Yesterday morning we eased into an area I know is holding birds, but nothing talked, so we pulled out and headed to another area a couple miles away. As soon as I got out of the truck a tom fired off only 200yds from the truck. I grabbed gear and we headed for a pine thicket to try and sneak up to a small gas line ROW. Just as we eased out of the brush enough to see a bit a hen glided off a ridge and landed right in front of us. She immediately saw us and took flight back to the ridge, but she never putted, so I thought we may be ok. I set up the sticks and got Bethany set up, then grabbed my aluminum pot and let out a few yelps. He hammered back, but he was farther away in the direction the hen flew. I got pretty sassy and before long he hammered across the bottom on the ridge, shortly followed by wing beats and a crash in the leaves down below us. I told B to get ready, he was coming and coming fast! She got down on the gun and there he was, but I guessed him about 50 when he hit the gas line, so I told her to hold off. That rascal walked right across the line instead of coming our way, got in the thicket with us, and started strutting, spitn and drumming. He got to 25yards at one point, but he was straight off to my left and B was sitting directly to my right. He finally lost interest and walked off to our left, so I told B I was going to cut him and if he was far enough, we’d make a quick move and put out a decoy further down the hill. I’ll be danged if I didn’t hear him coming right back through the brush to our position and there he was again strutting in the brush. He finally made his way up to about 30yds off to my left(I could have shot him 10 times by now
), but there was no way she could have pulled it off from her position, so I told her “don’t move a muscle.” He finally broke strut and started heading straight for the gas line in front of us, so I told her to get ready. He hit the line walking fast to our right at about 40yds, so I hit him with a soft yelp and he fired off a gobble and went into ½ strut. I whispered “Take him!” and he turned to us and took a step, so I said “Don’t shoot!” I wanted him around 30 and knew he was flirting with 40(the gun patterns solid at 40 with this load). All of the sudden it was over in a split second, he saw something he didn’t like and had spun around walking away before I could get “Shoot” out of my mouth. She fired and he took flight, so I ran out in the line and watched him fly a couple hundred yards, land, and run a ways before darting off into the timber. I felt crushed, I screwed up, if she would have shot when he hit the line we’d of most likely had a tom on the ground. I told her I was sorry and shouldn’t have held her off the first time, but she looked back at me and said “This is SO AWESOME!” It was a firm reminder that it’s not the kill, we were making memories that would last a lifetime. I looked at my watch and it was only 8, so I told her it was early, let’s try a couple more spots. We drove about 10 miles to another area I like to hunt and had found some sign in the day before. I put a decoy in a logging road near a log set and we got on a 4 wheeler trail in a thicket about 35 yards off the decoy. At that point I slipped a TSS load in, she’s a stout girl and I wanted either a smooth miss or a kill if one was a bit past the decoy. I let out a few yelps and I’ll be danged if we weren’t immediately answered! He hammered about 200yds from us down the logging road and somehow hadn’t seen us walk in. We’d get an occasional gobble from him, but he got further away so I figured he had hens. I told B I know where that road goes, but it’s about a mile walk to loop around. We sat for a bit and couldn’t get another response, so I told B I was going to sneak out to the edge of the logging rd, take a peek, and if I didn’t see any turks, we’d make tracks to try and head off that tom. I ease up and nothing is in view, so I grab the decoy and as I’m walking back to B he steps out in the little 4 wheeler trail about 10yds behind B!! Dang it! He took flight and she never even saw him. I told her I’d rather have him spook off me walking than him walk up a few feet behind us and spook off. I’ve flushed toms and still killed them before, so we set off in the direction he flew in hopes to bring him back in after things settled down. We gathered our gear and headed that way and when we came out on a nice food plot a couple hundred yds long, I told B we should just try there in case there were any other birds in the area. Nothing was in sight, so I stuck Peggy Sue(Zink Breeder) in the plot and we backed off in the timber about 40yds(I wanted to get to a distance that TSS pattern would give her a bit of wiggle room). We settled in about 10am and I began calling. About 10min later I cut and was answered right back by a cut, so I got sassy and she got sassy back. I told B to get ready, the ole girl may have a boyfriend in tow. Here she comes up the plot cutting up big time and “Mad as a wet hen” as the saying goes at ole Peggy Sue. Shortly after the hen gets to the decoy a whole line of hens make an appearance on the scene and they all ganged up around the decoy bumping into it and talking up a storm. Then one of the hens blew into full strut!! That’s only the 3rd hen I’ve seen strut and sure was glad B got to see it. I told B to stay on the gun, that many hens usually has company. They played around the decoy a bit, then started heading back where they came from, but I didn’t like that a bit, so I got sassy again and they came right back to the decoy. About that time I hear Sppffft Vrrooom!! I told B get ready, there’s a tom coming! At this point I’m praying those hens pass us and pull him by and by pure luck the lead hen started walking to our right and all the other hens fell in line!! It was on baby!! I knew it was about to get interesting, then I saw that big black ball appear through the brush. He strutted his stuff right up to Peggy Sue. As soon as he got in a clear lane I whispered “Shoot him in the head!” (I wanted to putt, but I had 6 hens at about 25yds staring us down and I didn’t want to blow it.) BAM! The 20 barked and he flopped over without a twitch! I jumped up and made tracks, but he wasn’t going anywhere. She had straight up body shot him in the excitement, if I hadn’t slipped the TSS in, it would’ve been a wounded tom. He died like lighting struck him at 41yds. Those little 9.5s are mean. One pellet hit his femur and totally shattered it like a rifle wound. Impressive to say the least. B was on cloud 9! She was so pumped. It was her first tom after 3 years of trying. We’d been close and finally got a shot, but I never would have dreamed I’d get her on 3 separate toms yesterday morn. It was an outstanding end to the Youth season and one we’ll never forget.
Her tom weighed in at 19.5lbs and had a nice thick beard.
One proud little girl:
Two happy hunters:
She toted that bird all the way back to the truck. She had blood all over her pants lol.
Nice beard:
I certainly hope to get on some birds in our main season, but even if I don’t, it’s been an outstanding season in my book.
Good Luck to all of you guys,
Loder
