Post by huntergks on Apr 18, 2016 14:22:51 GMT -6
I got to the woods a little before 6 with a temp of 45, no wind, & clear skies. The frogs & nesting herons in the swamp behind me started croaking almost immediately & boy were they noisy!! The woods started waking up around 6:30 with woodpeckers hammering, robins flitting about, & cardinals, black capped chickadees, & various wrens singing. It was a gorgeous day to be in the woods!!
At about 7, I saw a bird walking through the wheat field at the south edge of the woods. I called & it stopped for a few seconds then continued on its way. I couldn’t tell what it was because of the distance & saplings in the way. About 7:30, the farmer started spraying the wheat field. I wasn’t sure whether or not it would disturb any turkeys that might be around. I didn’t think it would as they hear/see farm equipment all the time. He must have been finishing up the field as he was done by 8.
By this time, the squirrels were out & about with at least 3 roam the woods in front of me & checking out the dekes.
Other than the early bird, I hadn’t seen or heard anything else so I decided it was time for some cheese & crackers a little after 9. I had finished & was taking a drink of water when I heard a hen behind me. It sounded like she was on or near my 4-wheeler trail that came up nest to my set-up. We conversed for a few minutes & she went silent. About 5 minutes later, she started up again but much closer. I didn’t respond as she was just too close & probably would have busted me. After a few minutes, I saw her walking through the woods to my right about 30 yards. She was soon joined by 2 others & they moved into the dekes. I was hoping that they were towing a gobbler behind them.
At about 9:20, I spotted what looked big enough to be a black 55 gallon drum about 35 yards from me. My heart started to triple time & my breathing became rapid & shallow. No matter what I tried to slow things him, the adrenalin kept pumping. It was a really big gobbler in full strut. He stayed in strut without moving for 5 minutes of more, then took a few steps & stopped again. I could see the top of his fan & part of his body but never his head. In the mean time, 2 of the hens had moved back towards the gob & the 3rd stayed at the dekes. Finally he started to move towards the lone hen. I was starting to get a little worried that the other 2 would take him away. I got the 11-87 up & the safety off & when he walked into a small opening with a clear shot at his head, I took the shot. If I had let him take another 5 steps or so, he would have been wide open but I didn’t want to take the chance. It took him over 15 minutes to move 20 yards from where I 1st saw him to where he expired. The Federal Mag Shok Heavyweight 3” #7 magic pixie dust did the job at 9:40. He had 1 ¼” & 11/8” spurs, a 9 ¼” beard, & weight 23 ½ pounds. He had what I thought were exceptionally big feet & head. Another heavyweight. I thanked my buddy for feeding them so well.
After picture taking, I got back to the truck about 10 & it was already up to 71. Tomorrow is supposed to be another great day weather wise & I’m hoping numero dos will cooperate at the woods behind my buddies house.