Opening day NY gobbler

[alloutdoors]

Today was finally opening day in NY. I went out on Sunday and located several nice birds. There was one longbeard with five hens in the field where I had shot one with my bow last year, and I decided I would go after him today. I pulled up about an hour before sunrise and headed for a spot along the field edge near where the birds had been early Sunday morning. I set out my DSD Jake and hens and then got settled in.

As it started to get light a bird gobbled almost directly behind me, no more than 50 yards away. Soon after that a few hens began tree yelping and I joined them with a few yelps from one of my wingbones and a Daryl Slaton trumpet. I heard three or four more gobblers a few hundred yards up the hill behind me, but there was a small stream at my back that prevented me from hearing anything farther out than that. The lighter it got the more talkative the hens became until I could tell they were just about to pitch down. I heard the flapping of wings and three hens sailed out into the field just past my decoys. Then I heard what sounded like an anvil falling out of a tree and I knew the gobbler was on the ground too, but he landed slightly behind me in the woods. The sound of flapping wings told me when he crossed the creek and was now on my side. A minute later I saw movement to my right as he entered the field. He went into strut and began slowly making his way toward the hens which were still standing around about thirty yards in front of me. He crossed an open shooting lane at about 25 yards and a single shot ended my opening morning at 5:45 AM.

He weighed 20lbs 12oz, 10" beard, and 7/8" spurs. Sometime between my Sunday morning scouting and this morning he broke off two tail feathers, or at least that's what I thought at first. As I was leaving I ran into another hunter who had come in after me in the dark and set up on the opposite end of the field. He was able to see the entire thing from where he was and said there had been another longbeard off to my left, but my view was blocked that way and I never saw him. Possibly it was that bird that I saw Sunday, and that bird may have had something to do with the broken feathers on my 2 year old. Either way, I saw several more toms out strutting on my drive home and will be out after one of them tomorrow.

[DirtNap647]

way to go 

[tomstopper]

Very nice. Congrats.....

[MAKEemQUIVER]

Good job man and great pics!!

[captin_hook]

Very nice! Congrats

[beagler]

Very Nice!

[JVA54]

  Congrats!!

[trkycaller]

congrats!

[troutfisher13111]

congrats!

[mikejd]

Nice bird.Congrats..

[packmule]

That bottom photo is first class.  Beautiful calls, beautiful bird, together the colors are really really impressive.  Congratulations!

[tjh24]

Great job, beautiful pictures!!!   How are the birds gobbling up there?  I'll be heading to upstate PA near the NY border with a friend this weekend.  Just curious if they are still fired up up there

[mikejd]

That bottom photo is first class.  Beautiful calls, beautiful bird, together the colors are really really impressive.  Congratulations!

Absolutely. That pic is just incredible.

[Gold Spur]

Congrats on a beautiful bird. Good looking calls also.

[kansas hooks]

Congrats!!!