15 minute hunt and done!

[Grayfox]

Well, I'm pretty sure this is the quickest turkey hunt I've ever been a part of. I ended up going out by myself this morning because my hunting partner was a little too tired to go out, after hunting yesterday morning and then heading out on the lake until midnight last night after a few walleyes.

I headed out a little late because I didn't have any roosted from the night before and as I'm walking down the logging trail I can here one gobbleing across the street to the South. It's about 5 A.M. and I can here coyotes howling and that tom is going nuts over there. I'm cruising through the tree's pretty quietly and a tom sounds off not 20 yards from me. I stopped and with the wind blowing pretty hard I couldn't tell where he was. I stood there for a bit and he sounded off agian and I could see him not 20 yards from me, way up in the top of a popple tree. He was strutting up there but appeared to be facing the opposite direction I'd walked in from. I slowly turned and walked back 40 yards from his position and put my tom decoy in the middle of the trail and the slowly creeped up the bank and sat down next to a tree. As I sat there he kept gobbleing his head off. About 5 minutes after legal shooting time he pitched out of the tree and flew out into a old hay field. He was out there quite a ways but kept gobbleing. I started turning to the West to face him with my decoy straight West of me as well, when I hear 2 hens directly behind me purring and clucking. I was calling aggressively and the tom was answering every call. He started back toward me and was soon coming back into the woods toward the decoy. There was a big oak directly between he and I and he disappeared behind it and was below a small hill. He shut up and I had the gun trained just to the left of the tree and about 2 feet to the right of the decoy. I waited a bit and couldn't hear anything. I look to the right and see his head pop up 20 yards away. How did he get there without me seeing him. I waited until he went into strut and had his head behind his fan before I moved into position and as soon as he picked his head up I rolled him down the bank. When I got to him his left wing was broke but I was pretty sure I hit him good in the head with the full load of #5's. Must have been the wad as there wasn't a pellet in the breast. Just how I like them. Ended up being 20lb-4oz, 10-1/2" beard and 1" spurs.

Ran back home to see if I could get Mitch out since it was so early and saw a coyote standing in the field across from my driveway. I ran into the house and grabbed the AR and ditched all my calls and headed back to the truck and back down the driveway. I couldn't believe it was standing in the same spot but was looking at me. As I get to the road he takes off to the NW. I turn North and pull off the road below a hill. I get out quick and load up and head across the street as I crest the hill I look quick and figure he's across the next hill. As I step out he takes off not 150 yards from me. He was standing in some tan grass and I completely missed him. I dropped for a shot but couldn't get him to stop and he will live to see another day.

Heading back out tonight to see if Mitch can bag #4

[Archerysniper]

Congrats Grayfox and great story as always.

[Shu]

Very nice bird, congrats!

[IlliniWalli]

congrats on a nice tom!!

gotta love those fast and furious hunts!!

[mrklean]

congrats

[DonBo]

WTG Rob! Another great season for you and Mitch. We gonna get a chance to hook up on Yellow this year?

[Wanderer]

Sounds like a heck of a morning!

[Borch]

Got to love it when it happens fast. A guy needs a few of those hunts every once in a while.

Congrats!