Nothing like having your Birthday during Spring Gobbler season!! Except taking a Tom you been chasing since the opener on your B-day! This is the first bird I have taken that I never called to. I got in opening morning and had him gobbling at all my calls. When he flew down he was soon joined by two hens who took him in the other direction. Monday he was roosted about 250 yds farther down the run and flew across the run at daybreak w/ his ladies and was gone. Yesterday he was roosted in the same tree as the opener. I had set up on him and had him gobbling when six jakes came in and stood on the bank of the run across from him @ 40 yds. gobbling their heads off at him. I guess they were challenging him (safety in numbers?). He flew away w/ his ladies again onto the other side of the run. Today I snuck in early hoping he would be in the same spot. At 0530 he gobbled. Same tree - same branch. I had repositioned a bit from yesterday and when he flew down into his strutting zone he landed 32 yds in front of me @ 0615. He strutted to his still roosted hens and when he came out of strut at 32 yds I gave him a load of WinXR #5s.
Dropped him like a bag of hammers! Nice Tom (19 lbs. 9.5" beard and razor sharp 1" left & 3/4" right spurs. It has been a great few days listening to him gobble and trying to out-wit this henned-up old boy! Now I need to go find another bird!
