787-9BE8-58B728D404F6.jpeg
 

buckpasser

Senior Member
I like that iridescent stripe on the fan. He’d make a great shadow box or mount. Congrats!
 

hambone76

Senior Member
Congratulations on a great bird! Show that shadow box off once it’s complete!
 
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