Patience Pays off

[Bogie85]

It finally happened, but in an even more epic way then I could have expected. I got up at 3:30am, drove to a spot I scouted and located a gobbler the night before. Got in and parked, got out got my stuff only to hear gobbles just before sunrise. Waited without calling to hear where it was coming from. Moved into a spot in a field the turkey were on private land. But I figured what the heck, let’s give it a go. Set up my decoy in the field 39 yards ahead of me with the gobbles still going off to my left. Get settled, and make my first call trying to keep my nerves solid and to stay focused. I get two gobbles right away. I wait about 3-5 minutes, then he gobbles again and this time he’s closer within 75 yards but behind me. I stay calm and call again, and then nothing. I am trying not to move so I have no idea where he went. 40 minutes go bye no more gobbles. I start to pass out a little, and wake up look down to notice lady bugs all over my legs (super cool experience). After I count them I decide to check the time, it’s been over an hour since everything started and I started to get impatient and was about to check the boundaries to see if I could reposition.

As I check my phone with my gun at my side on the ground, I see movement out of the corner of my eye about 75 yards out. I look up slowly and see 3 turkey running in. I slowly put my phone down, now they are within 50 yards and making their way to my decoy. I wait until the right chance where they aren’t looking at me and slowly shift my gun into my lap. I see no noticeable beards I could be sure of, so I have my gun in place hoping this is one of my gobblers. Then the biggest ones head changes colors blue to red and back to blue. And he starts strutting and I pull the trigger BLAM! He drops the other two jump and one gobbles, I go oh crap
There is another legal bird here on my knee now I stop make out one Yelp he looks at me and stretches out his neck. BLAM he goes down too, now I am in disbelief. Not only did I just get one, but I somehow tagged out on my last full day in the morning.

I have all of you to thank, in helping me bridge some gaps and fill in knowledge that I didn’t have before . A huge thank you to TBall99 for helping with questions and guiding me in the right place. And a huge thank you as well to Stovepipekid, I got a chance to meet up and see how to break a bird down and exchange stories and learn a ton. I am hooked for life now, best experience I have had in years and my hunting curse of no animals in 5 years is broken. Now to get a blacktail, can’t wait.

[brokentrail]

Awesome!  Congrats!  Way to put the time/effort in.  Was the little guy with you?

[Bogie85]

Awesome!  Congrats!  Way to put the time/effort in.  Was the little guy with you?

He was sleeping at the room, but was excited when I woke him up.

[HikerHunter]

Well done, that's awesome Bogie!

[TheStovePipeKid]

Lots more success in the future for you. Great job making it happen.

[Bogie85]

Well done, that's awesome Bogie!

Ty ty sir.

[Bogie85]

Lots more success in the future for you. Great job making it happen.

I definitely feel way more confident now, I was doing the right thing the whole time. But patience really is the key, wait and wait and wait.

[hughjorgan]

Well done!

[253shotgunner]

You will always remember your first tom. Great tale and I bet your son wants to get a bird now too! Congrats, 253shotgunner

[Tball77]

The pics say it all!  Your son looks stoked like he may of caught the hunting bug.  Nice work and congratulations. 

[Bogie85]

Well done!

Ty ty

[Bogie85]

You will always remember your first tom. Great tale and I bet your son wants to get a bird now too! Congrats, 253shotgunner

It keeps playing out in my mind, and is an experience I will never forget. And he is stoked, we did some “hunting” calling for birds to see if we could get gobbles. And even that he thought was awesome.

[Bogie85]

The pics say it all!  Your son looks stoked like he may of caught the hunting bug.  Nice work and congratulations.

If he wasn’t hooked, now he is. He asks me every year if he can go hunting. I was going to start him off this year with the pellet gun on grouse but Wdfw decided to stop that from happening :/

[Russ McDonald]

Congrats.  Great job.

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[Bogie85]

Congrats.  Great job.

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Thanks! Took awhile to make it happen. But I won’t doubt myself again .