Last Day success

[TRM]

Finally, after 2 weeks of sweating, and hiding from bugs A Mature bird gives me a shot, lets just say what a morning, it all started at 3:30 am alarm goes off, snooze once, twice (know i dont get home everynight until 12:30-1:00, putting me in bed by 1:30-2:00) and finally i told my self, "self you cant get a bird laying in bed, and that it was the last time i would have to try to function on very little sleep", so up and at I was out the door by 4:15 in the blind by 4:45, and first gobble at 5:07, so I wait a couple min. and do a very soft, yet semi excited yelp-cluck-purr, and that was the start of non-stop action for the next 3 hrs, gobbles to the north, then east, then west, and so on, two here, three there.......so the closest one is coming in behind me, (NW) so I get all ready, now dont foget their are 6-7 diff birds going crazy all within 100-200 yardsm, all diff directions, so Im waiting for the bird to show himself and I almost soil myself, a tom expoldes 15 yards to my east, (blind is shut on that side, chair in the way heart to jumping jacks in my chest...............so he walks due north into a small wood lot and just freezes looking back to the the NW, guess what the other one decided to show him self, sssoooooo ok here we go i turn and start trying to gather myself and i hear such a congloberation of hen, yelps-cuts-purs to the SE that i have to look and I see 3 hens on a rope to my setup, a min later they are in the decoys making small talk with the decs , Ok so this is a good thing, NOPE it turns out there are 5-6 other hens coming out of the woods (e-se) into the field......ok,ok,ok attention back to the tom he is still at 60 yards and gobblin like he just got a new toy, then back to SE GOBBLE, i look back where the hens came from and here comes the mac daddy full strut and meaning buisness, he is working the same route the hens took, so again, do the magical change the blind around with out spooking the three hens still making small talk with Mrs, flambou ten yards away, ok done ready, range finder in hand, and waiting, 3-4 min later hear he is with the other that had snuck in behind me at 25 yards behind a hazel nut bush 4-5 min later still there ok gotta try some thing, to get them to make a choice so i hit the call two soft purs,and the hens (still in decoys) go crazy and that was the ticket, both toms do a 180 and start my way, but the long way around the bushes, putting them at 60 when the are in the clear, so I hit the call one more time, and they only give up 10 yards, so I pick the mac daddy and range him at 52, and let the rage eat (he was slightly quarting away) I wanted to put it right on his hip, but I missed and hit the femur and blew right thru he made it 60 and was wearing a tag, a fitting end to a tough, stress full, and sleepless season, almost forgot 11 inch beard, 1 1\8 spurs, and 22 lbs. sorry so long winded but it was a very event full morning, and I left a lot out, but that is why we go thru this and love the sights from the blind, one good thing that happened by not taging the first day, is that I was able to get both my kids out with me on a couple diff hunts, and i also learned a lot about how lucky I have been the past three years by taging the first day of season G (archery season) ok, ok, im done GOD Bless

[Wallydog]

Great finish to your season on a stud of a bird!

WD

[mws4dux]

Sounds like an action packed morning.Nice pics and story.Great job!!!

[Archerysniper]

TRM congrats on the bird. We went out to the corner of the bean field and had hens in and out all after noon but the 4 toms and 4 jake were no where to be seen sounds like they were all over by you.

[sticknstring]

Nicely done! It sure is sweet when a plan comes together. Congrats on a great late-season archery bird.

[Borch]

What an exciting hunt!

Congrats on a great bird!

[Shu]

Awesome, great job!

[engfish]

Great story. Great pics. And a great bird on the last day. In a couple of years you'll be able to have both of you in the blind hunting.

[TRM]

Thanks guys, my son and my daughter both sat with me a couple times and we did have some action, passed on a couple jakes with my daughter and seen some picky toms at 100 yards with my son and they just love it, my daughter should be able to pull 35+ lbs next spring and if so I told her she can hunt with me, she is shooting a nucular Ice now, and I have a brand new Razors edge waiting for her to bottom out the other, and the neat thing is I think she wants it more than me and that type ov motovation is awesome to see in a kid.

[Archerysniper]

There is nothing better than getting your children hooked into our sport.

[mknolls]

What a great hunt thanks for sharing. Great to see taking the family out with you. Congrats.

[Ray Esboldt]

52! Dude, that is awesome. I hesitate (or should) with my shotgun at that range. Making that shot is trophy material right there.