Just thought I'd share this story of mine from the last day of the season. It didn't turn out like I hoped it would. The morning was fairly uneventful. Heard a couple of gobbles way off to the east of me. About 8 I decided to take a walk to see if the one that gobbled 2 times pretty close to me was in Tornado Alley, food plot that the Tornado went through last year. Sure enough, there was a Tom there. He also had a hen with him. I slipped from one multi-flora rose bush to another but ran out of options and wasn't able to get close enough to squeeze off a shot. Mid-day. Finished mowing the drive and around the pond. It is now noon. The wife and boys are home from church. We're all going to go inside and eat lunch but I thought I'd go out in the drive to listen if I could hear a lonely gobbler call. Sure enough, no more closed the outside garage door and he gobbled. I made a mad dash for the camo coat, bow, diaphragm call, and my release. I was headed to the blind. It is tough to run-n-gun with a bow. Just before I stepped in to the timber I called. Sure enough, they, yes I said they, answered. There are 2 of them. These are the 2 that rule the roost around here. I make it to the blind and call again. "I'm down here boys", I'm thinking. It is no time and they are both right where I first gobbled before I stepped in the timber. We play cat-n-mouse for what seems like forever. My wife calls, they are both strutting and gobbling straight south me on the edge of the timber/food plot. I'm down in the bottoms about 80 yds from them. They finally get tired of me not answering their beck and call and head east on a trail that was built in the timber by the previous owner and gobbling the whole way. This trail is in the timber approx. 20 yds. They get to an opening, I'm assuming, and stop to continue gobbling. It is really wooly at our place with numerous gooseberry and multi-flora rose patches. I give up this waiting game and get out of the blind. Here goes the run-n-gun nightmare with a bow. It is MUCH easier with a gun. It's pretty darn hard to shoot from your belly with a compound bow. Anyway, here we go. I get moving up the hill from wooly spot to wooly spot. I finally make it within 30 yds of the opening where my wife was watching them strut. I called a few times on the way up the hill and they answered. I called one last time once I made my ambush point. It was quiet with light rain falling when after a few minutes I swore I could hear the spit and drum of a Tom. My worst fear of being out of the blind in blue jeans and a camo coat is the silent one that sneaks up to see what all the noise is. Sure enough, I look down the hill, coming around the corner in the trail and up the hill are the 2 Toms that have been answering. I'm about 30 yds from them when they come in to view. I'm hunkered down as low as I can get behind the gooseberry bushes. I have the bow laid flat with my hand on the release just waiting for them to walk past so I can draw. I'm peeking between the riser and my quiver with my hat pulled down. The lead Tom comes by me at about 15' when he steps in this little gap btw a 4" tree and one of the gooseberry bushes. He looks me right in the eye, then his head disappears back down the hill. I peek through the gooseberry bushes. Gigs up. They start to putt not knowing what is wrong but something is definitely wrong to them. They start walking, heads up, down the hill. I can tell since their heads are up they weren't sure what they had seen but it wasn't right. I start to draw behind the gooseberry and stand up. They are at 15' yds now moving away. I come to full draw on the one to the right. Now it is serious, they are running, I need a shotgun, oh well. They win.
I really enjoyed reading that. A good hunting story doesn't always have to end with an arrow being released.
It's hunting.... Not killing. Good read. That's the fun of it all. The "game" and being out there. What state are you in? I have to wait until this weekend to go again. Darn work always getting in the way.
Oh. Just so you know how special you are......... you are the only one. The rest of us never have that happen!
I only counted the last 5 minutes of the last day..................................... don't you just hate it when they run the score up????!!!!
No kidding! To add insult to injury, I was showing the wife and boys where it all went south. Guess what, they were going to roost early tonight, I'm guessing the less than desirable weather, within 50 yds of where I had the ground blind set up. They haven't roosted on our place since opening weekend.
