Got setup with a friend this morning at about ten till 6. Surprisingly, we didn't hear any gobbles on the roost or for the first 3 or so hrs. Another friend had been here Saturday and heard at least 3 birds on this farm. We sat in one spot until about 9:00, had no action so we picked up and walked to another spot a hundred or so yards away.
We were only sitting twenty mins and heard a gobble back towards spot #1. Took off back that way as quietly as possible, we had left the decoys setup when we left the first time, and sure enough there were two toms strutting around the jake decoy.
We had to watch as they figured out the decoys were fake, and left the field into some woods. Aggravated would not properly describe my feelings at this point. I don't know why I couldn't have been more patient and waited, they came into our decoys with no calling!!
We wait 45 mins and decide to go back to spot #2. I know this sounds like a lot of moving around, but we had very good cover and could get back and forth to these two places more or less undetected. Get setup again with no decoys, just good cover. This tom comes out of a far field edge, and is slowly making his way straight for us. He gets to about 120 yds and a crow flies over him cawing. He lets out two gobbles and the knees really start knocking.
Here's where the story really gets weird. This tom makes his way SLOWLY to us, still no calling by me, he's on a string on his own. He gets to about 70 yds and stops, head goes up and he's checking something out big time. All of a sudden a coyote busts out of the weeds fifteen yds to my right, pauses for a second to look at us and trots off in the direction of the tom. I'm thinking at this point we're screwed, surely the turkey will run from the coyote, but I was wrong. The coyote skirted around the side of the tom, about 25 yds away. They had a bit of a stare down, the tom puffed up a little and stood his ground, and the yote took off on his merry way.
Story's not quite over, the tom keeps making his way to us. The friend that i'm with is on his first turkey hunt, and this is his property so this is going to be his bird. I told him i'd only back him up if the bird didn't go down with his shot. So he gets to about 30 yds and i whisper "Go! Let him have it!" I see him flinch and no gunshot! He fiddles with the gun, another flinch and no shot. Third time, he cant get the gun to go off and whispers for me to get him before he bugs out.
I took this tom at 32 yds, about three steps before he vanished into the long weeds. Remington 870 12ga, Primos "Undertaker" turkey choke, 3" Winchester Super X #4's did the trick. My buddy shot his gun before we left, no problems. He must not have had the safety all the way off
His misfortune was my lucky day! I'll definitely be calling for him next weekend...
24lbs
28 and 26mm spurs
10 3/8" beard
We were only sitting twenty mins and heard a gobble back towards spot #1. Took off back that way as quietly as possible, we had left the decoys setup when we left the first time, and sure enough there were two toms strutting around the jake decoy.
We had to watch as they figured out the decoys were fake, and left the field into some woods. Aggravated would not properly describe my feelings at this point. I don't know why I couldn't have been more patient and waited, they came into our decoys with no calling!!We wait 45 mins and decide to go back to spot #2. I know this sounds like a lot of moving around, but we had very good cover and could get back and forth to these two places more or less undetected. Get setup again with no decoys, just good cover. This tom comes out of a far field edge, and is slowly making his way straight for us. He gets to about 120 yds and a crow flies over him cawing. He lets out two gobbles and the knees really start knocking.
Here's where the story really gets weird. This tom makes his way SLOWLY to us, still no calling by me, he's on a string on his own. He gets to about 70 yds and stops, head goes up and he's checking something out big time. All of a sudden a coyote busts out of the weeds fifteen yds to my right, pauses for a second to look at us and trots off in the direction of the tom. I'm thinking at this point we're screwed, surely the turkey will run from the coyote, but I was wrong. The coyote skirted around the side of the tom, about 25 yds away. They had a bit of a stare down, the tom puffed up a little and stood his ground, and the yote took off on his merry way.
Story's not quite over, the tom keeps making his way to us. The friend that i'm with is on his first turkey hunt, and this is his property so this is going to be his bird. I told him i'd only back him up if the bird didn't go down with his shot. So he gets to about 30 yds and i whisper "Go! Let him have it!" I see him flinch and no gunshot! He fiddles with the gun, another flinch and no shot. Third time, he cant get the gun to go off and whispers for me to get him before he bugs out.
I took this tom at 32 yds, about three steps before he vanished into the long weeds. Remington 870 12ga, Primos "Undertaker" turkey choke, 3" Winchester Super X #4's did the trick. My buddy shot his gun before we left, no problems. He must not have had the safety all the way off
His misfortune was my lucky day! I'll definitely be calling for him next weekend...24lbs
28 and 26mm spurs
10 3/8" beard
