Been a long year since my last successful turkey hunt.
I had the day off, and had to get kids to school so didn't even plan on hunting this morning. Buddy went and hunted about a hour away and text me at 0730 that he had birds gobbling. So I tossed all my stuff in the truck and hauled but out to a lease I have. This is the first time I stepped foot on this lease this season as I have been busy hunting a Florida WMA (unsuccessfully might I add). I decided to go in and look for some sign, found a few tracks about 500 yards from the truck. It was a 3 way split in the road with a creek that runs through the split. I set up a decoy and got setup, hit the Marlin Watkins box call with a cluck cluck yelp yelp yelp cluck and BOOOOOOM :gobble: :drool:
Homie was fired up, keep in mind this was at about 0915 this morning so not a typical off the roost situation. He kept hammering and hammering, about 400 yards away and didn't seem to be coming any closer. I figured I had a good idea where he was which would require me to go down the creek and logging trail about 200 yards. I knew that there was a corner up there on the trail that was about 75 yards long to the west (I was coming from the south) I went up the trail hitting a cluck every 20-30 steps and doing light scratching noises. Got about 5 yards short of that corner and sat down in some young pine saplings. I could see about 20 yards past the corner from where I was sitting. Once I got set up I hit the call with another yelp yelp yelp and I heard him respond one more time. After that he went dead silent. So I knew he was either A) on his way in B) headed the other way. I sat there patiently, gun up for the next 10-15 minutes (felt like a hour) then within 30 yards I heard him gobble again! Within seconds I could see him and patiently waited for him to round the corner. Once he stepped out it was game over. 15 yard shot, he hit the ground like a sack of taters, time of death 0950.
He ain't the biggest, but after 8 days of driving back and forth and over 1K miles on my truck he is well worth it all! I am guessing he is a 2 year old. Had about a 8-9" beard and 3/4" spurs. Interesting color of wings on these birds out here, a sandy blonde color. I have a sneaking suspicion this guy was one of the Jakes I let walk last year from the same area.
(https://i.ibb.co/0BGdqhv/PXL-20240402-151344190.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LQZ2SnH)
Congratulations! Hope you have continued success!
Nice! Congrats.
Awesome hunt congrats!
Sometimes it all works out. Nice bird,congrats!
Congrats on a fine bird!
Congrats, good read.
Great job!
Nice and sounds exciting.
Congrats, thanks for the story.
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Congrats good hunt.
Congrats !
Nice gobbler and write up, congrats
Congrats! Nice gobbler and nice story.
Nice!
Great job. Thank you for sharing.
Good job! Thanks for sharing your hunt!
Excellent!! Congratulations!
Well earned!