Less is more

[roughrider123]

Hit the lot at 4:30am and headed for a spot I heard birds last week. 5:20 hit the crow call and one blows off below me. Move down closer and the bird is on the wrong side of the road, no problem as I set up on the other side 20yds back off the road. As it gets lighter I can see him on the limb 80yds or so out gobbling his head off. I try a couple soft yelps on 2 boxes and no answer, try the pot and he gobbles. I am hiding along side a large tree and peaking around to watch him. I will reset my spot when they come off the limbs. 6:15 fly-down and I quick rotate my seat to his side of the tree. If they come to feed they will be 40yds out. I hear faint clucking and soon a hen pops out of the brush toward me. Then a gobbler blows off and I believe we are in business. 3 toms emerge from brush behind the hen and one starts strutting. Boom Boom time as I take out the struter at 45 paces. Its 6:30 and I have a large jake down. I head back to truck, dropped off the bird and proceeded to round up 3 more jakes and I believe a mature bird I hope to take next week. I did not call once they hit the ground

roughrider out

[Everyday Hunter]

Nice. Congrats.

For me, things were slow this morning, despite the perfect weather. I set up along a field, but heard nothing until about 7:00 AM when some hen yelps came from across the field. I think it was another hunter, and he left around 7:30. At 8:00 I got up and moved, sneaking and speaking as I went. I hiked about a mile and a half, then turned back.

On the way back at about 10:15 I got an answer, and it sounded like an adult bird. So I set up and called two in -- both jakes. They were only 15 yards away at 10:45, but I passed. I got back to my truck at 11:30.

Heard two shots (very far away), one early and one around 9:00. Other than that, very quiet. And I haven't heard of any local successes yet.

Steve

[tex3012]

Good job @roughrider.. congrads on the early bird..
 
@everyday hunter.. i was just wondering why you passed on the jakes ?

[Everyday Hunter]

ORIGINAL: tex3012

@everyday hunter.. i was just wondering why you passed on the jakes?

Sorry I didn't see your question sooner. The answer: I might shoot a jake on the last day, but not the first, or if I had a chance to double. And, I guess so I could make the season last a little longer and get these on May 21 and May 27:




Beard length, 9¾" and 10". Spurs ?" and ¾". They're not monsters, but if these had been shot as jakes, they wouldn't have gotten to 2 years old. Both had been running together. The second one was the dominant breeder. He always gobbled first, followed by the other (until he died), and he had a broken spur and a big callous on his breastbone from breeding.

Steve