encorepistol
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Got my second bird yesterday after 2 hard weeks of hunting this bird nearly every day. We hunt on private propperty that has seen a lot of trespassers this year and really played havoc with the birds along with the property being logged up until the start of season. To add to the frustration some lowlife stole one of my homebrew digital ir gamecams which really has put me on a mission to make an example of the next person caught on the propperty. Anyway I have been after this bird since the start of the second week here in MO and actually got a shot at him last Sat. but for some reason the shot didn't kill him, it was only 40 yards and my pattern at that distance is lethal but not this time. I decided it was up to me to hunt him till the end figuring he might not survive taking such a hit and I persued him everyday before work and listened to his every move. he would roost on the other side of the road most of the week which I can't hunt and another fellow hunted him over there, I know it is the same bird as he has a verry destinctive gobble kind of sounds like a jake. Well I liostened to the guy from a couple hundred yards call to him repeatedly and verry loud so I knew he would never see this bird to get the shot so I just stayed patient waiting for the bird to move back to the side of the road I hunt. Friday the 7th he was back over but time did not allow me to hunt him long before work so I left him be and returned that evening to put him to bed but once again he was across the road. Sat the 8th I woke with not much expectations and figured with only 2 days left my chance would not come again. I set up in a cedar thicket that had been clearcut by the loggers and used as a staging area and waited for light and hopes of a close gobble. Daylight approached and gobbles started but the closest was across the road so I decided to try to call him across the county road with fences on both sides. The birds pitched down from the tree and did their normal routine going down the fenceline away from me about 200 yards while I just did some really soft yelps and purrs. After about a half hour a gobble seemed to be getting closer so I purred louder and aggressively and befor you know it he was on my side of the road but they stayed in the bottom and would not come up the ridge. A little while passed with a few gobbles then they started away from me again but this time I had a good idea where they were headed so I made a mad dash down the field edge to get in front of them but they were actually still ahead of me so I had to move even father than I wanted and hope they would happen by. I took my vest off and left my calls and proceded to a tree that would give me ample cover and started the wait. The entire time they would gobble and at this time were no more than 50 yards from me but hung up where I could not see them. At this time I use a trick that has helped me score several birds in the past, I learned to use my voice to call when I was verry young and it allows me to call verrry quietly. These birds have heard every kind of call except for something on the quiet side, a couple of soft yelps and purrs and they were making their way to me now. I could hear foot steps but still could not see them then there was one then the other. The second of the 2 was the one I was after and after getting him in the scope I squeezed the trigger at 30 yards and down he went. I have never been so relieved in my life to see I finally caught up with this old boy as he was probably the smartest bird I ever hunted in my life. I tagged him and took him to the check station where he only weighed in at 16 pound which really surprised me with him having 1" spurs and an 11" beard that was really thick. He is the lightest bird I have killed but I think the shot the week before and the stress of the mating season was the culprit either way he is still a great trophy to me and he tasted just as good as the others. Here is a pic of him and I'm sorry for the long post and lack of paragraphs but I'm no writer.
