Have been hunting AL past several weeks but decided to spend the last week of the MS season hunting my family land. Friday morning I decided to hunt my parents property. Well, some stomach issues at wake-up put me late getting into the woods. As I stepped into a stand of pines I heard a gobble about 100 yards away. It was 200 yards to where I wanted to set up so I had to make a large swing around to avoid spooking the gobbler. When I finally got to my spot it turned out I had 2 gobblers on the roost , one to my right and one to my left, each about 100 yards away. Soft calling resulted in some answers but they both shut up on fly down and neither came my way. I spent the rest to the day trying new spots and cold calling and finally decided to give it up around 4:30. On my walk out I spooked a hen and what I thought was a gobbler 150 yards from my last set, crap! Looked like they were headed my way also. I decided today to go back to the same spot and try my luck. Silence at daybreak, now I'm really beating myself up over my impatience the day before. I decided to just stay where I was and see what the day brought. Around 8:15 I saw a lone hen approach the small clearing I was looking at. A few minutes later another hen came from my left and also fed into the clearing. Where is their boyfriend? Minutes passed and the traffic on the county road 250 yards behind me was getting heavier. Why was that small car not going on past me? Wait, could that be something else, drumming? Just then he came into view to my right in full strut. I was screwed, anticipated a left front approach and gun was angled that way and he's now just sitting there around 5 yards away on my weak side. I froze hoping he was more focused on his hens. Eventually he move forward and as he got in from of me I waited until his back was to me and slowly shifted my gun. He began to smell a rat and came out of strut moving to my left at a quick pace. As he went behind a large pine I put my crosshairs on the left side and waited for him to step into my view. When he did I let the little 20 eat and he dropped like a stone. He had impressive hooks and beard but only weighed 15 lbs 15 oz. That girl chasing will sure take it out of a guy! Now I can focus on my upcoming trip to WY and chasing those Merriams. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230429/38a3aeb3fa4904289253ef1110588a9a.jpg)
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Nice! Congrats!!!
Way to go brother, congrats!
NICE hooks on that bad boy !!!!!!!
CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!! :you_rock:
Oh yea!!
Heck yeah, Harley!! Congrats!!