Groundblind

This morning I got up at 4 am and raced down to the spare bedroom to jump into my turkey hunting clothes. I had already loaded all my stuff in the truck the night before. A quick brush of the teeth and a check of the weather and out the door I go. I got to the field that I am hunting right around 5 am. Grabbed my stuff and headed for the spot where I wanted to set my blind. I think I reached the spot and got set up in record time. It almost seemed like I had jogged all the way back on the property I was hunting. Man those Double Bulls set up fast !

I'm sitting there wondering exactly how much rain and wind we were going to get. Then about 5:30 I hear the first gobble and then another and then the chorus kicked in. Hens were raising hell and the Toms were yelling back. Oooh boy these birds are close. Now I'm getting real excited as they were starting in earlier than usual. They yakked and crackled for about an hour and then NOTHING ! I could tell they came off roost and headed DEEPER into the woods. NO !!! Get Back Here.........

Well I just sat tight and figured they will be out. Just wait and be patient. All of a sudden I hear this thunderous CAYAAAAUUKKKKK come from behind me. The sound was so loud and awful that I practically went through the top of my blind like a bottle rocket heading for the moon. I quickly turned around and looked out the window to see what made me just crap my pants. It was this big ugly bird (picture to follow). Now I'm pissed cause this bird won't leave and kept getting closer to my deke. So I opened a window and waved my hand at it. Be Gone With Ya! Get Out of Here ! SCRAM !!!

Shortly after that bird left here come the hens. 1st hen comes out of the woods and heads straight to my deke. I'm thinking good, I like this. Then another and then more and then a TOM. Yes buddy come to papa. NO, they changed direction and headed past me just out of range with the Tom in tow. The Tom was just out of range and I felt better than to take a risky shot at the distance so I just let them go and wait for more turks to leave the woods.

Now it starts to rain and rain pretty good. The wind was gusty but quickly it started to die down. And then I started to see hens all over the place. Just none near me. I see a Tom and 5 hens leave the woods about 700 yards up the hill. They have no intention to head in my direction. Then a lone Tom about 1000 yards away. I call to him very loud. Hey he heard me. He's looking. I see him gobble. He goes the other direction. Damn........

Now I'm starting to get restless cause I have all this action going on around me but everyone is avoiding me like the plague. I know, no shower this morning and I stink. That must be it ! That's the excuse I was going to tell my wife anyway.

Now its about a quarter past 10 am and I hear a Tom gobble way off on the other side of the property that I have permission for. Man he was fired up. Gobble Gobble Gobble. This went on for about 15 minutes. Then I hear Boom. I could tell the shot came from the adjoining property to the east. 15 seconds later I hear Boom again. I'm thinking Ah Oh bad shot. I sure hope he got him on the second shot. Then 5 minutes later I hear another boom from the same area. I'm not sure what exactly is going on over there. But I sure hope they don't shoot all the birds !

Now I am really starting to get discouraged as to how the day is going. But Hey I'm HARD CORE. I'm going to stay here all day long if I have too. But in my mind I'm already planning the next days strategy. I think I'm going to go setup over there, well maybe over there, No maybe over there and I look out the window behind me as I'm doing this and Oh My.... BIRD, Big Bird, another big bird, and another.... 3 Big Birds. TOMS !!! 200 yards away. I immediately turn my seat around, slightly open the window just a hair. Close the windows behind me. Reach down and grab my Cody Woodsman II Glass and my Close Call Tiger Ebony striker and give out a nice little purr and cluck followed by a cute little seductive yelp. Gobble Gobble Gobble. YES !!! I give it another sweet hello.... NO GOBBLE. Those Toms dropped their heads and the race was on. That first one had his track shoes on cause he was moving. I dropped my striker and call to the ground as I barely had time to grab my gun. That Tom didn't stop running the whole way. His beard was long and thick and just swinging from side to side as he ran. I'm thinking come on Big Boy, Birds got a present for ya ! 30 yards out he stops dead cold. Pokes his head up in the air real high to get a good look at my deke. It doesn't get any better than this I'm thinking. PERFECT. Smile for the birdie cause I have my Hi-Viz sight right on ya ! BOOM !!!

Man I will tell you what. Hevi-shot hits like a Mack truck. That stuff came blazing out of my Benelli Nova patterned through a Trulock turkey choke like a cannon. That bird went down hard, I mean real hard. I have never dropped a Tom that hard in my life. No death flop, no jump, no wing flappin, No Nothing, DEAD BIRD !

Yee Haw..... bird has his turk. I walk it off to my Tom, 30 yards. I look at the clock on my cell phone, 11:20 am. I carry him back to the blind and decide to take a few pics. Gathered my stuff together and head for the truck. Man, why does it seem to be a further walk back to the truck when you carrying a 22# turk ? Ahhh, who cares... I got my Tom and I happy as hell.

I'm driving home and call my wife at work to see if she is going home for lunch or if she was going to eat there at the court house. Going home she says. Good, see ya in 20 minutes. I need you to take some pictures of my bird and me. I get home just before she does and start to unload some things from the truck. I laid my Tom on the garage floor and I start to look at him real close. Pretty bird I'm thinking. Nice fan, not so big of spurs, but a big bird. I start to look at his beard as I was going to measure it. I was really impressed with how thick his beard was but then I noticed something. Another beard ! I start thinking Oh I must of hit his beard like I have done in the past and split it to make it look like 2 beards. I look closer and I realize that it wasn't a split beard from being shot but that there was not only 2 beards but 3 beards. The 1st beard was very thick and measured 10 1/4", the 2nd beard was just a tad over 7" and the 3rd beard was a perfect 3". This was a 2 year old bird ! I bet the spurs weren't even an inch long. I took him inside and weighed him on the scale. 22 lbs dead even.

Now I'm on the phone calling my favorite Taxidermist.... Hey Greg ! How much to do a full body mount of a Tom in strut and gobbling at the same time ? What time do you close ? 4 pm.... ok. I'll be right there ! I took the bird to the best Taxidermist there is in my opinion and Greg looked at him and was just awe struck with envy. (He is hunting 1st season too). I said, whacha think ? He says, yep 2 year old, the hell with the spurs, look at those beards. He hangs him from his scales. 22 lbs dead even.

We BS for a while and talk about many different things. I let him check out my Cody Calls and the new strikers and he was just amazed by the ease and sound of the calls. (I'm sure he was on the phone ordering some as soon as I left). Called it a day and headed home. Finished unloading my truck and went inside to down load the pics that I took today. In fact, I'm still have my hunting clothes on. Man what an awesome day. I just love turkey hunting ! Sorry if this story is long but I just couldn't help but share today with you all.

Pictures to follow.........

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That ain't no turkey. Thats that Big Ugly Bird that made me crap my pants !

A couple of hen's. Oh yeah... one of these hens has a beard !

Come here big boy.... No ! Well keep on going then stuck up !

My Tom and the Tools of Trade to bring him home. Benelli Nova blk syn 24", Hi-Viz magnetic sight, Trulock Precision Hunter Turkey Choke, Remington Hevi-shot 3" #6, Cody Woodsman II Glass, Close Calls Tiger Ebony striker and of course my Double Bull Matrix blind.

Bird and his bird ! Can ya tell I'm all giggly inside ?

Hey Wake Up ! You need a shave. 3 Beards...

A closer look at those beards.

Chuck,

Thanks for sending me the Matrix so fast. It has already payed for itself.

Al Clark

Cedar Falls, Iowa

birdhunter88@hotmail.com

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