I haven't been too active on these boards in quite a while. Any of the old timers should remember me. I used to do a lot of traveling to turkey hunt but now I do most of my traveling following English Setters around in the uplands. I'm trying to be a little more active here during this season.
Anyway, I took the neighbor's son out on opening morning and we found ourselves set up about 70 yards from a gobbling bird. We heard a few other birds in the area but this was the closer bird. I made a soft tree call and just kept quiet after that. At 6:40 I heard the bird fly down and looked about 40 yards away, lo and behold, there were 2 birds. One was a strutter and the other a watcher. They sauntered on in to 20 yards and the young man shot and killed the boss bird. Hunt over at 6:45. The bird was 22.5 lbs, 10" beard. 1 1/16" spurs. I think that the young man had a good time.
I decided to go out this morning and see what was happening. I set up about 150 yards down the ridge from where we were on Saturday. I was set up facing west and heard several gobblers on the property, the closest being about 150 or so yards away. I was getting ready to move on one of them when I heard on gobble pretty close to me but directly behind me. I slipped around to the other side of the tree and waited. When he flew down I called a bit but he did not answer me. I made a few more calls and one gobbled about 30 yards away and, you guessed it, directly behind me. I sat still hoping that he'd go to my left where my gun was pointed and he gobbled in my right ear no more than 5 yards away. I decided to try to swing as smoothly as I could and try to get a shot and he took off running but was only about 20 yards when I hammered down. A two year old bird; 18 lbs., 9 1/2" beard, 3/4" spurs. Fun hunt that was over at 6:30.
In the old days I'd keep hunting them and try to fill my tags but I don't think that I want to kill any more up there. I will probably go out and call but probably not shoot any more. Who knows.