It wasn't just the last day of turkey season for me.

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
It was a LOT more.

It was the LAST day I had a chance to put ANY ink on my big game tags. Zero deer, Zero Bear, and closing in on zero turkeys. The thought of another unblemished big game card sent me on a FURY to put a turkey on there at all costs! I considered one stupid turkey as the difference between a small victory, and complete total agony of defeat. I took a few days off of work, and headed to the club for the last 3 days of the season.

The hunting Gods were lined up against me. I have suffered already this season through a broken pickup, cows tearing down my blind, turkeys watching me reconstruct it at first light, cows doing it again, torrential rains, the river flooding, creeks flooding, the best parts of our lease being permanently changed during ongoing construction, running out of sammiches, a turkey lounger that is so comfortable you fall asleep for an hour, 25 mph winds, forgetting my club keys, forgetting my boots, etc etc. The list goes on. A typical turkey season for me. (ALL of these happened during my 3 day hunt at the end of the season mind you).

So the evening before the LAST day of turkey season (big game season), after hunting 2 hard days with ZERO gobbles or sightings to my name, I pretty much knew it was over. So I decided if I'm going down, I'm going down in FLAMES!!!

I start talking SMACK!! to the other friends staying overnight. I tell them how they can use my ATV tomorrow, or eat my leftovers (RARE!), or hunt my blind, becuase....and I quote...."I'll be done hunting by 8 am". :rolleyes: I predicted how the hens would yelp, and Gobblers would "be on FIRE" in the am!!! I'd have to choose between longbeards. I was going to call as loud as they do on TV, and somewhere in the 800 yard audible radius of my calling, would be some bird dumb enough to HAVE to check out wtf was going on up there in that pasture!

FYI, don't ever predict such things.

I awoke right at the alarm, ate a biscuit, and was dressed and ready EARLY (5:05) for the short drive and 700 yard walk to my probably collapsed blind. But in fact, it was not. It was still standing!! I placed ALL my decoys 30 yards at 12:00 and raised the windows ninja silent. I was in a PRIME spot to hear probably 8-30 different gobblers along the river bottom. So I waited............And waited. And around 6:15, when I KNEW I should hear gobbles and didn't, I hit the owl hoot. Nothing. I knew at that moment, I picked the wrong farm to hunt the last day of turkey season. I decided to purr and putt every 10 minutes or so, hoping to draw something, anything into my guns range.

My setup.

 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
So when I only heard one gobble hundreds of yards away from me, I was a little put off. When 8 or so gobblers didn't pitch off and fly down into my spread, I became a little deflated. When Nothing answered my calls and purrs for over an hour, I became depressed, and when I heard a raoring dog off in the distance work himself in a semi circle which would put him pretty close to me, and later heard what I figured was his angry owner follow his 5 minute previous path screaming at the top of his lungs the dogs name, which would ALSO put him right into my turkey hunting circumference, I began to become enraged. :mad:

All of my efforts and stealthiness were for naught. I put the gun down finally after 1.5 hours of holding it in the ready position, lifted my head net, and stared to my 3 o clock waiting to see either the dog, or it's heavily lunged owner step into sight and realize they had ruined my last chance. I had gone from complete ninja predawn confidence, to the uncertainty of no audible turkey noises, to boredom of silence, to now anger of the approaching dog or it's owner hundreds of yards away. I started to practice the confrontation that was forthcoming. I would allow it to get physical. They have ruined my last turkey morning of the year. The dog would get a pass. It's owner, not so much.

I continued my putts and purrs but my mind was now focused on something completely opposite from just 10 minutes earlier. I wanted to find and confront this intruder and let him know in a very vivid was that my very expensive tag soup was in fact largely he and his dog's fault.

After 2 hours in the blind, even though I was now hunting a dog and it's owner, habit forced me to scan the 3 open windows. 12:00 nothing. 9 o clock.....14 yards......a hen!!! :eek: OMG, I wasn't ready for this. Gun leaning, no head net, face widely visible!!! So I, as any hunter would do,......squinted......if she can't see my eyes, she can't see me. ;):D

I relaxed, because it was......just a hen........but behind her, came a second hen......feeding from my 9 o clock to my noon (10 o clock to 1 o clock was blocked by a HUGE tree I tied my blind to). Behind the second hen a third, and it literally hit me, they are in a group, they are protected, you know whats coming. The lead hen lifted her head as if staring into my blind and seeing my unprotected face about to alert all the turkeys there is a hunter there. But she then twisted her hear, saw my decoys, and continued feeding towards their direction. One, two, three hens into my vision. And then, with my face uncovered, and my gun leaning, a HUGE red head dragging a LONG beard appeared following the hens.

I went from bored and angry, heart rate of a librarian,.......................to terrified and panicked, heart rate of a fighter pilot about to eject, in the span of say, 4 seconds.
 
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NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
I knew the moment I saw him he was the big boy of the area. He was only 15 yards away. 3 hens in front of him. ONLY I, ncst8guy, could screw this up lol. I realized with the hens feeding into my decoys (2 hens 1 jake) the opportunity for some great footage (IF they ALL cleared the tree, behind which they might freak out and run) might present itself.

With the tactacam on my gun barrel, and the birds behind the one blind spot we shared together, i quickly grabbed the gun, dropped my facenet, hit the camera button, and decided. FORGET filming!!! SHOOT THE TURKEY!!!!

I barely hit the record button (didn't care) and even though he was walking into my spread of 2 hens and one jake, and was MAYBE about to put on a lovely show of dominance,......the SECOND I dialed in, I decided to interfere with his plans. To heck with the filming, to heck with letting him strut. Last day, no tags, red head, 14 yards. What does one do?
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
Wait for the right moment to get good video? Let him strut up to the jake decoy and flog it some?


NOPE!!!


[video=youtube;jgYQvZac-8M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgYQvZac-8M&feature=youtu.be[/video]
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
I decided a second finishing shot would be more humane than neck stomping. I did NOT know the second shot would blast my camera off the gun!!!

In a matter of seconds my emotions went from one extreme to another. And I had my best bird ever on the ground. When I flippedhim over and saw the spurs, I knew he was a goodun!!

1.5+ inch spur, 11+ inch beard.

Craziest part?

I pulled the trigger at EXACTLY 7:59 am!!!!! :D

The Lord I believe, intervened. :cool:


 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
Congrats! ... and thanks for a good story.

I have an unblemished tag this year, but I'm OK with it.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Congrats. That's why you grind it out - because your season can change in seconds.
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Congrats St8! Nicely done, and good story!

Y'all remember that '80s movie by Tom Cruise called "All the Right Moves". My closing day was the sequel to that called, "All the Wrong Moves".
 

KTMan

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Congrats on bird.

What kind of turkey lounger you got that you can sleep in because so comfortable?
 

NCST8GUY

Frozen H20 Guy
The story was MUCH shorter originally last night, but it took SO LONG to upload the pics to Photobucket, I just kept on typing. I'll post spur pics tonight after finishing yard work.

 
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