Gobbler Luck

I got lucky yesterday and fooled a Wisconsin bird into thinking I was just what he was looking for. Turned out he was just what I was looking for! He was 24 pounds 1 ounce, 11" beard, 1" spurs. It was a qiute a contest for about 45 minutes. I had set up on a logging road that birds normally travel up a steep side hill. The road runs diagonally. I put a decoy on the road and set up on the sidehill about 15 yds above the decoy. But when I called he Gobbled up on the ridge above me. I had to move quickly to another tree so I could shoot up hill. The very brink of the hill was about 20-25 yds above me at a 45 degree angle. I called again and he answered from what I thought was about 100 yds away. He came right away but would not reveal himself at all. He stayed just above the brink where I couldn't see him. He gobbled, and spit, and drummed up there for the whole 45 minutes. All this time I had my gun up on my knee and was working my mouth call. Once I saw the very top of his head peek over but I couldn't convince him to come over. He walked further away a couple of times but came back when I called. Over all it seems he must have gobbled a hundred times. He was so close I could almost feel a concussion like effect when he gobbled but I couldn't see him! All this time there was a huge black fly buzzing around my head. He finally found his wat under my headnet and landed on my nose. I tried to very slowly lift my gloved hand to brush him off and PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. I was busted. Somhow he had seen me when I couldn't see him. How they make that PUTT sound, almost a kind of PLONK, is something else. As he started to walk away I thought I had nothing to lose so I just broke out cutting like an upset hen. I really laid into it and he didn't run away. He was running back and forth putting like crazy up there,putting like crazy, still out of sight. I kept it up and then I saw his head just as red as could be. He was walking right along the edge. I yelped just once and he gobbled as he pulled his head back up it ran right into an ounce and seven eights of copper plated number 5 shot. He went down but jumped back up. I shot again only to hear CLICK. In the excitement I must have short stroked my pump gun. I racked it again and leveled him with another load. As I got up to run up there I got about half way to him and he was up again! This time he stayed down. In fact the last shot flipped him over on his back. All I can think of is that the extreme upward angle must have made me shoot low. There was a fair amount of shot in one breast. I've never done that with a Turkey before. But I think it was one of the most exciting turkey hunts I've ever had. All those hours of practicing on a mouth call as I drove down the road finally paid off. Hope everyone else out there has this much fun this spring. RD

Hey Tas, Mr Mom, I've now got a home computer again! Got my move for work completed but still have a gazillion boxes to empty. Somehow I've acquired too much s___. Between the wifes shopping obsession and my pack rat nature we moved a full semi load. Maybe I'll get a chance to chat a bit more now. Yes d4570, It is fun when a plan comes together. I only set up where I did because last year I had a bird do the same thing, at the same time of day, as I sat under the same tree. Only difference was that last year I couldn't close the deal and he gobbled off out of sight and sound. This year it turned out a little different. Like my dad used to say, "Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while."