Been a bit absent between getting up every morning to hunt, and work. My youngest son and I have seen birds every time we've been out for the last two weeks. Today was a solo trip after a late night of watching the Bruins come back and win
Got in the woods at 4:45 am and set out a hen decoy 25 plus yards away in and area that we've been seeing birds. 5:00am an owl sets of the roosted toms and for the next 30 minutes I hear gobbling down hill from my post. I begin to call and right away a tom zeros in on my calling local and makes his way towards me with a real authoritative loud raspy gobble. Bird is coming in hot and heavy. Switch over to my mouth call and give a couple kee kee kee calls and now I hear him drumming and spitting making his way to me. I see movement beyond some small maples but can't see the bird yet. One more kinda silent "kee" and he steps out and locates the decoy. Safety off I draw on him he steps toward the decoy and between two hemlocks.....POW!! game over!!
9 3/4" beard
1" spurs
18.5 pound Tom
3" Magnum #5 shot
Nice Shot AT There are flocks of them in my neighborhood, holding up traffic is a common thing. I counted over 50 in my back yard a couple years ago. Last week I had one standing in front of my truck with the puffed out tail & wings flapping, A couple toots from the horn & I showed him who was boss