I was supposed to go to my farm to hunt this weekend but my father-in-law got bad sick so my wife took off to help her family out and I stayed home to take care of the dogs. I can hunt behind our house but 5 acres ain't much when it comes to turkeys. Nevertheless, it was the hand I was dealt so I was gonna play it.
Since I can't wander around much, I usually opt to bowhunt the birds that cross my place. There is a big field next door that they love to feed and strut in. Unfortunately, I can't hunt it so I just have to catch them coming and going. I put up my blind at the bottom of the hill a couple of days ago and got in it just a little after 6 this morning. The wind was blowing pretty hard and I figured the gobbling would be minimal. It turned out to be nothing so after an hour of tomb-like silence, I decided to go back up to the house and come back for the late morning session. I usually see more birds at that time of day anyway.
I got back into position just a little after 10. I did a series of calls, got out my book and started to while away the time. My dekes were enjoying the sunshine a scant 5 yards in front of me. After 20 minutes or so, I started another series of calls and was shocked to hear a gobble less than 100 yards away. I can't course a bird worth a damn inside of a blind so I wasn't exactly sure where he was at. Then I hear a hen start yelping and I think, "Game on!"
So I started calling to the hen and she's coming in from my right side. I figure the tom is with her but then he gobbles and he is on my left. He's not hot but I know he's interested. The hen and I trade yelps back and forth until she is now 20 yards out and sees my decoys. She does not like that. She doesn't come a step closer and starts cutting. The tom gobbles again so I start cutting. He shuts up and after a few cuts back and forth I decide that maybe I should try to calm her down. I start doing some purring and clucking and she finally settles down and goes on about her business. Great! One less thing to jack this up for me.
So after another 10 minutes of silence, I peek out the blind window and am startled to see my longbeard all puffed up about 20 yards out to my left. He is doing a slow stroll towards the decoys and I know I am gonna get a shot. At about 12 yards, he turns broadside to me and I almost draw then but I know he's gonna start whipping on my jake decoy so I let him come the rest of the way.
Finally, he is behind the jake and is posturing for all to see. He turns quartering away from me and that is when I draw. I pick a spot right at the wing butt and let the string go.
Ole tom goes keister over tin cup as the arrow goes through him. He starts flopping and then gets up and starts running off. Now is where it gets interesting. Have you ever seen a grown man try to claw his way out of a ground blind? I couldn't get the damn latches open! Finally I free myself, grab my bow and an arrow and the chase is on. I vault over an old barbed wire fence like an Olympic hurdler and tear through the underbrush as my bird is doing his best to get away. How I kept from impaling myself on a broadhead is a mystery to me.
So after about a 100 yard chase through some nasty stuff, the gobbler is give out. I quickly run up on his spread out body and put one more arrow through him for good measure. He expires and I say a little prayer to his spirit for providing me with meat and memories. He is the first gobbler I have ever killed in the spring with a bow after many, many years of trying. And to top it off, he is a dandy; 23 pounds, 10" beard, right spur is 1.5" and the left spur is 1.25". He is a trophy that I will carry in my mind for the rest of my days.
Darren
My prize
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q240/dhaverstick/2015%20Hunting%20Photos/SpringGobbler1-6Small_zps7wt9vxrw.jpg)
The setup
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q240/dhaverstick/2015%20Hunting%20Photos/SpringGobbler1-7Small_zpsln7sh0wv.jpg)
A view from the blind
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q240/dhaverstick/2015%20Hunting%20Photos/SpringGobbler1-8mall_zpsrj9tzt5v.jpg)
Now I gotta pack him up the hill and clean him
(http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q240/dhaverstick/2015%20Hunting%20Photos/SpringGobbler1-9mall_zpstjxsh8h2.jpg)
Great job Darren!! It rained most of the day up here! Maybe tomorrow....
Congrats on a great turkey!
Our season starts Monday... been cool and wet here the past few days.
:thumbsup: :notworthy:
just AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very cool and congrats!!
Congrats on a great turkey!!!
Congrats Darren
Great job...congrats!!
Congratulations! First Kansas and now your backyard. You are having a big year! :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great job! Congratulations! :thumbsup:
Bernie
Great story,great bird! Congrats!
Nice bird! :thumbsup:
Congrats!!! That is a beauty and one hell of a story.
Congrats!
Congrats!!
congrats. thanks for taking us along.
Jeff
Excellent brother, you are giving papa Haverstick a run for the title of"mountain man".
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
CONGRATS
Awsome bird !
What a beauty!
Great Job! Nice turkey!
Happy for you. Thanks for the photos.
Nice job!
Congrats! :thumbsup:
Beautiful bird...CONGRATS!
Nice work! Should we look forward to another story in the magazine?
Congrats
:clapper:
Great story and a great trophy!
That's a big old gobbler! Congrats!
Great story and bird congrats.
Nicely done! Congrats
Nice bird, well done, congratulations!
-Jay
Congrats. That's great.
Congrats!
:archer:
Thanks all! It's been a good season for me so far. I killed a 20 pound jake in Kansas two weeks ago with my flintlock smoothbore. Life is good!
Darren
Great story and picks Darren, congrats on on a super gobbler bud. :thumbsup:
Tracy
Fantastic Brother!
Well done! Congrats!
Awesome!
Congrats,
Bisch
Fantastic!! Congratulations!
Nice bird Darren, congrats! :thumbsup: Good read too, thank you.
Bob
CONGRATULATIONS, Brother!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Way to go Darren!!! Love it when a plan comes together :thumbsup:
Congrats...and thanks for taking us along.
Nice work and great bird Darren!
Congrats Nice Bird
Awesome story. Congrats.
Congrats on a nice Tom.!
That's awesome!!! Congrats on a stud!