this was my first mature tom ever 2014
day 2 of my season I was in the woods by 4:55am mile in I heard a gobble up above me. I know these woods well so I ran to the other side of the hill knowing I could move in un seen or heard. I get up to the top edge and hear him blast off again followed by a jakes broken gobble. I sneak to the edge of the top and can just barely see a mature fan about 70 yards out. the top of this hill is a couple bowls and some burnt stumps bordered by bull pine on the north east side. im coming in from the south and the birds are on the north edge. I call a little but they just chat back. I slip down the edge and ease in closer. I can see a big tom and a jake and 5 hens. they all talk back but stay put so I cluck 2 more times then drop down again and shed my pack and gear. I sneek up closer with just my shot gun and slowly crawl up to peek over again. just before the top I hear a hen going off below me and she is heading my way clucking up a storm. she dosent see me yet and as I slowly spin back around im looking at 3 hens about 10ft away peeking at me threw the grass. they don't spook but disappear back behind the nob. I sit there froze for a moment then slowly crawl up higher. all the while this new hen is still talking away just right below me heading for the top. I can see threw a small fir tree all 5 hens just over the rise and the jake just behind them. then the tom slides in to view right in my only shooting lane. gobbles right in my face from 5 yards. as my cheek and shotgun meet the tom perks his head up just right and boom. hit him right in the neck.
9 1/4" beard and .978" spurs....ill call them 1"
tom #2 4 days later
this one was a down poor. rained all morning but I knew that my weather guesser was saying few hours of sunshine just after mid-day. we get to the spot by 1pm. sun is just peaking out and the rain is about done. we get almost to the spot I had heard a bunch of toms gobbling the evening before, we call a little and nothing. we head in a little further to the edge of a long steep slope and hear some hens going off down below us. we run down the slope to get set up. had my friend stop in a small patch of fir and I went another 50 yards down just above a old road. I cluck a few times to let my friend know im ready and he starts calling. right away a tom blsts off behind me to the left so I spin around and boom a tom blasts off right below me so I spin back around. with in 30 seconds the tom jumps up on the road 30 yards out and in full strut. gobbles right at me but then decides he wants to go around the nob so I let him have it at about 40 yards he flaps twice and rolls off the edge! I run the best I can after him(more like a semi-controlled fall/slide)and catch up to him as he comes to rest on the next road down. then the rain and hail come! by the time I made it back to the top the rain was done and sun was out. another 9" beard and about 1/2" spurs.
