Post by Greg Krause on May 25, 2007 12:16:26 GMT -5
so heres the story.
we get to the property today at 5am and hurry down to the back field. we popped up our blind right next to a shed, near where ray had seen the birds yesterday. we here gobbling right away....on every side of us! By 7am, we would here a gobble every now and then off in the distance, but none responded to us. At 8am we decided to head over the hill the house is on. we had heard some gobbles from the front field/garden/yard early on. we made it right back to my truck and leaning on the bed I let out a few yelps. GOBBLE! right there not more than 80yds away! I lay down under my truck and ray kneels down infront of me. I now hear a hen and see a tom in full strut. I realize now that I have to call the bird to us without calling the hen right up to us. I hit the call again and the hen came our way. she may have seen us and she turned to leave. At this point the tom got between us and the hen. I gave a few clucks and a yelp. he was now strutting right into us. I realized that we had on no camo, we had no rangefinder and ray had the only bow with 1 arrow! The tom walked behind a bush, strutting and gobbling. Ray drew his bow. As the bird stepped out he paused and lowered his fan, facing slightly quartering away. Ray shot.....the bird went straight down! He held high, thinking the arrow would drop in....but it didn't. He hit about 4" high and the spitfire hit him just below the head, nearly taking it off. Better lucky than good!
we ran up to the bird and heard another gobble close by. we put the bird in the truck and ran over the hill back towards the blind. There was the hen and 6 jakes, 30yds from our set up. I climbed over the roack wall and used it as cover as I crawled towards the blind. i hopped back over and climbed under and into the blind. reaching for my bow and rangefinder as i turned the camera on. they were too far past the blind now and I got back out, i was trying to close the distance. they finally spooked and left quickly. Ray and I got back together and were still high fiving over his bird. we started to pack our stuff up. GOBBLE.....close.......GOBBLE....closer. Crap get back in the blind. I give a few calls every few minutes. i see a red head pop out from behind a big tree 30yds in front of us, than another head and another. 3 Jakes came in silent. Ray turns the camera on and I get ready. They didn't like my Jake decoy and headed to our left and 35yds. i passed on the shot, cause I thought they might come closer and they only had 3" beards. If they came in under 20 I would let one have it. They didn't, they went behind the blind and I called. they gobbled again. Now they jump over the wall I used earlier as cover. I get back out and crawl up to the wall. I am following them. them on 1 side, me on the other. Ray stays behind and starts calling. the gobble again. I peek over the wall and they are at 35yds. I tried to keep up and close the distance, but they just stayed ahead of me. I gave up and went back to ray, who was still smiling ear to ear. we packed up our stuff and headed back to the truck to look over his trophy. What a great day! we'll be back there in the morning and see if we can actually get any of this on film.
we get to the property today at 5am and hurry down to the back field. we popped up our blind right next to a shed, near where ray had seen the birds yesterday. we here gobbling right away....on every side of us! By 7am, we would here a gobble every now and then off in the distance, but none responded to us. At 8am we decided to head over the hill the house is on. we had heard some gobbles from the front field/garden/yard early on. we made it right back to my truck and leaning on the bed I let out a few yelps. GOBBLE! right there not more than 80yds away! I lay down under my truck and ray kneels down infront of me. I now hear a hen and see a tom in full strut. I realize now that I have to call the bird to us without calling the hen right up to us. I hit the call again and the hen came our way. she may have seen us and she turned to leave. At this point the tom got between us and the hen. I gave a few clucks and a yelp. he was now strutting right into us. I realized that we had on no camo, we had no rangefinder and ray had the only bow with 1 arrow! The tom walked behind a bush, strutting and gobbling. Ray drew his bow. As the bird stepped out he paused and lowered his fan, facing slightly quartering away. Ray shot.....the bird went straight down! He held high, thinking the arrow would drop in....but it didn't. He hit about 4" high and the spitfire hit him just below the head, nearly taking it off. Better lucky than good!
we ran up to the bird and heard another gobble close by. we put the bird in the truck and ran over the hill back towards the blind. There was the hen and 6 jakes, 30yds from our set up. I climbed over the roack wall and used it as cover as I crawled towards the blind. i hopped back over and climbed under and into the blind. reaching for my bow and rangefinder as i turned the camera on. they were too far past the blind now and I got back out, i was trying to close the distance. they finally spooked and left quickly. Ray and I got back together and were still high fiving over his bird. we started to pack our stuff up. GOBBLE.....close.......GOBBLE....closer. Crap get back in the blind. I give a few calls every few minutes. i see a red head pop out from behind a big tree 30yds in front of us, than another head and another. 3 Jakes came in silent. Ray turns the camera on and I get ready. They didn't like my Jake decoy and headed to our left and 35yds. i passed on the shot, cause I thought they might come closer and they only had 3" beards. If they came in under 20 I would let one have it. They didn't, they went behind the blind and I called. they gobbled again. Now they jump over the wall I used earlier as cover. I get back out and crawl up to the wall. I am following them. them on 1 side, me on the other. Ray stays behind and starts calling. the gobble again. I peek over the wall and they are at 35yds. I tried to keep up and close the distance, but they just stayed ahead of me. I gave up and went back to ray, who was still smiling ear to ear. we packed up our stuff and headed back to the truck to look over his trophy. What a great day! we'll be back there in the morning and see if we can actually get any of this on film.
