I intended to get to the lease before daybreak, but I woke up at 0600 so I helped get Colt ready for school instead. My last hunt was cut short with an emergency call that they were headed to Duke ED because his fever returned. I walked out as fast as I could and headed to Durham. He was in-patient for two nights while they administered antibiotics for pneumonia and serious sinus infection.
On his way out the door this morning I told him if I shot a turkey I'd give it to him. With a big smile and a giant hug, he gave me a "Good Luck Daddy!" and ran to the neighbor's house (they were stopping to get donuts on the way to school).
I was walking in a little after 0800 so I was taking my time and doing some soft clucking on a mouth call. I almost got to my intended spot and heard a gobble to my kee-kee. I sat at the best spot I could find and waited. He gobbled a good bit over the next 15 minutes and hadn't moved. I didn't like where I was so I eased forward until I was in a spot I liked. On my last move I sat down and he gobbled for the last time and shut down. I knew I wasn't that close to bump him so I figured he was going to show up, but he vanished.
As I was sitting there wondering what happened I barely make out a gobble to my N (well across the property line). I called and confirmed it was a gobble. I moved again to get in a better position and got comfortable. As this bird closed the distance he started getting more fired up. He gobbled at everything as he walked toward me. I was watching a old road bed and caught movement in the thicker stuff on my side ~40 yards out. He would take a few steps, go into strut, then periscope up looking around. That pattern continued until he moved into a small opening I could shoot through. I squeezed the trigger a few minutes after 0900 and it was lights out.
I didn't have long to wonder why the first bird shut down because one of my lease partners walked up 10 minutes later and said he was trying to get to the first bird and made a ruckus getting through the woods.
My Dad and his wife came into town to visit with us after Colt's hospital stay, and we all had plans to meet him in the cafeteria at lunch. I plucked a feather and gave it to him at school. His smile said it all. At dinner I told Colt the story and we made plans to get to the woods a couple of afternoons after school next week.
A few oz shy of 18#, 10", 7/8"
Picture will follow once I resize to the forum.
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Originally Posted by timshufflin
