Opening Day Bird in Florida

[Larry Mac]

Hunting in a cypress swamp in SW Florida on opening day. The same swamp John and I scored a daily double last year. This year we actually set up our blind in what was under 3 ft. of water last year. Scouting last week we heard three different gobbles directly behind where we  would set up. I was hoping they would come from our right and  they did--very early looking like it would be a repeat of past hunts--gobblers coming in with hens to attack B-mobile and dying in the process but instead this gobbler  is leaving with hens??? Then it became very quiet for 90 minutes--finally a hen  came in the arena and left. We had two hen decoys--one was in mating position  in front of a  B-mobile. Then two more came in --and they looked very closely at all the decoys-----looking behind I saw the two big boys--what we call waist highs--because that's how tall they are when they  stretch their neck to look with their red heads.  They were  a safe distance 75 yards away  in thick cypress woods--but definitely keying in on B-mobile. But tentative. B Mobile had been the golden ticket the past three years on opening day often bringing in angry gobblers  laiden with hens--today it seemed  to be detrimental--perhaps that's why they left  earlier in the morning. Finally  they moved out very tentative--although I'm not so sure it was more to follow the hens than  deal with B-mobile. They got  in that so- so  shooting distance around 50 yards-- moved a little closer then seemed to yield  away--it was my turn to shoot and it looked like B-mobile had them spooked-- unfortunately I hesitated  trying to decide which one was a better trophy--but my hesitation--and I'm talking 1-2 seconds-- allowed perhaps the bigger of the two--or at least the dominant gobbler of the two--to get behind  a tree for me and I then quickly shot the second one--still a great turkey. But my hesitation may have cost John a chance at the shot for our "normal" opening day double. The dominant gobbler moved out of range--turned around when we called--we thought he would come back but he didn't.  Sorry John--next shot is yours.  He who hesitates is lost-and I'm afraid it cost you today.
Anyways still a heck of a bird-- 11" maybe 11 1/16" beard, 1 1/4" and 1/1/8"   spurs and 18# although I question our scales--seemed much bigger than a 20# plus bird I killed 2 years ago. Gun Stats include Browning 12 ga. Indian Creek .645 choke, Hevi 13 3.5" #6's and the shot was 45 yards at about  9 am. Called with Lynch box call and a David Halloran pot call and moouth call. But the big one may have got away.
This  shows our decoys although we actually had one hen iin front of  the gobbler

This is the cypress woods the Gobblers came from

And here is the finished product--probably my best longbeard

[bowhunter84]

 

[lmbhngr]

 

[alloutdoors]

Nice bird, congrats! 

[njdevilsb]

Nice bird.  Congrats.   

[a-j calls]

Nice turkey,,,well done..

[hookedspur]

Nice turkey,,,well done..

[Rio Fan]

Congrats! 

[Hognutz]

Congrats on the nice bird..Mike

[jake slayer]

Congrats!

[RutnNStrutn]

Congrats on the gobbler!!!   Beautiful place to hunt too!!

[Flydown]

Great Turkey!Congrats!!!!

[FLGobstopper]

Great job, patience pays off for ya!

[turkey slayer]

Congrats!

[timbrhuntr]

Nice bird ! Congrats !