Nice morning for a walk in the woods.

[petey]

Looks like someone already missed this bird this season (check out the hole in the top of the fan). Thick 9.5” beard, 1” & 1 1/16” spurs. I didn’t weigh it, but it felt like your typical local 18# bird.

Not my biggest but a solid 3 possibly 4 year old. I've had several opportunities at jakes and bearded hens last week, plus I've been running into so many other hunters in the woods. Story...
I didn't get to hunt Monday, but yesterday I headed for some compnay ground behind gated roads to get away from all the other hunters. After getting where I wanted to be and waiting 30 mins right at daylight here comes a couple guys stomping down our gated "KEEP OUT" road. That made me mad, so this morning I picked a spot I haven't been to this year but is one of my old honey holes. It does get the pressure, but I figured mid-week and if I get in there early, I'll have it to myself.

I got to where I wanted to be by 5:00 am, no other vehicles. Perfect. I have about 500 yards to walk and I take it slow, watching for dark objects in the trees. About 5:30 I'm all set up and I hear a vehicle coming down the road towards my truck..."just great" I think to myself. Thankfully the person had enough respect once he saw my truck he turned and left. About 10 till 6 a bird gobbles not more than 80-100 yards from me. From hunting this area over the years, I know exactly where he's roosted and probably what he's going to do. He's off a ridgeline and he should just pitch onto the bench I'm sitting on and come right on over right?? ha ha. Well knowing that this bird has been pressured, I only give him a couple clucks and one small series of tree yelps just to let him know where I am. He flys out EARLY compared to any other bird I've been hunting this year. The next time I hear him gobble he's 200 yards away on the ground, heading away from me. Man that sucker flew down the hill...I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have even called to him in the tree at all. (Figuring everyone else has probably been hammering him in the tree) I start clling and the next time he gobbles, he's almost out of hearing distance.."He's heading away!!" I jump up and run down to where he was roosted and call. He gobbles about 150 yards away. I have about 20 more yards to get to the edge of the hill so I can see down over and I need to get there quick...I get about 5 yards to the edge easing my way down and I hear him spit and drum. "Man He's close, gotta be about 50 yards away
I think to myself. I can hear him as he goes into strut, but I can't see him. Finally I pinpoint the sound and the next time he goes into strut I can see the top of his tail feathers. "Is he in range?" I think.. I give him a couple clucks and he gobbles and goes into strut. "Man he's close, yup he's in range" That time I saw the top of his fan right beside a tree at about 40 yards. Thats about the end of my rope, or as far as I like to shoot them, even though my gun will do better. I need about 1 foot of height and I would be able to see him on the side of this hill. I figure I'll make him gobble once more, pop up and give him a breakfest of #6's. So I call once more he gobbles, up I pop...there he is head still out, right at 40 yards...BANG...that's all she wrote.

Key notes on this hunt: Woodsmanship more so than calling helped me kill this high pressured, old bird. 1. Once I figured he was moving away I ran to the exact spot he was roosted. I often see hens running right to the tree gobblers are in before the pitch down. 2. The bird was hung up at this spot..had I stayed he would have never of come in. 3. The ridge line made it perfect for me to crawl into a spot that got me into gun range without being spotted.

All in all, I'm satisfied. I had a tangle with this bird last season in the same spot and he won. A year later, I won the battle.