It's been a good day

[Happy]

Finally got a morning that wasn't pouring down rain. Was going to head to wv but a 3:30 wakeup just wasn't happening. Slept in till 4 and then headed off to one of my maryland public land spots. It had rained most of the night and I didn't think the turkeys were going to be feeling to rowdy this morning. I was right for the most part.  I made my way back to one spot on a saddle about a mile back. It was a spot I hunt occasionally but isn't my "main" spot in this chunk of ground. It takes an hour of flat out moving and climbing to get to it and for a short hunt before coming into work I couldn't justify it. As daylight broke I could hear my old nemesis fire up. He was on the ridge across from me and he was feeling fine. Just last Sunday I had scaled that ridge and got to him just after he flew down. I had crawled to within 60 yards of him as he was announcing his availability and quickly slid against a tree just out of sight on the crown of the ridge. Once I was settled I gave a few soft yelps. He immediately went silent. I covered the 3 foot gap between two logs with my sight and waited. After 5 minutes or so I yelped softly again and he gobbled right back. Still in the same spot. He kept gobbling every 20 seconds or so on his own then. Try his darndest to draw the hen to him. I did some clucks and leaf scratching and dug in to wait. He continued to gobble almost nonstop and I could hear him drumming. After 15 minutes or so and felt like a lifetime his head and upper body shot into sight. He knew something was wrong as soon as he did it. I covered his head and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. Quickly I flipped the safety forward and covered is his head as he was moving out and fired. I knew as soon as the trigger broke it wasn't to be. His head was going behind a sapling and I destroyed it. He flew off of that ridge and I was left to think of some new words to say because nothing that came to mind seemed to fit. He was a nice one and I knew it.
Anyways as I sat there and listened to him hammer away on his familiar spot I knew I had to try him. Cursing my stubbornness I started down my ridge as I formulated a plan. It was a half hour after daylight and he was on the ground and most likely with hens. No way to get up on that ridge without being busted unless I had an hour of extra time to circle and climb. And when I mean climb  it's almost vertical. I took a fellow turkey hunter back there one time and he swore if you fell forward that you would only fall two feet. Option b wasn't my favorite but it was all I had. Slowly slipping down the ridge I was thankful for the wet leaves because the foliage is just starting to break out up here on the mountain. As I worked down and across that ridge he would occasionally gobble. He was moving out the ridge ahead of me towards private ground. I slowly slipped to the spot I had in mind. The easiest spot to go down and cross to the other ridge. It was 100 yards to the bottom and almost the same distance to dirt on the ridge he was on across from me. Bad part was he was ahead of me now on private ground. Getting comfortable I settled in and gave a set of cutting combined with yelping. Nothing. I sat there for twenty minutes giving some yelps and occasional clucks. Silence. I said the heck with it and got up. Slowly starting along my side of the ridge towards the truck. About 100 yards out I was getting to a PowerLine and right before I crossed I gave out some aggressive Cutts on my copper pot and boom.. slightly ahead of and across from me. Standing there I waited, trying to pinpoint him to no avail. Cutts aain and boom. Same spot. I sat down and waited. His move. After five minutes of silence he hammered again. He was behind me on the opposite ridge . Realizing what I had to do I turned and hustled back to my spot as quickly and quietly as I could. As I was sitting down he hammered again. He was halfway down his ridge and headed my way. I waited a few and hit him with some yelps. He was in the bottom. Putting down the pot I got the gun up. He hammered again just out of sight. A few purrs and he was eating it up. A few seconds later I saw the white head bobbing around as he would pop into strut, hustle ahead a few and then pop back into strut. I let him come. Giving him a few soft yelps whenever he went out of sight. 60 yards, 50 yards, at 40 I had a shot but didn't take it. He was still coming. At 30 yards he was in the wide open in full strut. A few yelps and the head came up. At the shot he was down flopping. Unfortunately it is so steep that it carried him about 80 yards down the mountain. A few saplings finally stopped him almost in the bottom from which he came. He is my best public land bird to date. And I am sure he has seen and heard a lot.

[Happy]

Almost forgot

[renegade19]

 

[maytom]

Awesome!!! You really worked your arse off for that rascal!!! Great hunt and pick's too!!! WTG!!

[Greg Massey]

Happy.... i'm glad you got that bird..great job and story...way to goooo...

[Smooth_Operator]

Nice job Happy!

[trkycaller]

 

[101st501]

That was a great story, good job.

[SteelerFan]

I got winded reading that... GOOD JOB! 

[Happy]

Thanks fellows. He was a good one and it was a great hunt. Didn't intend to go after him yesterday but couldn't help myself. Doubt I top him for a while. It's been a decent year so far other than the weather.

[owlhoot]

Congrats on the fine bird ! Great story too.

[tomstopper]

Congrats on the fine bird ! Great story too.

x2. Congrats

[Waynesworld23]

Great story and turkey bird

[Remturkey]

Those Western MD public land birds are tough. Great job!!!

[wvmntnhick]

Congrats happy. That's a good bird for sure. Especially for a mountain bird. Very happy for you bud.