Arrived into turkey camp the day before the opener and wasn't there 30 mins before I heard a gobbler going crazy at 3 in the afternoon about 300yards away from camp. I was pumped and knew where I was headed the next day (I knew the other 2 guys in camp had there honey holes from the other seasons and wouldn't mind). I was pumped.
Soon the other 2 guys got to camp and plans were made for the morning hunts. They we're going to team up (father and son team) and hit some pipe lines, and I was going to my favorite spot behind the camp where I had heard the gobbler just hours ago. Normally I walk the old logging roads just at dark to try and roost one but not this time. I was hoping that wouldn't be a mistake.
After a restless night (still like a kid and can't wait for the opening day) sleep, the alarm went off at 4:20am and after a couple cups of coffee, the game was on.
It was a beautiful morning as I made my way up the logging road to a point that we refer to as gobbler knob. It's a hardwoods ridge that comes out to a point that ovelooks a large clover and chufa field that are separated by a thin hedge row. It holds birds each year so I thought that the Gobbler from the day before might be roosted there.
At around 6am the woods came alive and it wasn't long before I heard 3 different gobblers from the ridge behind me. Instantly a single gobbler sounded off from the gobbler knob (approximately 100yards from the ridge I was on). He was hot and wouldn't shut up. The three behind me gobbled half the time that he would). I knew the one in front was probably my best bet so I focussed my attention towards him.
I gave him some soft tree yelps and he went nuts. By 6:15 I heard him fly down. I yelped once and scratched in the leaves. Instantly he gobbled. I scratched again and seen him running down the ridge in my direction. He hit the bottom and double gobbled. I raked the leaves again and he hopped across a small 2 ft wide ditch on to my ridge and ran to the sound. He stopped at 30 yards, poked his head up to find his lady and then ate a face full of #5's. Done at 6:34am: brird #1 (3/4 in spurs, 21.28lbs, 8 3/8in beard).
Day 2 of the season was going to be nasty with rain in the forecast for the whole day. Plan was to sneak into the field that was overlooked by gobbler knob and put a blind up in the middle of the hedge row on the chufa side and facing the knob. I placed a strutter decoy 25 yards in front of the blind with a feeding hen decoy 10 yards to the right of him, got in the blind and got ready.
At first light, I heard 4 gobblers on the knob and one single on the ridge to the right of the knob. Gave some soft yelps back and the gobbling began. At around 7, the 4 gobblers flew down into the far end of the field with about 3 hens. They we're 150 yards away and gobbling and strutting but no matter what I threw at them, they wouldn't break from the hens.
There gobbling caused the lone one to gobble and fly down to the other end of the field about 70yards fom me. He would answer my calls and started my way. He seen the decoys but would only skirt them. I would call and he would gobble and strutting. I could tell he was getting tired of this game and was headed for the only opening in the hedge row to my right and at 42yards away. I got my gun in that direction and when he reached the opening, I gave a series of yelps and when he stopped and gobbled, he too got a face full of #5's. Done at 7:54am (1in spurs, 9 1/2in beard, 21.58lbs).
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