After 2 weeks of getting skunked I finally got one score-worthy. I had killed 2 the first week of the season but I just knew I'd kill one bigger than either of them so I didn't score those first 2. Passed on another last week as it was a young bird and I couldn't tell it had a beard until it got within shooting range. I tried a new place this morning. I had only seen jakes there at this spot so far, but I hadn't hunted there yet so I gave it a shot. I knew there were nice gobblers in the general area so I felt maybe one of them would mosey on over. I was set up by 5:55 AM and had set my jake decoy up in a field 38 yards away from where I was sitting in the woods. Had a feeder hen and a breeder hen set up coming to me but off to the side so I'd have a clear shot at the jake. This is pretty much a standard setup for me this year. Once I was settled in I made some soft clucks and yelps, but nothing responded to my CM (Crystal Mistress). I repeated that about 20 minutes later with the same result. I didn't hear any gobbling on the roost at all this morning. I waited about 30 minutes and notched up the volume with my EZ wingbone and heard a faint gobble east of me across the property line. This bird was on the ground by now, and when you get a bird around here to gobble on the ground it's almost a sure thing. Hit him again with the wingbone and got another faint response. I decided that this bird is coming on and decided to switch back to the CM as I can call more consistently on that than the wingbone. I really hadn't practiced with this wingbone in months and I was struggling some, felt like I needed a call I could control better with him coming. Waited a bit and hit the CM and he sounded closer. Hit him again and he cut me off about 200 yards away. Game on! I waited in silence now and suddenly he made a short gobble in the field and came in hot with a bead on my jake decoy. He was half strutting and half running. He hit the jake without stopping and began the flogging. I waited until I had a good shot and ended him at 7:20 AM. I knew he was a good bird before I walked over to him. My routine when I shoot a bird is that I sit there and watch it flop until it stops while I pack up all my stuff around me before going to check him out. I knew when I saw him up close that I'd be scoring this bird this morning. I checked out my decoy and he had knocked out the little jake beard that I'd just inserted this morning. It was laying nearby so I didn't lose it. Best hunt I've had this year and tagged out in NC. I have 2 tags left in VA with 2 weeks left in the season. It's a good thing I have identified 3 gobblers in VA that need killing.
