Big Gobbler On Opening Weekend

[GotaFish]

Opening weekend of the fall turkey season was perfect. I headed to my favorite public hunting spot, arrived before first light and was happy to see no other vehicles. I headed to my favorite hillside to bust the turkeys off of their roost. Right at first light, everything was perfect, the weather was cool, winds were calm and the turkeys were flying everywhere. A bunch flew up the hill and several more flew down into an overgrown field. Almost immediately the birds were calling from all directions. I thought about it and decided my best bet was to work the birds down in the field. The birds were so eager to get back together I didn't even have time to set up my decoys. I would call they would call back, with each call my huge bird was getting closer. Eventually I saw him coming through the tall grass, I stopped calling because he was calling and coming right in. I raised my gun and starting tracking him, I had to wait for the perfect head shot. I was growing more anxious by the minute, don't stop, keep coming just a few more feet until I would have that perfect shot. Then as if by magic, the big fella stepped out into the clearing, carring his twelve gauge and tooting on his turkey call. I have no idea where that guy come from, but he is sure lucky I am an experienced hunter and know to clearly identify my game before shooting. In the past when hearing of a mistaken for game hunting accident I could never understand how it could possibly happen. In this instance it was almost a perfect storm - I had just jumped the birds off the roost, had birds calling from all directions and was calling in my bird - I can see how a less experienced hunter may have taken an ill advised shoot. I am not sure what the moral of this story is, but I do know a few things I do to never put myself in the same situation as this guy. I never walk through the turkey woods tooting on my turkey call and I usually wear or carry an orange hat when I am walking through the turkey woods. I hide the orange hat when I sit down to call birds.

Later that same day I walked up on a couple of hunters who had three decoys set out on a logging road and they both were sitting within about 20 feet of the decoys pretty much directly in the line of fire of the decoys. One of the guys asked me if I was worried that the turkeys would see my orange hat, I told him I wasn't worried about the turkeys seeing me I was worried about other hunters not seeing me. While I didn't bag a bird that day it was a fantastic day to be walking around God's green earth.

[back2roots]

Excellent story!!! Thanks for posting!!!!

Blessings!

Bill