First one down

[noodle one]

Up and out the door that 4:20 am. Parked the truck and heading in the woods at 4:45 am. I knew right where I was going and it was a hike. Up the side of the mountain across the top and down to the first ridge . A good one half hour hike in the dark. I carry a small light ,so I don't poke an eye out. The first part of the hike is across a flat and up the side of the mountain of mixed hemlock and hard woods, very dark. The top opens up to big hard woods. Just as I reached the top the song birds were waking up and I could tell it was going to be a beautiful morning and a great day to be in the turkey woods. The top of the mountain looks like someone has been running around with a rake with nothing better to do than just keep on raking spots all over the place. I cross the top and drop down the far side to were I want to be. 5:20 am, I sat down and was thinking what a beautiful morning, when a thurderous gobble comes from a big hemlock 80 yards in front me. I knew he was going to be there because I have been hunting this area everyday for the last week. Everyday I have worked turkeys that would gobble at me and then walk away. I had some that would come in 50 or 60 yards looking up through the  big open woods looking the hen that was calling for them. My decoy was not doing the trick.  This morning was going to be different, I was going to bring the hammer down. I gave him a very soft tree call . There was no response from him and I know that he had to hear me. About two mins. later came another gobble, this time I gave him some soft clucks and still there no answering gobble.  :-[  I am thinking that he has to know that a love sick hen is sitting over here waiting on him. I decided that I would just sit there and wait him out. This went for about 20 mins. with him gobbling every two mins.This is the first morning that he was gobbling this much in his roost tree. I was thinking that maybe most of or all his hens have left him to have him gobbling this way. It was going to be a waiting game. After 20 mins. I hear a hen down below him . He gave one more gobble and out of the tree and down the hill he went. I gave a call and got no answer back ,nothing. I sat there for a half hour making no calls, just scratching the leaves every now and then. After doing this a half a hour I made some very soft purres and clucks. After doing this solf calling and scratching for ten mins. the hen answer me. I said to myself that here they come and got set. I waited for a half an hour and nothing showed ??? . I gave some louds yelps and no answers. They must have moved off. I decided move to on to another place and come back later. This other place was a long walk and I knew it would take me a good hour to walk over to there. I also knew that there are some good woods roads to walk and call. All this land is controled by the club that I belong to (1400 acres) and I wouldn't have to worry about walking and calling. It was about 8:30 am when I got to were I wanted to hunt and found some sign , not as much as the other spot ,but fresh. I had been walking the woods roads for a hour and a half with no answers. I was thinking about heading back to my starting spot and sat down to take a five min. break before heading back. It was now 10:00 am and hoping that the gobbler would be back looking the hen. I sat there having a smoke and thinking about giving one more run of loud yelps. I had no sooner started when a gobbler cut me off and he was close. No time to set up my decoy , no time for anything but to get my gun readly and make another call.He cut me off again and the next I see is a fan coming at me about 50 yards out. He was putting on a show for the hen or was it me, all way in. At 35 yards I gave him a putt and up came his head and it was all over. (10" beard and 3/4" spurs) I would say a two year out bird . After all my planning for the first bird that walked away and turning around in two mins. and taking one this way. You never know when a hot bird is going to show up. This is my first bird for this year and I have another tag and that other bird to work with and hopfully some more beautiful morning in the turkey woods. It was a long walk back to my truck, but well worth it and it makes for a good story to tell the guys. 

[First-light]

Cool story, you know your woods!

[shenders]

Good for you. All that hard work paid off.

[growalot]

Great Hunt! Congrats

[fasteddie]

Congrats ! And a good story ........

[mkrafty133]

Congrats!!! It's nice when you put in the time you get rewarded.

[skyhunter]

Way to persevere; congrats!

[bkln]

Good story noodle, congrats on the bird. But where are the pics? :-)

[ny hunter]

Great story and better ending.hope you get the other bird looking foward to that story.

[noodle one]

Good story noodle, congrats on the bird. But where are the pics? :-)

I don't take pictures of any of my deer or turkey anymore. I have so many of them ,they all start to look the same anymore. I use to keep the beards and leggs for the spurs, I had so many that I use to find them laying all over garage. now I just give them away or throw them out. I have been very lucky when it comes to hunting, that I can not give you a number of the deer and or turkeys at I have taken, but believe me if I don't take another one, I have gotten my share.