My season A bird

[dukhnt]

My alarm went off at 4:15am last Saturday and I quickly checked the radar on my iphone. The rain was still out west so I knew I could get a couple hours of dry hunting in, and then I would have to decide if I wanted to stay and hunt in the rain. It was about a ¾ mile walk to my hunting spot. Once there, the decoys were placed, and I settled in and listened to all the gobblers waking up in the river valley. I heard at least a half dozen different ones gobbling all around me. The early morning was pretty uneventful except for a squirrel trying to figure out what I was. The squirrel got to within 4 feet of me before I lost the stare down. After checking my phone again around 8am, I knew the rain would come soon. The rain gear then came on and I put everything away that I didn’t want to get wet. Within five minutes of doing this I had a doe and her two yearlings come in between the decoys and I. When they got even with the decoys, all three started to stomp their feet and snort at the decoys. I was on the ground less the 10 yards away with this happening and thought that this was worth the price of admission. They tried to figure out what the decoys were for another 10 minutes before they gave up and took off across the field. After catching a little nap against the tree in the rain I looked behind me. It was a little after 9:30 and I saw a long beard walking away in a different field. I gave a few soft yelps from my box call and he kept walking in the wrong direction. At this point I figured I needed to try something else, either I would make him run away or get him to turn around. So I grabbed my box call and gave some quick, loud clucks. He immediately fanned out and his head turned pure white. I gave a few more loud clucks and he gobbled. Now I know I had his attention. This continued for another fifteen minutes. I would cluck and he would fan out and gobble, always making his way closer to me. There were times I couldn’t see him with all of the foliage but I knew he was getting closer. I picked an open spot in the shrubbery where I thought he might pop out off to my side and raised the gun to my shoulder. He came right to the spot and appeared to be peeking in my direction looking for the hen. I put the bead just below his head and pulled the trigger. My 2012 Minnesota turkey hunt was over with my best bird to date. He weighed 23 lbs 12 ounces. Had a 10.5” beard and the spurs measured at 7/8” and 1”. The ¾ mile walk back to the vehicle in the rain with that tom over my shoulder was probably one of my happiest walks in the rain.

[IlliniWalli]

thats a nice bird and cool story

big congrats!!!!!!!!

you should change your screen name to "turkhnt"

[goblueM]

nice, great story and bird!

I hear you on the seeing some cool wildlife being worth the "price of admission". Always see something neat while turkey hunting

[Archerysniper]

They might be heavy and awkward to carry but the smile on your face and reliving the event makes the walks go by fast.

[paceman]

Congratulation!

[Wallydog]

Good work Duk!

WD

[sticknstring]

Nice bird - congrats!