This mornings hunt was the best day of the season for me. It was cool, and foggy this morning. I set-up my blind yesterday afternoon, and got in it at 5:45 this morning, and heard a gobble as soon as I got inside. That was unusually early for my neck of the woods. This gobbler would not shut-up! I counted 120 gobbles from 5:45 till 6:45, and after I quit counting he must have gobbled 30 more times! There was an older bird in the area that gobbled about 30 times. But, as usual after they hit the ground they went silent.
I watched a grouse in a tree about 10 yards from me to pass the time. She made some strange noises; ones I have never heard before. She finally flew down on the ground and started pecking on green leaves. I called softly about every 15 minutes, and finally saw a bird coming my way. I immediately knew it was a hen. She was about 75 yards away in open woods. She was trotting straight towards me. I just knew she was going to bring that old bird into range.
I looked watched her move in to about 50 yards. What was that I thought I saw a beard. Naw it couldn't have been. She went into a small depression in front of me, and by golly I swore she had a beard, but wait could this be a gobbler. The suspense was killing me. Should I raise my gun? Were my eyes playing tricks on me?
She finally came up over the rise, and at about 12 yards I saw the beard. It was about 9" long, and it was for sure a hen! I couldn't believe it! She looked at the newly placed blind and knew it shouldn't be there. She turned and headed for the brush never to be seen again. Her beard was thin, about the thickness of a magic marker, but it was long. This was the second bearded hen I saw this year. The other one was in Henry Co. in the middle of the road.
I waited around after the fog lifted, but at 9:00 I had to head home, and start work. It was the best morning of the season, but still no kill!
