Posted By: Jeff Valovich
Finally !! - 05/02/2020 09:15 PM
been a long dry spell for turkeys and me ... last bird was in 2015 by Wabash .... not that I havnt tried or had birds close, but when on draw hunts, things dont always work out ... this morning they did ...3rd day and last day of a draw hunt ... Thurs was a wash out + super high winds (40mph gust) so no hunt ... Fri was 35 degrees/light frost/calm to nw breeze, only heard one gobble faaaar from me on non-huntable land nothing after that ... Sat. was a different story ... calm to slight SW breeze, 57 degrees at first light going to 75 later in the day.....set up in a different location where two Toms beat me two years ago (one behind me at 10 yds) ... heard a hen tree yelping at first light, I made a few tree yelps at first light and had a Tom respond to my NE (so far so good) ... the hen yelped on the tree again, I called, the Tom gobbled... I shut up ..... I called 15 min. later and he gobbled, his position shifted, so he was on the ground and he knew where I was at .... .... later a bird popped out along the field/wood line 100+ yds away and went back in several min. later.... I yelped, the Tom responded .... I shut up ... a Bird popped out of the wood line, and fanned this time... it was him, he went back in the woods ... we played tag for a bit ... I shut up ...; ... at 5:40 (central time), a bird popped out and stared at the decoys 75 yds from my set up along the field line), then headed my way (a hen) ... she covered 80 yds and went to the decoys (Jake and hen) and she was softly calling/yelping/purring and walking between the decoys, she gave the Jake a stare down and looked eye to eye with the hen ...(lol) ... FINALLY 'he' popped out of the wood line .... working his way to the hen and the decoys fanning, puffing up, gobbling ... at 33 yds his life ended .... 1 1/4"/35mm spurs/21 lbs/8 inch beard ... I was very happy... all over at 5:58 central time ..... if the hen had went the other way, he would have won ....I'll try to post pics later tonight or Sunday .......
