Post by BillCartwright on Apr 14, 2006 10:50:16 GMT -5
Number 3 for the year went down this morning.
After chomping at the bit for the past 2 days not being able to hunt and knowing I had a good group of toms and jakes pegged, I finally made it back to Illinois this morning. With the Kentucky season opening tomorrow and my Illinois tag expiring I had to make it happen today and I did.
I slipped into an open oak flat where the birds had been roosting in a steep rivine on my past hunt. I slipped in an hour before shooting light, set out a deke and got comfortable. After about 40 minutes the skies began lighting up and I looked toward where the birds had been roosting. Low and behold I had one 70 yards from me. I sat and watched him strut on the limb for the next 30 minutes. He did not gobble once. As the sky lit up more I made out 3 other toms, it was 6am and still no gobbles or hen talk. On Sunday and Tuesday there had been 15-20 hens with these toms but not on this morning. At 6:05 I yelped lightly on my Lost River Game Call Cuttin Hen diaphram. At 6:09 the bird hit the ground, went into full strut at 18 yards. I let him strut toward my deke. He passed behind a big oak and when he cleared the trunk I rolled him with my 835. Hunts off the roost like this don't happen for me all that often.
21lbs 7oz. 10 1/4" beard 1 1/8" needle sharp spurs.
www.westernkentuckyoutdoors.com/images/Turkey/IL_06_1.jpg
www.westernkentuckyoutdoors.com/images/Turkey/roosted_3.jpg
After chomping at the bit for the past 2 days not being able to hunt and knowing I had a good group of toms and jakes pegged, I finally made it back to Illinois this morning. With the Kentucky season opening tomorrow and my Illinois tag expiring I had to make it happen today and I did.
I slipped into an open oak flat where the birds had been roosting in a steep rivine on my past hunt. I slipped in an hour before shooting light, set out a deke and got comfortable. After about 40 minutes the skies began lighting up and I looked toward where the birds had been roosting. Low and behold I had one 70 yards from me. I sat and watched him strut on the limb for the next 30 minutes. He did not gobble once. As the sky lit up more I made out 3 other toms, it was 6am and still no gobbles or hen talk. On Sunday and Tuesday there had been 15-20 hens with these toms but not on this morning. At 6:05 I yelped lightly on my Lost River Game Call Cuttin Hen diaphram. At 6:09 the bird hit the ground, went into full strut at 18 yards. I let him strut toward my deke. He passed behind a big oak and when he cleared the trunk I rolled him with my 835. Hunts off the roost like this don't happen for me all that often.
21lbs 7oz. 10 1/4" beard 1 1/8" needle sharp spurs.
www.westernkentuckyoutdoors.com/images/Turkey/IL_06_1.jpg
www.westernkentuckyoutdoors.com/images/Turkey/roosted_3.jpg
