Called this bird into my Dad this last Friday morning. The gun cracked at 7:10 am. Dad shot him at 27 steps with a 3" hevi shot mag blend. Our mules got us back deep in the mountain where we wanted to be before daylight. We got the mules about 500-600 yards from the gobbler, got off tied em up and closed the rest of the distance on foot. We was 200 yards from the mules to where we killed the bird. We was 2 miles deep in the mountain and hadn't even broke a sweat.
The hunt meant as much or more to me than any hunt that I've ever been involved with. I'm 24, my dad started hunting me for spring gobblers when I was 5. He finally got me my first bird when I was 8 and I've been giving them hell ever since. Over the years dad has called in 15 give or take gobblers for me. He always made me shoot. He always wanted me to kill the bird. Always said he's killed his share and wanted to see me kill them. But as I got older I wanted him to shoot and I wanted to call. But he still wouldn't let me. Still wanted to see me kill them. I finally talked him into being the shooter. He finally figured out that killing isn't my priority just being apart of the hunt with him is all that mattered. I told him couple days before that he was shooting first. When we found the bird Friday morning he never said a word he got on out in front and let me work the bird. I got to watch the whole thing from 70 yards behind him. Got the see him strut all the way into dad's gun barrel.
Really special hunt for me.
2 yr old 9 inch beard. Maybe 17-18 lbs.
The day before that I called in this two year old in before work. Showed up to the jobsite with a gobbler over my shoulder. Got my boss man to take the picture. Pretty fast hunt. Him and another gobbler hit the ground around 6:20am and one was dead at 6:30am. Came right in with no trouble. I didn't get the strutter. Wanted to but just couldn't make it happen.
2 year old 9 inch beard maybe 17 lbs.
