This is my third turkey season in New Mexico since moving here, and I have not had much luck up until today. Well, I should say up until this year. We are in a horrible drought and that at least concentrated the birds a little bit I was able to find some bird sign a few weeks ago a few miles into the Gila wilderness. Responsibilities have not given me many opportunities to be out there, but I was vable to hunt Friday, Sunday and today. I had birds all over me on Friday, and really close on Sunday, but I was in really thick vegetation in a drainage and couldn't get the job done. The birds couldn't find my decoy I think. Anyway, yesterday I decided that I was going to hunt on the rim of the drainage, instead of dropping down, but my blind would be difficult to get at the late hour. I grabbed a different blind and a chair and hiked 2 miles uphill and set up the blind. Pretty tough with how rocky it is. I'm still hoping that my blind doesn't blow away, lol.

Anyway, unlike the previous two hunts, I didn't hear hardly anything this morning when I got out there. I had to get up at 3:30 to feed the horses. Take the dogs for a while feed the dogs, blah, blah blah, and then make the long trek to the blind. I thought I might've heard a hen in the drainage, but it could've been my imagination around 8 o'clock I heard a bird that sounded like it was in another canyon over, probably close to a mile away. It was very quiet. As the morning went on, I wasn't hearing anything and I decided to pack everything up because I had to open up the doors to the greenhouse feed the horses again blah blah blah. Just then I thought I might've heard a gobble. I got out of the blind and sure enough. I heard something gobble deep in the drainage a couple hundred yards away. I got back in the blind, I started getting out my black gear again and got an arrow ready and started having a conversation with the birds. I was being a little aggressive, and they were responding, but not getting any closer. I decided to shut my mouth and wait a little while and hope they were worked up enough to come out. I was using a mouth diaphragm, which I'm not very good at, but it worked OK. Anyway, maybe 10 minutes later, I look up and pass my decoy two good birds in full strut, and they were coming in fast. I drew as they were coming in, and when they got to the level of my decoy, 7 yards I shot the one in front slightly quartering towards me. I was pretty happy to have this presentation because I was shooting a very lightweight bow because of a wrist injury probably 40 pounds solid, fiberglass bow. I was using an ace express Broadhead. Took out both lungs and broke the rear leg on the offside. Bird only made it 15 or 20 yards pretty happy with this bird because I put a lot of miles on between the last few seasons and these boards are hard to find you can walk 8 miles in and just never come across a bird. There's only so many miles. You can make in a day in this country.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qwNOq8b1SKQ?si=8C6ogpxF-MBD2dDi

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Way to go Pat! Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Good story, great ending. Congratulations!

 

Congrats.  It's always tough getting a bird with a bow. 

Congrats Pat!!

Great accomplishment Pat, congratulations

Quote from: Orion on April 30, 2025, 10:43:46 AM
Congrats.  It's always tough getting a bird with a bow.

Man, it was pretty easy for me on my place in Oklahoma.  Didn't realize how spoiled I was, lol.

Congratulations, Pat.  I still haven't got mine out hunting.

Good going.  Your hard work made it happen. 

Atta Boy!!!

Awesomeee Patrick  CONGRADULATIONS