I figured what the heck, I have a few days off I might as well give him a try. He always roosted in the same group of trees at the end of a ridge. I got in there early and as always he gobbled.
I set up at just over 100 yards, gave a tree call and he fires back. I give him some time he gobbles and I soft call back. I see him pitch, but something don't look right. He looks like he is going round and round coming down....It could have been just the green up and not seeing him good.
He gobbles a couple times and I call, he does his normal and then a sweet hen and he leaves with her.
I move in the next morning closer and the same thing, but this time I know he is going round and round coming down, I could tell one wing wasn't right. It was pulled in close...I figured he had been shot and was crippled. Then that sweet hen and he leaves...I never heard her or seen her fly down...I figured she was roosting just below him.
The next morning I go in real early 2 hrs. before gobble time. I set up 50 yards from the roost location. I don't like to kill them this way but he needs to go.
He does just as he does and I refuse to call I am going to let him hit the ground and hope he is in my range.
This time I know he is crippled I see him come down looking like a one winged dove. He just steps off the limb and goes round and round, at 50 yards. I scratch leaves and he moves to 45 yards....Gun up and trigger slowly pulled......He is down and flopping, I am up and running.
I get there and...WHAT THE HECK...This ol boy isn't crippled......
He has an Old Swamp Gobbler Hen Box under his wing....This ol boy was gobbling and walking off, if the gobble didn't work....He yelped up his hens....
So boys don't take any bird for granted....They have game........
