Took Otto out yesterday for the youth turkey season...A few weeks a go, I had him pass on a gobbler that I nicknamed "Shorty"...He was a big tom, but his beard was short and blonde...I wanted him to breed the last hens, since there were no other old birds left in the area...10 days ago or so, another mature tom found the remaining hens...I bagged him last Sunday...That left "Shorty" the last 6 days.
I told Otto, if there were no new longs...Then "Shorty" was fair game this time...The morning started out cold & crisp...We decided to move from the traditional morning spot to farther down near the meadow area...As dawn started to break, there was no gobbling...Hmmmmm...Then with only minutes till flydown, we get our 1st gobble and then a couple others...The one thing that "Shorty has had was a strong gobble..."Shorty" or someone like him was still here...The next and last thing we hear on the roost is a hen, then another...Damn!.
I soft call on the Flydown Custom (glass)...A hen and the strong gobbler respond quickly...2 seconds later, Otto says, don't move...A hen had landed within 10 yds of us...Because, I was calling slightly behind and below him, I couldn't see her...She never makes a peep and heads for the lower meadow...The next call we get is a tom calling to the south of us...No other birds flydown our way and we're in a terrible position to call the bird...Let's move...We hurriedly pick up (no decoys) and move to a higher position to the west.
I start the routine, glass & copper, and get a gobble 100 yds south of us...Hoping he'd work his way around the hill...We wait, nothing...We're up against a big deadfall with Otto slightly above and to my left...We now have a good visual of the hen that landed next us feeding her way across the big meadow...That's when I see movement out of the corner of my eye...Birds walking down from behind and to our right...It's only 6:20...So, still not very good light...I can't see any beards on the first 3 or 4 birds...As they go behind some ground cover, I soft call...Boom!...Big gobble from one of them...It's got to be "Shorty"...While all this is happening, 5 deer are working their way across the meadow and right at us...Not busted by them again.
Now, we have the 4 jakes, "Shorty", and 5 deer right in front of us (15-50 yds)...Otto can't move or shoot with so many eyeballs...The deer move back to the east, but one of the jakes gets really close and sees something...No alarm putts, but definitely very nervous putts...Like most old toms, "Shorty" was pulling up the rear and he comes to a stop...After the jake passes, Otto can't turn enough...Plus, "Shorty is behind way too much clutter...After a few minutes, I can see him clearly...He's heading right back to where he came from and despite him gobbling back to the soft purrs...He ain't stopping...Dam it!
Dead silence for quite awhile and I try the copper over glass side again and BINGO!..."Shorty" lets loose...The good news is that he didn't completely leave the area...The bad news is, he ain't budging from where he's at...The stand-offs goes on for some time...And in that time, I tell Otto to change positions...Another deadfall is 5 yds below me and a perfect view, if he decides to come back...I start soft calling again...Nothing...I hit him again...Nothing...He's either walking or has decided to clam up...He's walking, as I see his red head coming through the underbrush...I look at Otto and his gun is up...As "Shorty" goes into the open...I call and he stands straight up...With this, I say, "Otto, you better take him"...Without hesitation...BOOM!...A complete back flip and dead as a door nail...Knowing it was far, I ranged Otto when he picked up the bird...57 yds!...3" 1 3/4 #9's...Wow!
Shorty is/was a hell of tom...22-1 lbs, 5" unique beard and fat 1" spurs...Congrats Otto on your 1st non-jake....
I told Otto, if there were no new longs...Then "Shorty" was fair game this time...The morning started out cold & crisp...We decided to move from the traditional morning spot to farther down near the meadow area...As dawn started to break, there was no gobbling...Hmmmmm...Then with only minutes till flydown, we get our 1st gobble and then a couple others...The one thing that "Shorty has had was a strong gobble..."Shorty" or someone like him was still here...The next and last thing we hear on the roost is a hen, then another...Damn!.
I soft call on the Flydown Custom (glass)...A hen and the strong gobbler respond quickly...2 seconds later, Otto says, don't move...A hen had landed within 10 yds of us...Because, I was calling slightly behind and below him, I couldn't see her...She never makes a peep and heads for the lower meadow...The next call we get is a tom calling to the south of us...No other birds flydown our way and we're in a terrible position to call the bird...Let's move...We hurriedly pick up (no decoys) and move to a higher position to the west.
I start the routine, glass & copper, and get a gobble 100 yds south of us...Hoping he'd work his way around the hill...We wait, nothing...We're up against a big deadfall with Otto slightly above and to my left...We now have a good visual of the hen that landed next us feeding her way across the big meadow...That's when I see movement out of the corner of my eye...Birds walking down from behind and to our right...It's only 6:20...So, still not very good light...I can't see any beards on the first 3 or 4 birds...As they go behind some ground cover, I soft call...Boom!...Big gobble from one of them...It's got to be "Shorty"...While all this is happening, 5 deer are working their way across the meadow and right at us...Not busted by them again.
Now, we have the 4 jakes, "Shorty", and 5 deer right in front of us (15-50 yds)...Otto can't move or shoot with so many eyeballs...The deer move back to the east, but one of the jakes gets really close and sees something...No alarm putts, but definitely very nervous putts...Like most old toms, "Shorty" was pulling up the rear and he comes to a stop...After the jake passes, Otto can't turn enough...Plus, "Shorty is behind way too much clutter...After a few minutes, I can see him clearly...He's heading right back to where he came from and despite him gobbling back to the soft purrs...He ain't stopping...Dam it!
Dead silence for quite awhile and I try the copper over glass side again and BINGO!..."Shorty" lets loose...The good news is that he didn't completely leave the area...The bad news is, he ain't budging from where he's at...The stand-offs goes on for some time...And in that time, I tell Otto to change positions...Another deadfall is 5 yds below me and a perfect view, if he decides to come back...I start soft calling again...Nothing...I hit him again...Nothing...He's either walking or has decided to clam up...He's walking, as I see his red head coming through the underbrush...I look at Otto and his gun is up...As "Shorty" goes into the open...I call and he stands straight up...With this, I say, "Otto, you better take him"...Without hesitation...BOOM!...A complete back flip and dead as a door nail...Knowing it was far, I ranged Otto when he picked up the bird...57 yds!...3" 1 3/4 #9's...Wow!
Shorty is/was a hell of tom...22-1 lbs, 5" unique beard and fat 1" spurs...Congrats Otto on your 1st non-jake....
