It was raining at daybreak, so I went to a big gas line where I’d heard one a few days prior, but no luck. I went to another place about 5-6mi away and tried for a while with no response, so headed back to the truck about 10. When I pulled out of the well rd, I saw fresh tom tracks that had just been made headed into a 2yo pine thinning. I pulled back in, eased out in the thinning and struck him after about 15 min. He was real deep, but it was too open to move much, so I hung tight and it wasn’t long and he was comin’ in hot. About the time that rascal hit 150yds a dang hen piped up to my left and went straight to him. That was it, but I gave it til about 1 with no luck.
The next morning I went back to the same location and that rascal was already lighting it up on my way in. I hooted a bit until I was pretty confident where he was and got to about 175yds or so and sat down. He was in an SMZ down in an old thinning that I assumed was still a thicket, but the SMZ came out to a two track where I was. After fly down he hung tight, so I decided to risk it and headed twds him swinging left a bit to get to the hdwds. As I was headed his way I noticed the old thinning had opened a good bit and I saw his tracks where he’d came through to roost. He fired off about 100yds to my right just over the hill, so I had to hit the deck and settle in by a cedar bush. I figured he was going high where I’d come from, so I hit him with some soft talk and in minutes I could hear limbs snapping out to my right, so with the hill as my cover I swung around and got ready. Then I saw his fan a bit left and couldnt see his head yet, so I eased around and that rascal broke strut, stepped up on the crest about 15-20yds out, and I let him have it. It was only about 7 at the shot, so I had plenty of time for a photo op and made it back in time for church. I was thrilled to get him with the sparse population in that area. There had been a bunch of fellas in that spot this week I assume chasing him. I went in there twice earlier scouting and never heard a peep. He’d already been shot earlier in the week as he had 4 nonplated lead #6s in him that were still bloodshot, but luckily not infected yet. Sure does feel good to get one after a long week of slow hunting.
