Ok, here we go....
Of course this hunt was the culmination of a months worth of scouting. Most days I had to get to work by 7:00, on those day it was basically just listening from a distance.
But on the weekends, I'd be up pre-dawn set up in a strategic spots with camera to just watch and film...
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I managed to get some pretty good footage and learn an awful lot about the birds I'd be hunting.
I roosted these birds the evening before opening day and also roosted some in another area.
We decided I'd do like we did last year...I'd hunt this spot on Friday by myself(like I did last year and killed this bird)...
Then, if it looked promising, go back on Sunday with Cade(when he killed his big bird)...
I was set up as the sky was going gray and the birds started hammering!!!
Last year everytime we hunted here the birds flew down toward us and lit in the field...not this time....they all flew out a couple hundred yards away in an overgrown field....I'd wait...I knew(hoped anyway) it was just a matter of time before they'd come looking.
Over the next hour I'd barely hear gobbles in the distance. A hen walked by and came back, but never got close. She hung around, preened, and fed...
Then I heard a double gobble behind me, but without a doubt closer....she went right toward them.
Just before they came out into the field, I saw them at about 125yds. behind and the the east of me...game on!
They took a little convincing...some calling and they could clearly see my decoy spread...a strutting jake in a breeding set up over a hen, and another hen off to the side....but that real hen was over by them.
I really thought they go with her as she walked off....but I guess they liked what they saw and heard....after about 10 mins....they started my way!!!
Once they decided to come, they came fast and were on me in no time!
They both went right to the strutter, but pulled up short of hitting it, and looked to be starting to circle around it.....they went quartering away at about 8-9yds...
After having both birds last year run off out of camera frame to be recovered later....this year I promised myself I'd try to do it right and do all I could to put a bird(or two) down quickly, and hopefully in camera frame.
My chance was before me and I took the 1/4 away shot and put the arrow exactly where I was looking!
I knew it was perfect as he ran off about 20yds. and went down and was dead in seconds....in camera frame!!!!!
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His buddy wouldn't leave...
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Like I said, we'd palnned to hunt this spot again in 2 days, so I'd do all I could not to spook anything and blow the spot...so I just sat and relaxed and watched this gobbler walk off and back, and repeat it several times.
Then this gaggle of crazy jakes showed up...
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Topic: Epic Opening Day Hunt!!! Story and pix pg. 4 (Read 1362 times)
