Well... About 6 years ago I decided I Would hunt only with a trad bow. I had lots of ups and downs, but had never taken one with the bow.
This year I felt I was as ready as I could be. My trailcams had 3 or 4 longboards strutting at the edge of a pasture field. This was nearly everyday during the week before season opened on April 15th. I figured they would continue to use this area.
The first day of season was cold, windy and wet. 40 degrees with 15-20 mph winds and light rain. That first day, and nearly every day I got out last week, I called in hens. I couldn’t believe there were no gobblers hanging with them. Finally, last Friday, I heard gobbling a ways off, but on the property. I got excited as two toms started my way, answering every call I made.
At 50 yards, they hung up. Then a hen began cutting. She was on the opposite side of my blind as the toms. This couldn’t be better... I thought. However, one of two hens on my left, went running directly to the toms and led them away. The other hen came in and spent the next 45 minutes with my decoys.
So went Monday of this week. Hens passing by regularly. (I’ve never called in so many hens.)
This morning was my second morning I could hunt this week. It didn’t look good. Overcast and cooler. When I reached the blind it began to rain lightly. It got light very slowly... and not one gobble was heard. It was still quite dim inside the blind at 7am, and it started raining harder. I hit the slate with some tree yelps, figuring with these conditions, they may still be on the roost.
Then a few yelps from the right of the blind alerted me of a close by hen. I purred and yelped softly on my diaphram call. She answered and was closing fast.
Within a couple minutes she appeared to my right... with a Tom in tow! I had to watch him for about 5 minutes as the hen walked back and forth directly in front of my shooting window. When he finally stepped into my shooting spot, I remember worrying that the sound of the rain hitting my my blind. I picked a spot... THE spot... above the leg and just slightly forward. The string slipped out of my fingers and the bird stumbled directly away from me.
I stood up and strained to peer out the very top of the shooting window. I could see him flopping, but he was just over a high spot in the pines that line the pasture field. I grabbed my back up arrow and unzipped the blind’s door. I eased up to the top of the mound and seen that he was still moving. I put another arrow through him to make sure he was anchored. It really wasn’t necessary, but I wanted to make sure this bird didn’t escape.
It was about an 8 yard shot, 10 yard recovery. Then it hit me... I finally got it done!
Topic: Finally broke the turkey jinx! (Read 3778 times)
