Heck of a morning

[Machias]

I took a friend from work out this morning.  Went to a spot I have been checking every year for 8 to 10 years.  It is perfect habitat and I am always perplexed because the birds have never been there.  So we get out there around 0515 and right off the bat I hear gobbling on the roost.  SWEEET, they finally made it!     We get up on top and I can hear 4 different gobblers in four different locations. We work around and hear a couple of hens yelping just over the ridge, get set up and start calling to them.  They go quiet and then a coyote comes trotting over from their direction.  I thought my friend was going to smoke the yote since he ran right in front of him at about 20 yards, but no shot.  I look left and see two jakes trotting our way.  I yelp to them and they throw on the brakes, zero in on my position and start sprinting towards me right up to about 14 yards.  My friend did not hear them and while they were practically standing on top of him he moved his head and putt putt they were out of there.  So we move on down to the next gobbler, I call for 20 minutes and finally a big boy answers and is heading our way.  Eventually he comes strutting by at about 70 yards with two hens and they feed right on through.  Off to another set we head.  Suddenly a bird gobbles about 200 yards off and we move in and get set up.  I can hear hens yelping, but they are about 100 yards apart.  I think the bird that gobbled was hanging off to the side from this flock.  There was probably a big bird with the hens and this bird was hanging back.  Anyways I think he saw us because he never made another peep.  But while I am calling, suddenly from about 15 yards behind me spit, vrooommm, spit vrooom, spit vrooomm.  Dang he's right on top of me.   I purred with my mouth call and gobble gobble from 15 yards.    Very cool.  He walks behind me and around to my side at 10 yards.  I finally get my head around and when he goes behind a stump I get my gun up.  I could have smoked him for about 3 minutes, but I wait for my friend to shoot.  I never got to see him strutting, but from 10 yards and in the sun he looked like a nice mature bird with a 7 or 8 inch beard.  So finally he gets out in front of me and my firend smokes him with a 25 yard shot.  He is probably a 22 month old bird, not quite mature but not really a jake.  He's about 18 pound with a 7.5 inch beard and 1/2 inch spurs.  Not as mature as I first thought but a nice respectable bird for his first turkey.

[rainshadow1]

Great hunt, Fred! Well done!

You guys have me itching so bad! This is misery!

Way to go, and thanks for posting!

[TheHunt]

Nicely done... 

[PA BEN]

Sounds like some good action. Nice tom.

[Austrian Hunter]

  Nice job!  Yea, it is a respectable bird!

[carpsniperg2]

very nice bird. nothin wrong with any legal bird in my eyes

[bearpaw]

sounds like an awesome hunt Fred, your friend is a lucky guy... 

[NWTFhunter]

Way to go Fred !  Looks like its not far from your home either.

Try and locate me one, I need a Rio

[turkeydancer]

Way to keep after  it .... yahooooooo !!!!

[fishunt247]

Good work. Looks like a nice two year old...the fun ones to hunt.