convection fog show

[reeltime]

after letting him walk yesterday I was back again this morning and made a bold move of waling directly under his hens to get to a better position.  The fog was thick and I honestly had little hopes of hearing much gobbling.

 

I got to the area where the hens were probably about 4 am,  took me close to an hour to slowly move 100 yards to my favorite turkey tree, they never moved and I could see the hens with their heads tucked in setting in the beech trees.  I also and most importantly didn't bust any deer.

 

As I eased down on my turkey seat next to one of my favorite large maple trees it was faintly dawning light and the air was heavy with moisture. As darkness gave up its hold to daylight he finally gave away his position and was actually farther out than where he went to roost.  I let him gobble a few times and then gave a few soft clucks and light yelps on the burrville bomber and one of his 4 hens went ballistic yelping and hard cutting.

 

I let things settle down and when I felt it was light enough for him to be comfortable flying down I did a flydown with the wing and right into a series of clucks and yelps on the bomber, He starting double and triple gobbling and was now facing me and the hen was really going ballistic.  I again allowed things to settle down and heard her pitch out in front of me at less than 80 yards.

 

I yelped to her and she answered making him gobble and he was now on the ground but relatively close to his roost tree.  I turned up the heat on the next series and threw in some purr putts on the single reed diaphragm call, he hammered me with a quad gobble and the hen walked away from him.

 

As I scanned the darker woods and the fog blanketed field he finally gobbled again and I knew he was on the logging road where it entered the field.  I clucked to him on the bomber and gave some real soft purr putts and he again quad gobbled and gave his position away as he was now in the field.

 

I was in perfect position and soon saw his snow white head and large barrel shaped body slowly strutting and drumming coming up the field edge closing the distance and looking hard for the hen that was doing the talking.  As he closed the distance and I was able to verify that it was indeed the monarch and not the satellite gobbler  I eased the safety off as he cleared the last obstacle between us and as he stopped and stretched up to look for the hen again I settled the crosshairs on his neck and took the shot.

 

I have shot a lot of birds in all kinds of weather and a good number in about the same conditions as this morning but for the first time this morning I can distinctly remember seeing what I can only describe as a vapor trail of the shot pattern and actually saw the wad hit the gobbler just as he crumpled to the ground.  At 6:20 am the monarch was down and I walked to him with an awkwardly calm feeling.  I was finally able to verify everything I had seen through binoculars and the spotting scope. He lacked in spur length from what I would normally shoot but he more than made up for it with beards,, yup beardS  3 of them. 

21 lbs

1 inch sharp spurs

5.5 , 7, and 11 inch beards.  

 

taken with my grandsons 20 ga.  2.75" federal heavyweight 7's

 

I hate taking pictures of wet gobblers, they rarely ever turn out looking nice.

 

 http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/reeltime/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-05/20160502_065046_zpsgmcofmkm.jpg

 http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/reeltime/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-05/20160502_064945_zpszqplli29.jpg

[maytom]

Awesome trophy for sure.....WTG!!!!

[Huntscreek]

Thanks for sharing, good job

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