Same Time Same Day (pic)

**vagobbln** · 04-17-2006, 01:03 PM

Same Time – Same Day

Well it looks like I can save myself some aggravation and vacation the rest of the year. Now I know when I need to be parked up against an oak somewhere. Bird #1 (Opening Day Thunder Gobbler) assumed room temperature at 8:10 AM last Saturday morning. Bird #2 gobbled his last at 8:10 this past Saturday. Maybe I need to play 810 in the lottery tonight!

This hunt unfolded over the course of two days. I came in to work Friday morning, intending to put in a full day. When I got there my plant was shut down so I said “What the heck” and took off for the woods about 9:00. Hit about three spots with no takers, but at the fourth, a resounding gobble to a blast on the crow call. After setting up, I got a pretty quick answer to my first series of yelps. After about 20 minutes, here he, or as it turned out, they come. They gobbled and strutted and strutted and gobbled. They passed by to my right at about 40 yards, but because of a tree beside me, I couldn’t swing the gun any further and had no shot. They made there way out to a cow pasture, continuing to show off the whole time. A few soft purrs and clucks and they were back in the woods headed my way. At about 60 yards an unwanted (at least by me anyway) visitor crashed the party. A hen came in from behind me and drug the two loudmouths over into a little swale about 80-90 yards away. Even though that hen was with them they were both still just burning it up. Here in Virginia, we have to quit at 12:00 the first three weeks of the season. By now it’s about 11:30 and a thunderstorm is moving in. Between my cutting and the thunder, they were about to choke themselves. The lightning finally got a little too thick for my taste so I slid out at about ten till noon and left them there gobbling their heads off. I ran (and I do mean ran) back to the truck and the bottom dropped out as I opened the door, so it was a good decision. I knew where I’d be tomorrow morning.

I tried to get a buddy of mine to go with me and I told him I thought our chances would be good on a double. Unfortunately he already had a commitment. I stood by the truck as day broke the next morning waiting for what I was sure would come. I wasn’t disappointed – game on. I got to within about 150 yards of them, in between their roost and the bottom they were in the day before. They answered a tree yelp and I laid the call down until their feet hit the ground. They both dropped straight down and continued their chorus of gobbling they started the day before. Every soft call was met with great enthusiasm. I sat quiet for a while as they just blistered every crow, goose, dog and cow. It didn’t matter what the sound was. They were hot. Finally I caught a glimpse of them, strutting below me in the bottom about 100 yards out. A few clucks and purrs and I was done. The next time I saw them they popped up about 40 yards below me and to my right, both in full puff. Being right handed, I needed to move to get on them. One bird dropped down and started riding a little mound of dirt (I guess he just couldn’t stand it any more) and the other continued to strut. When he turned his fan away, I made my move. Click, boom and he was down. The other bird jumped up and just stood there. Here was the double I told my buddy about. Oh well. Not a monster like my first one but a good two year old with inch spurs and a nine inch beard thanks to the mites. Very exciting hunt nonetheless. I love it when a plan comes together. And yes, I called my friend back to rub it in.

Note: I’m not one to change equipment much, but I did go from Winchester Hi-Velocity #5’s to the Winchester Extended Range #5’s this year. I must say, I’m very impressed. Both birds hit the ground without a whimper like they’d been clocked with a Louisville Slugger.