Thursday, September 21, 2017

2017 Spring Gobbler Success




      After an opening week of rain, cold, and wind, conditions became ideal and I was able to be in the woods for the first clear and crisp morning of the season.  After starting the morning without hearing a single gobble, I decided it was time to walk and call to make something happen before my time was up and had to return home.  I found myself near the end of my hike while making one last call near the edge of a big field.  To my surprise a bird answered in the distance.  After having that internal struggle with the question of (do I have enough time to make this happen?), I moved towards the bird and the corner of the field through the timber.  I called again a short distance from the field and was startled to hear him answer in the field extremely close to my location.  Apparently we had both made up ground towards each other during the silence.  I moved up a little closer (about 30 yards inside the treeline) and called again.  He in turn gobbled back and I could see him strutting in the corner.  The big bird worked his way up the edge of the field in and out of strut and peering back into the brush to find the lonely hen that I was trying to imitate.  He finally closed the distance to about 35 yards when I was able to get a shot.  My nicest bird to date.  20lbs, 9'' beard, 1 3/8 spurs.  A great bird for the big woods of Pennsylvania.

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