My 2012 Gobbler

[buck_hunter21]

Alright boys, here it goes. I have been hunting hard here in IN. I set out this season wanting to kill a bird on a different farm than I have the last few years. The farm I usually kill on is loaded, and honestly you could probably kill a tom there without even taking a call. I wanted something different.

I tried several places starting out and really wasn't all that impressed with any of them. The third day of the season I went to a farm I have hunted for years. Got a bird to gobble early and often. I worked him for a long time and eventually I saw him come out of the woods about a 100 yards to my left. The weather was nasty and the wind was howling. So much so, that he couldn't even hear my calling. After a few minutes of strutting out in the field he slowly worked his way to the back part of the property, not to be seen again the rest of the day. Oh well, seasons till young.

On Friday I figured I would give him another run. Got in early and set up closer to where he came out the day I seen him. Like clock work, he started gobbling on the roost. He was forever away. He was roosted on the neighboring property that I do not have permission to hunt. I figure that the morning hunt was pretty much over. Half hour later that bird had crossed a road, 3 fences, a creek, and was gobbling in the field I was set up on. Every time I would call, he would hammer back. I thought the deed was done. He then gobbled on his own and I could tell he was coming out of the woods and entering the field. Then I saw him.....walking in my direction. He saw my decoy, gobbled and strutted like it was going out of style. He was at 75 yards and just needed to come in a little further. Well, he didn't come in any closer. He stayed at 75 and strutted for over 5 minutes. If I would call, he would gobble. I didn't call except for a couple of times because I didn't really need to. The tom was hot so he was gobbling on his own. It was like he was screaming at my decoy "hey I came all this way and your not gonna come to me?". Eventually he got tired of it and went in search of a "smarter" hen. He worked his way to the back field, the entire time he was rattling the woods. He had slipped me again. This time I was going after him. As soon as I could tell he made it to the back field I gathered up my stuff and went after him. Long story short, I went dodging snakes, crawling through weeds, and fighting briar's to get to the back field. I finally did, I called and he answered. This went on for about 20 minutes. After that I could tell he was working to the farthest part of the field and leaving. I'll be honest. The more I thought about him strutting in front of me at 75 yards and not coming in, the madder I got. Right then and there I knew I wasn't going to go to my honey hole. I was hunting this bird and this bird only.

After the last hunt I talked to a couple of buddies and telling them how this old bird put me to school. I believe one buddy said it best though....he said "he sounds smart. If he gives you a shot, it might be the only one you get."

This past Sunday was the day. I was going to make this tom pay. Set up before day light and waited. Just like always, heard him gobble on the roost across the road. He gobbled 3 times and shutup. He was on the move. Few minutes later, I heard him fly over the creek. It was a matter of time. Well, thats what I thought. He never came up in the field. I was so confused it wasn't funny. Then boom, like a stick of dynamite going off I heard him gobble......IN THE BACK FIELD!!!! Some how he had totally skipped over me and made it to the back field. I could not believe it. I immediately packed up my things headed for the holler to cut him off. I walked for over an hour circling him. I would check him every once in awhile with my crow call to check his location. After wading a creek I had caught up with him. I was dead even with him....him in the field me in the woods. I was on a deer trail and was going to go up another 70 yards or so in front of him and that would be that. Took my first step and wouldn't you know it. I bumped a bedded deer and it took off like it was on fire. Heading straight to the bird. It splashed through the creek, ran to the field, stopped, and blew for several minutes. Again, I started to get upset. I mean how many breaks does this one turkey get??? Well after all the commotion, the gobbler shutup. I finally got to a field edge and ended up having a shot at a couple of jakes, but passed. Boiling mad wasn't the words that could describe me driving home that day. He had done it to me again.

This morning I was throwing all conventional wisdom to the wind. I was abandoning the roost and travel areas. I was going to where he went every time I had hunted him...the back field. I got back to the area I wanted to hunt and set up. I didn't make a peep or did I hear a peep for the first hour and half of day light. I didn't expect to hear him....he was roosted practically a mile away. At about 740, he gobbled. He was in the back field and to my left. I shot him a call....boom. Got my gun up and pointed towards where I thought he would come...nothing. I called, boom. He was closer. He gobbled again on his own. I waited another few minutes and called, nothing. Called, nothing. The thought raced through my mind that he had fooled me again. Then I seen him. Coming to the direction of my decoy. He saw my hen but acted like he could care less. I watched him feed for about 5 minutes in front of me at about 100 yards. He was working away from me though. So I called. He stopped to look over for a few seconds but then went back to feed. Then I gave a cutting sequence. His whole body language switched after that. He turned around towards me and slowly walked to me. He came all the way to the decoy and just stood there staring at it beak to beak. He then just started feeding around her. By now my bead was on his neck. I made a soft call. He threw his head straight up and looked towards me. BOOM. Game over and have a good night. Dropped him at 15 yards and he didn't flinch a single muscle. Finally the bird that had schooled me all season was dead. Pumped was an understatement.

[MAKEemQUIVER]

Great story, nothing like tagging a bird that has given you the slip a few times.

[870FaceLift]

Nice job on schooling the teacher! 

[tjh24]

Great Job!  Way to work him and get it done!

[beagler]

Congrats!

[redrivergar]

Great story and congrats on sticking it out and getting a tag on that gobbler!


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[captin_hook]

Great story. Hard work paid off.

[Thunderbolt]

Great story....I had a field bird give me lessons a few years....bird always flew on private land and I could never kill him....even was as close as 30 yards to his roost one morning....I tried everything...but I did drop him in the fall..season but he give me fits the whole season.

[hookedspur]

 

[M,Yingling]

Congrats 

[WiLL B]

Congrats for sticking with him!!

[Ol'Mossy]

Congrats 

[tomstopper]

Congrats...

[bird]

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Congrats. Nice gobbler.