Strut10
04-29-2008, 06:15 PM
Just a great morning to be in the woods today. :)
Started out a tad slow. I got up late. The birds around my house were gobbling as I sat on the porch tying my boots to leave. :o
I was going to go to the side of a ridge by my dad's place. But when I got there & parked a bird on the other side of the hollow was just gittin' it from the limb. So I hoofed down then back up and got in a great setup to kill him from. Only problem was........he didn't see it that way. First tree call I made was the last I heard from him.
So about 8:00 I got up and started a cutt & run deal..............except when it's me it's more like "cutt & walk". I walked up on our resident albino doe and watched her for a while. I found a nice little 3-point shed. Saw some other deer. Found a sharp-shinned hawk's nest.
Around 9:00 I was strolling across a big foodplot of ours when I heard a gobble out front. Couldn't tell where, though. I made another 500 yards or so and got up on the hill more and started calling here and there. Finally I got a comeback gobble. Then another. There were at least two.......maybe more birds. I set up a good long way across a valley from them and called hard. They were doubling and tripling, but not budging. So a big half circle around and I got to a spot where I figured I could make them come to. I sat down amongst the Five Brothers (a semi-circle of cherry trees where I've killed from before) and clucked on a mouth call. Nothing. Again........and nothing. About the 4th or 5th series of clucks and cutts I got a distant comeback. I fired right back with some hard cutts and got an immediate response from two birds. I cut them off with more hard, excited cutts and they went ballistic. I went silent and reached up to turn the red-dot on to #11 brightness. I waited a looooong couple minutes before purring. Nothing. I started popping off some clucks and was immediately answered from just over the rise about 45 yards out. I started looking for heads.......trying to predict where to put the dot. First head came over the rise slightly to the right from straight out. I moved the gun slightly and had the dot sitting on his wattles. Then I could see a full fan coming behind him........not yet in the open for a shot. I kept the dot on the lead, killable bird but made up my mind I would go to the strutter as soon as he offered a shot. The dot rode lead bird's neck for about a minute as he worked from left to right in front of me at about 30-32 yards. Meanwhile the strutter was taking his good old time behind a clump of big maples. Then the critical point came where the lead bird stopped slightly to my left......still with the dot on his neck.........but as far left as I could follow him. But the strutter was still obscured , though only a step or two from being in the open. The lead bird gave me last chance to tighten the trigger finger, but I passed. I wanted the strutter. Seconds after the lead bird stepped out of the danger zone the strutter cleared the maple clump. I slid the dot on to his wattles and sized it all up. He broke from strut and walked a little circle and when he stopped........the SX2 (which I have aptly named "No Doubt") sent a load of Wichester Supreme 6's 38 yards and across his noggin ending a VERY exciting hunt. :D
he was a nice 3 year bird at 20 lbs. with a 10" rope and 1" spurs. In retrospect.......the lead bird who walked away had a much nicer, thicker beard. :o No matter. I'm happy. ;)
Here's a couple pics:
The first is of my future turkey huntin' gal. She's saying "Ten inches!!" :D
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/strut10/DSC03172.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/strut10/DSC03171.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/strut10/DSC03175.jpg
Started out a tad slow. I got up late. The birds around my house were gobbling as I sat on the porch tying my boots to leave. :o
I was going to go to the side of a ridge by my dad's place. But when I got there & parked a bird on the other side of the hollow was just gittin' it from the limb. So I hoofed down then back up and got in a great setup to kill him from. Only problem was........he didn't see it that way. First tree call I made was the last I heard from him.
So about 8:00 I got up and started a cutt & run deal..............except when it's me it's more like "cutt & walk". I walked up on our resident albino doe and watched her for a while. I found a nice little 3-point shed. Saw some other deer. Found a sharp-shinned hawk's nest.
Around 9:00 I was strolling across a big foodplot of ours when I heard a gobble out front. Couldn't tell where, though. I made another 500 yards or so and got up on the hill more and started calling here and there. Finally I got a comeback gobble. Then another. There were at least two.......maybe more birds. I set up a good long way across a valley from them and called hard. They were doubling and tripling, but not budging. So a big half circle around and I got to a spot where I figured I could make them come to. I sat down amongst the Five Brothers (a semi-circle of cherry trees where I've killed from before) and clucked on a mouth call. Nothing. Again........and nothing. About the 4th or 5th series of clucks and cutts I got a distant comeback. I fired right back with some hard cutts and got an immediate response from two birds. I cut them off with more hard, excited cutts and they went ballistic. I went silent and reached up to turn the red-dot on to #11 brightness. I waited a looooong couple minutes before purring. Nothing. I started popping off some clucks and was immediately answered from just over the rise about 45 yards out. I started looking for heads.......trying to predict where to put the dot. First head came over the rise slightly to the right from straight out. I moved the gun slightly and had the dot sitting on his wattles. Then I could see a full fan coming behind him........not yet in the open for a shot. I kept the dot on the lead, killable bird but made up my mind I would go to the strutter as soon as he offered a shot. The dot rode lead bird's neck for about a minute as he worked from left to right in front of me at about 30-32 yards. Meanwhile the strutter was taking his good old time behind a clump of big maples. Then the critical point came where the lead bird stopped slightly to my left......still with the dot on his neck.........but as far left as I could follow him. But the strutter was still obscured , though only a step or two from being in the open. The lead bird gave me last chance to tighten the trigger finger, but I passed. I wanted the strutter. Seconds after the lead bird stepped out of the danger zone the strutter cleared the maple clump. I slid the dot on to his wattles and sized it all up. He broke from strut and walked a little circle and when he stopped........the SX2 (which I have aptly named "No Doubt") sent a load of Wichester Supreme 6's 38 yards and across his noggin ending a VERY exciting hunt. :D
he was a nice 3 year bird at 20 lbs. with a 10" rope and 1" spurs. In retrospect.......the lead bird who walked away had a much nicer, thicker beard. :o No matter. I'm happy. ;)
Here's a couple pics:
The first is of my future turkey huntin' gal. She's saying "Ten inches!!" :D
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/strut10/DSC03172.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/strut10/DSC03171.jpg
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w14/strut10/DSC03175.jpg