After hearing no gobbles on Saturday and taking off yesterday to take care of some yard chores and a wife with the flu, I decided to hit it again today. Started out with a hen decoy in the middle of a winter wheat field where I'd seen birds in the past well before daylight. After about 30 minutes I thought I may have heard a bird in the distance. Left the decoy in the field and beat feet over to where there was another opening and sat down again and listened. Nada. Thought something has to happen and after 4 geese came buzzing through the valley honking their heads off with zero roost gobbling in response I decided to move once again. By then it was imperative that I go into sneak mode to my next location because I sure couldn't be seen slipping around the edges of the winter wheat fields and therefore went right through about 200 yards of cedars, heading for a ground blind I'd had there for many years nestled in a pile of thick cedars. Have a few shooting lanes cut, almost like a bow hunter and I have a beach chair set up in there with a nice pad to sit on.
As I was sliding into the chair I heard a solitary gobble. First one confirmed in my mind. Time was exactly 646 am. Dug around and grabbed my Purple heart box call because it was the easiest thing to get to and let out a few yelps. One gobble in response. Then I shut up and waited. About 650 or so I heard him gobble once again and he was on the ground. I hit the call again and he gobbled and was closer. Another minute or so and I called again and bingo he responded. Another minute and I called again and bingo and he was really close. I scanned the field and there he came following a single hen.
He was strutting and then walking and strutting again. The hen, was just looking hard. Finally, I hit the call again and the hen looked up and scanned the field and saw no hen and let out a putt and turned around. He was right there at what I estimated at 40 yards. The hen was going away at 45 yards with some determination. I hit the call again and he stopped and stuck his neck out looking real hard and the Heavyweight load was on its way. He fell over on his back and started the frantic wing beats and I ran out and did the head step thing and it was over. Time was 657 and I was done.
When I got a chance to look him over I realized he was a really nice bird. Good long spurs and beard that started out thick and then got really thin towards the end. However those last few strands went on and on. Picked him up and figured about 20 pounds or so and took a few pictures.
Took him over and got him weighed and he was 21 lbs 2 oz. Spurs a tad over 1 1/4" Beard real real long but wasn't able to measure that until I got home. Pulled out the tape and three strands of the beard kept going and going and it topped out a 14.5" long. Geez.
Anyway, a few cell phone pics because I forgot my good camera at home. Was a special morning indeed.
