Opening day today in WV found me on familiar ground at my buddies place in Berkeley county. After a dismal season there last year I was hopeful the 4 jakes I saw last year would survive another year. My buddy had been hearing and seeing multiple longbeards all winter long so hopes were high. It was windy on my ride there but it laid down nice right at gobble time and a bird started firing off up the man and to my left. An area they have roosted in, in the past. Still pretty dark and a rain shower earlier made my approach pretty silent. I got to about 125, slightly downhill and a pretty big gully between me and them. As I got setup I could tell it was more than one gobbling and a hen started yelping right in with them. Still wasn’t light enough to fly down but I went ahead and tossed a few lights yelps at them and they eagerly responded. Every time they’d gobble I’d answer them with a few yelps. They gobbled every time. I was waiting for better light to do a fly down cackle but the next gobble I heard them they were already on the ground. I did my fly down sequence and they ate it up. A few more excited calls and they were marching my way. Hens were calling but they seemed determined to find me. I was tracking the hen with my gun by sound when I heard leaves rustling hard to my left. Turn slowly and there is a glowing white head, he keeps walking and I see the long beard. I had a sapling that was going to prevent me from swinging to where he was headed so when he went by a tree I had to lift the gun straight up and around that tree. I got lucky with that because it wasn’t long after that I saw another long beard and then the strutter. I certainly couldn’t swing back so I focused on the lead bird. When he stepped out he was right at 40 and I dropped him where he stood. I never heard it at the time but when I went back to watch the tactacam video the strutter gobbled milliseconds before I shot. When I got to the bird the other two had already assembled back up with the hen and were already gobbling on their own. I’ll be back in there tomorrow. 17lb 7 oz., 10 inch beard, spurs about 7/8’s. Shot fired at 6:30. Pretty cool coloration in the tips of the tail feathers.
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Good week so far for the family
Hope you get another one tomorrow good bird UNCLE

You having some fun over there ! Good going. Keep after them

Congratulations on a nice bird. Sounds like you’re into ‘em!

Way to go ! My experience in Frederick County, Virginia was similar in that last year was absolutely terrible but this year seems promising. BTW, I am a new resident of Berkeley County, having lived in Virginia for almost all of my 68 years on this earth.

Congratulations of a fine WV bird. That is a neat whatever stripe through the black band on the tail.


Earl

Congratulation man.. great work.

Good job BM. Already better than last year.
V