Hunted (or scouted) the same spot on MCC for 4 days and thought I had a pretty good pattern going...Called Dr. Jack and to see if he wanted to hunt turkeys Friday (I got one on his Alabama prop)...Despite him loving all hunting and especially waterfowl (He owns the best duck club in the IV)...He hates getting up early...Well, if we were going to get this old tom...We would have to get by the roost in the dark, dark...3:30 am is early enough...
We get by the roost undetected...So far, so good...We get 3/4 of the way up the mountain and set-up...It's a bit of a hike...So, the old guy in me brought foam decoys, instead of DSD's...May or may not made a difference...6:00 am rolls around and we haven't heard a bird...We may have "disturbed" them some in the sycamores...Other birds, including crows start calling and we hear our 1st gobble...Sure enough, he's in the same spot (big meadow) with 3 hens...Tuesday, he had 2 other big boys with him...Today, he's the lone ranger...
Like most days, after he hits the ground, he and other gobblers we heard in the distance, go silent...An hour goes by and we have not put a visual or heard them...I had been soft calling on the Flydown box and Flydown glass calls...Nothing...At this, I decided to change things up some and turned the glass pot call over where Josh Kettl (owner of Flydown Custom Calls) had put a small circular copper pot...I hit that and a hen goes off and then he goes off...They're about 200 yds below us...Perfect...I wait some and hit 'em a gain...Same result...15 minutes go by and I spot the big tom...At about the same time, the now single hen with him, flies across the small valley and lands just below the decoys...He gobbles...I'm thinking, he's either going to fly over or hot foot it in...Neither happen (this guy didn't get to a 3 year from being dumb)...In the meantime, the hen moves around the decoys and is now headed right for us...We are well hidden back in the scrub oaks...The tom is now 90 yds below us and coming, but before we know it...The hen is 10 yds in front of us...She proceeds to get within 5' and she stops and starts staring into the brush...Then it happens, 2 putts...NO!...I look down and the big guy stops in his tracks...80 yds out...Looks up and starts putting and heading sideways away...So close, yet so far...
After that we make a move and go higher...Nothing, a couple hours go by and I hear a gobble from down below...I figured he would go up the hill behind us following the hen...He didn't...He went down hill and was somewhere near the original roost trees...We pick up and head down hill...Set-up again with only one feeding hen decoy...I start calling...Nothing...I try every call and not a peep...Desperate times, desperate measures...I break out the gobble call...Bingo!...He gobbles right back and I have a position on him...
We decide we need to cut the distance and there's a good swale between us and him...We stay below it and sneak into the some shaded oaks...I give him plenty of time and go back to the copper pot...BOOM!...He gobbles, then double gobbles!...He's only a 150 yds above us near the creek...I hit him one more time and he gobbles and is much closer...Now, it's as soft as I can be and purring...I'm about 5 yds behind Dr. Jack and I see his lit up head 1st...Then he walks into plain view looking for the hen...I'm sure he's thinking...Hmmmm...Something ain't right here...He starts to head for the creek bottom and I give him a yelp and he stops...I wasn't sure how far he was from my angle, but I whispered to Dr. Jack, "You better shoot"...KAPOOOOW!...And, down goes the big guy....
He truly is a trophy bird...22 lbs 2 oz, 10 1/2" broom of brooms, and 1 1/8" sharp spurs...What a classic morning of turkey hunting...
We get by the roost undetected...So far, so good...We get 3/4 of the way up the mountain and set-up...It's a bit of a hike...So, the old guy in me brought foam decoys, instead of DSD's...May or may not made a difference...6:00 am rolls around and we haven't heard a bird...We may have "disturbed" them some in the sycamores...Other birds, including crows start calling and we hear our 1st gobble...Sure enough, he's in the same spot (big meadow) with 3 hens...Tuesday, he had 2 other big boys with him...Today, he's the lone ranger...
Like most days, after he hits the ground, he and other gobblers we heard in the distance, go silent...An hour goes by and we have not put a visual or heard them...I had been soft calling on the Flydown box and Flydown glass calls...Nothing...At this, I decided to change things up some and turned the glass pot call over where Josh Kettl (owner of Flydown Custom Calls) had put a small circular copper pot...I hit that and a hen goes off and then he goes off...They're about 200 yds below us...Perfect...I wait some and hit 'em a gain...Same result...15 minutes go by and I spot the big tom...At about the same time, the now single hen with him, flies across the small valley and lands just below the decoys...He gobbles...I'm thinking, he's either going to fly over or hot foot it in...Neither happen (this guy didn't get to a 3 year from being dumb)...In the meantime, the hen moves around the decoys and is now headed right for us...We are well hidden back in the scrub oaks...The tom is now 90 yds below us and coming, but before we know it...The hen is 10 yds in front of us...She proceeds to get within 5' and she stops and starts staring into the brush...Then it happens, 2 putts...NO!...I look down and the big guy stops in his tracks...80 yds out...Looks up and starts putting and heading sideways away...So close, yet so far...
After that we make a move and go higher...Nothing, a couple hours go by and I hear a gobble from down below...I figured he would go up the hill behind us following the hen...He didn't...He went down hill and was somewhere near the original roost trees...We pick up and head down hill...Set-up again with only one feeding hen decoy...I start calling...Nothing...I try every call and not a peep...Desperate times, desperate measures...I break out the gobble call...Bingo!...He gobbles right back and I have a position on him...
We decide we need to cut the distance and there's a good swale between us and him...We stay below it and sneak into the some shaded oaks...I give him plenty of time and go back to the copper pot...BOOM!...He gobbles, then double gobbles!...He's only a 150 yds above us near the creek...I hit him one more time and he gobbles and is much closer...Now, it's as soft as I can be and purring...I'm about 5 yds behind Dr. Jack and I see his lit up head 1st...Then he walks into plain view looking for the hen...I'm sure he's thinking...Hmmmm...Something ain't right here...He starts to head for the creek bottom and I give him a yelp and he stops...I wasn't sure how far he was from my angle, but I whispered to Dr. Jack, "You better shoot"...KAPOOOOW!...And, down goes the big guy....
He truly is a trophy bird...22 lbs 2 oz, 10 1/2" broom of brooms, and 1 1/8" sharp spurs...What a classic morning of turkey hunting...
