This weekend was my only chance to hunt turkey this spring. Got out in the woods Saturday before daylight and hiked to my usual starting point on top of a ridge where I can hear a good distance. Wasn't long after daylight when a distant gobble beckoned me to investigate. On top of the third ridge over, he was still gobbling every two or three minutes. I snuck in as close as I was comfortable getting and started calling. This got him really fired up and he started coming closer. Just as I was expecting him to come into view, his gobbles indicated he was not coming to me but was traveling another direction now. I figured he was with some hens and was reluctant to leave them. Hoping the hens would eventually nest up, I started to follow them through the timber, using his gobbles to guess the distance and tried to stay close, but still out of sight. Followed them for better than a 1/2 mile while his regular gobbling gave me confidence in their location and my positioning. Finally they seemed to stop moving and I thought now would be a good time to get the decoys set up and do some excited calling to try and talk him away from the hens. Before I got the second decoy out of my pack, through the timber I spotted a tom puffing up to full strut. What a beautiful sight. Then a second tom appeared behind the first, both cutting loose each time I called. I don't believe these were in the "assumed" group that I had been following, but had just happened upon them near the other birds. These guys were at 100 yards or more when I spotted them through the timber, and they had my position pinpointed and were making a bee line right to me. I had no time to get myself in a good position and only had one good lane through which to shoot. The birds did not disappoint and appeared in my opening, only farther away than I would have liked. Guessed the range at 50 yards and thought of the 3 1/2" 10ga. shell that had never let me down in the past. Right or wrong, I dropped the hammer on the second bird. He floppped, jumped up and took off through the brush. I followed in hot pursuit, but by the time I spotted him again he was already down, this time for good.

Sorry, no pics. Forgot the camera. He had a 9 3/4" beard and spurs just over one inch. Made for a great hunt and good mothers day supper. :)

Good story, Ted - glad you got your bird!

No turkey hunting for me this spring - busted up my running gears and have a date with the doctor next week.

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? :D

Sorry to hear about that kdub. Hope the doc can get you up and running soon.

Congrats Ted! 9"+ bird is a good one; beat my little guy this spring all to heck! But they're all exciting, even when you don't get one. Thx for the story.