Bird Number 3

[Todd1700]

Got number 3 this morning. Went to the home place this morning and set up on a bird that was roosted near were I killed the first bird this season. In fact I set up near that same little strut zone clearing that I killed the first one in. But things did not go down as simple this time. I was about 100 yards from this bird and there were three other birds gobbling off in the distance. Before I even started to call to this bird a hen pitched off the limb of a tree out to my left and sailed down landing about 10 yards in front of me. I tried to be as still as I could but she pecked around until she got so close that she saw me and started putting. Even worse she head straight towards the gobblers tree doing it. And just like I expected he shut up. Didn't gobble on the limb again. I figured this hunt is over before it started. I yelped softly to him one more time. Nothing. But in a few minutes I heard a bird flying down off the roost. Then I look up and there he comes through the air. He sailed past my tree on the left side at a distance of 15 yards an landed somewhere behind me. I kept still till he walked off and gobbled about 120 yards away. Then I spun around to his side of the tree. The next time he gobbled out through the pines another bird gobbled with him. Every time I called to them they both gobbled but didn't come any closer. Finally one bird walked off to the left gobbling occassionally. But one bird started coming back to me. Finally at about 75 yards I saw him heading from my left to right and moving so fast I thought something had spooked him. He went out of sight over a ridge way out to my right. So I changed positions on my tree to face his direction again. I thought he was spooked and through playing but when I yelped to him he gobbled again. He stayed out there out of sight and gobbled a few more times. I got more agressive calling to him and he started cutting me off and then his gobbles got louder until I saw him making a bee line straight at me. Now however there was a shallow valley in front of me. I saw him go down the far side into it but he went out of sight in the bottom. It seemed like forever but I finally saw that head peeking over the rim of this side about 35 yards away. I let him get to 30 yards where I had a good shooting lane and pulverized him.

18lbs 2oz, 10 inch beard, left spur 7/8 inch, right spur 1 inch.

[Hunting Jim]

Todd, very nice bird! I like the photo too. Very nicely done. You're very lucky that the hen didn't mess it up. One time in WI. I had a hen come running right to the hen decoy and start to peck away for food. She was only 10 yards away. After about ten minutes of her "real" yelps, I had a Tom coming in from the front and another coming behind me. I was sitting against the corner post of a 4 strand barbed wire fence. These two Toms were coming fast gobbling all the way. The bird coming from the front ran right through the fence and proceeded to fight the other Tom. I couldn't turn around to see the fight due to the hen in front of my left boot. After about 25 seconds, the wires on the fence shook and the Loser came running by. He didn't want anything to do with the hen,he just wanted away. My problem was, do I wait for the Winner, or really mess up the Loser's day? A bird in the hand is better than an unseen one. I got that the Loser. He turned out to be a very old (for a wild bird) With 1 1/4" spurs, a 10 3/4" beard, but weighing only 15lbs. At that time, WI. was collecting data on all the birds killed, They ask if they could have one spur to X-Ray, therefore aging the bird at 5 1/2 yrs. I was told that he might have been one of the first birds planted in WI.

[Todd1700]

LOL! That's too funny.