Got my gobbler at the end of our third day hitting it hard out there. I was waiting at the edge of a field waiting/hoping the gobblers would come down for a snack before going to roost. We had a jake decoy about 20 yards away and at around 5 PM I finally saw a few dark shapes making their way down the opposite hillside. Two hens followed by a big rio who held up just short of the field and went full strut. He entered the field and was about 90 yards from us. I was using my mouth call and started with the occasional soft yelp and cluck. He was more interested in his dinner than beating the crap out of a jake decoy so he never got closer than 60 yards. Finally, I heard my buddy in my earpiece saying it was probably now or never. By the time I slowly trained the barrel on him he was at 65+ yards and all I saw was tail feathers. I went for a quick, excited yelp and his head darted out to the left leaving me just enough time to lower the boom.
He was hit hard but at that distance I let off a quick follow up shot which again hit him. Before I knew it I was sprinting towards him. He decided sprinting was a good idea as well and darted away from me. I quickly slammed on the brakes, led him a little and toppled him, finally, at just over 40 yards.
He was a 24+ pound gobbler with a 9 inch beard. An awesome bird and an amazing experience I shared with my best friend for the last 25 years.
By the way, there was no way I go for such a long shot unless he's in an open area with no hiding spots.
