Finally scored after a tough "C" season

[Borch]

My season started with high Hope's like it does every year.  My nephews had both already scored a couple nice 2 year old toms.  I worked to the blind for my first morning sit and busted a turkey roosted right over my blind.  Pretty quiet morning with a great view of the sunrise. 

 

The rest of day was quiet with a hen and 3 Tom's not wanting to get too close.   Thursday was another for hen sightings without a gobble heard.  But we were seeing large groups of toms just off the property.  Friday morning I heard a distant gobble followed by many more with sime hard to pick out and other a lot closer but still out a 1/4 mile or so.   Had a couple working closer but then drifted off.  That brings me to last night.  I decided to grab a small popup blind and head to one of the ridges where I heard the gobbles in the morning.   I picked a spot and and up without a decoy about 5 pm.  I called occasionally and scratched leaves without seeing or hearing any signs of turkeys.  A little after 7 pm I let loose with some aggressive yelping and cutting in my box call.  Nothing,  guess it was going to be one of those quiet evenings.   Then 5 minutes later a gobble close.  Took me a couple minutes to see him and then another strutting down the ridge.   Then they disappeared.  I continued the scratch leaves occasionally but gave them the silent treatment call wise.  About 10 minutes before sunset heard a couple birds fly up close by and started to pack up for the long walk back down a swampy/boggy trail.  Looked up and saw him 35 yards away that must have popped up over the edge of the ridge.  He got nervous and started quickly walking towards the edge.  I was able to quickly get my gun picked up and pointed in the right direction, getting a shot just before he dropped out of sight. He went down in a heap 45 yards away.  Didn't have a good option for taking pictures on my own and in a hurry.  But here is what I have.

 

Better bird than I thought once I looked him over closer when I got home.  He had a 9" beard, sharp, hooked 1 1/8" spurs and weighed 24.6 lbs.  Now to finish up a few projects and get out in the boat for some panfish before I go back to work Wednesday. 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Borch

[Scoot]

Atta boy!  WTG Borch!

[monstermoose78]

Good luck at work 

[minky]

Nice bird!

[hugonian1]

That is a heck of a bird.

Congrats