Called in a double beard today!!

[RutnNStrutn]

I took my girlfriend out this morning for a turkey hunt at our favorite WMA.  It was windy and we only heard 2 gobbles at first light. So throughout the morning, I would float out some yelps, clucks and purrs when the wind laid down for a few moments.  Around 08:30 Flhuntress had to go to the bathroom, so she handed me the gun and was fixing to take care of business.  I told her to hold on while I checked the area with my binoculars.  I quickly spotted a strutting tom about 100 yards away headed in to our dekes.  We had a good hide, so I eased the gun back to her and she slowly raised it when he went behind a palmetto clump.  A few clucks later he had closed the gap by over half. 
The wind was doing a number on the dekes, and their movements weren't very natural.  The gobbler repeatedly stopped, raised his head to survey the scene, and then slowly continued in.  Finally he was near a tree that I had laser ranged at 45 yards.  I told her to take the shot if she had it.  He finally eased out from behind a bush and she made the shot!!
He is her best gobbler to date and her first double beard.  He weighed 18 lb's 11 oz., with a 10-5/8" beard and a 4-1/4" second beard, with a 1-1/16" and 7/8" spurs for a score of 67.8125. 
Here's a pic of her with her gobbler.


Here's a link to the video of the gobbler and the kill shot.  It's not the best video, but you can see it.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/?action=view¤t=P3280057.flv
 

[trkynut54]

Congrats to your girlfriend RnS, and to you, that's one fine bird :thumbs up:

The video doesn't work

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

RutnNStrutn, Tell the young lady congratulations on a fine bird.

[Turkeybuster]

Congrats. to both of you sounds like you had a great hunt good luck and hope to see more pics. soon.

[RutnNStrutn]

I couldn't get the video to work on this forum, so I changed it to a link.

[swpatrkyhunter]

Way to go Rut! Congrats to the both of you. Great bird!

[dewey]

Doh!  I couldn't get the link to work.  Congrats to your girlfriend on a awesome bird!!

[RutnNStrutn]

Dewey, I just checked the link, it works.  Here's a second link to the video of him strutting into the set up.
 
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v476/RutnNStrutn/?action=view¤t=P3280056.flv

[Cut N Run]

Way to go Rutn!  Good for you for alerting the Flhuntress to the bird and props to her for making the shot. Nice bird!
 
Jim

[RutnNStrutn]

Thanks man!!  I'll pass it on to her!