Our opening day was April 12th. I had been hearing gobblin across the road from my house in the morning when I left for work. So, opening morning I took off across the field and as I was walking up to the edge of the woods, they were already gobbling. I set up on the edge of the woods and had 2 toms within 75 yards of me, another one was a bit farther back in the woods and one was a good distance away in what we call the "big pond woods". When daylight came and time to fly down, of course they went toward the big bottom, gobbling all the way, and away from me. I had permission to hunt the big bottom years ago but I know several people hunt there, so I stayed out not knowing who was there. Sure enough over the next couple hours, I heard 2 shots from down there. But the tom in the big pond woods flew down and stayed where he was until he hushed later in the morning.
So yesterday I decided to go back to that farm and headed back to the same tractor road. Again as I was almost to the first thicket, I head a gobble from the big pond woods. I thought about it and decided not to go over there not having a clear plan on where to set up. I figured if he was gobblin, others would be also around the bottom. So I set up and heard nothing but the tom in the big pond woods. He gobbled like crazy for an hour until he flew down. I sat there for an hour and never heard anymore from him.
I thought as I was leaving that I'd go to the big pond woods and find a set up for a before work hunt this week. I walked just a short distance to an inside corner of the thicket and heard a gobble from the direction of the big pond woods. I called, he gobbled again. He wasn't too far away, so I quickly set out a decoy and looked for a spot to sit and managed to nestle up into some honeysuckle. I called, he gobbled again and closer. It seemed he was coming behind me and I thought he might pass me by heading to the bottom. He gobbled again and was close but on the bottom side. I turned to face his direction and seen something in the field. A hen... headed my way, about 100 yards out. I thought crap, if he comes out here and see's that hen, I'm screwed. As I was thinking that, something caught me eye as the tom stepped out of the woods. He had to come out a bit in the field for me to have a shot. He looked at my decoy and headed that way. He still hadn't seen the hen. I was sweatin it. Finally he cleared the honeysuckle and I hammered him at 50 yards. He hit the dirt and the hen kept on comin. I ran out there and held him on the ground til he died. The sun was to my back and I don't think the hen could tell what I was. She made it to 20 yards of me before she spooked and flew off into the woods.
19lb, 8" beard, 5/8" spurs. A young bird.
Sorry for the length of the story but hey, it was an exciting hunt.
Congrats
