1st day Tom Turkey

[skyhunter]

This was my first turkey hunting attempt this year as the season opened in mid week. I went to familiar ground behind my home but hadn’t heard or seen a bird for the better part of the first hour of daylight and I was already getting impatient. While running through thoughts of what to try next and already plotting to hunt another woodlot on Sunday, out of nowhere a loud “gobble” erupted, breaking the morning’s silence. The “Tom” was about 70 yards away when his call rang out and I believe he was searching for the source of turkey vocalizations I had created 10 minutes earlier.

The bird was coming from the back right side of my camouflage blind and he continued to close the distance stopping at 50 yards to my right. It was there that I let out some very soft / low volume clucks and purr sounds by using a slate friction call. When I saw him turn his head in my direction I shut up and put the call down. The gobbler now started to move towards my setup at a fast pace and I scrambled to get ready for a possible shot opportunity. His fast walk became a run as he made his way right across the front of my blind window, passing less than 10 yards away and rushing my decoy setup.

As the “Tom“ went into strut mode at 15 yards standing right among my decoys, I was then able to come to full draw and looked for a good shot. He was puffed up and showing me his rear for a while, and I didn't see a shot angle that I liked. Now having been at full draw for a while, my bow arm started to get shaky, and it was then that the gobbler finally relaxed the strut pose and presented a good angled shot opportunity. I knew I was not as steady as I would like to be but I then decided to take the shot. The lighted nock on the back of the arrow clearly signaled that the broadhead tipped projectile had struck the bird right of center. While the shot was not as well placed as I would have hoped I was able to recover my bird about 40 yards from my blind setup.

This was my first ever first day / first hour successful hunt and it reminds me of a first day deer hunt where my brother had arrowed a buck also in the first hour. All I can say is “you can’t complain about a hunt like that”, and while it most likely will never happen again, having done it once will provide a lasting memory and a story that will certainly be told more than one time.

Edited May 5, 2012 by skyhunter

[ny hunter]

Way to go congrats......

[Cabin Fever]

Very Nice! I would love to take one with a bow!

[landtracdeerhunter]

Wow, with a bow, great job.

[growalot]

Congrats!...you can't beat that for the memory books and a nice bird!

[NFA-ADK]

Congrats! Great job for your first turkey hunt of the year, NICE!!!

[Deerthug]

Congrats on first Tom with a bow no less.

[Salmon_Run]

Great job !

[WNYBuckHunter]

Congrats!

[Fantail]

Slammin` - good read

[skyhunter]

thanks all, that hunt happened so fast almost like watching an edited TV show, and though we sometimes wonder why that kinda stuff never happens to us, this time it actually did for me. I'm gonna have to be patient in the future as this one might have spoiled me.

Edited May 8, 2012 by skyhunter