I got to my camp Fri. early evening and saw that several campers had been taken home, so I called 1 of the guys that had one of them and he told me they were going to burn the pines around the camp ASAP. He then told me that they had burned a section of woods that I had been planning to hunt that next day the week before. I called in 3 birds the second weekend of the season in that area and thought the other two might still be in that area. I sat down after getting my camper put in it's spot and wondered where the birds that were in that section might have gone to when they burned. I thought I had an inkling as to where they might be. I got out to a good listening spot in that area and received the cold shoulder from the gobblers at gobbling time. I eased down an old logging road and set up to do some blind calling. I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. I called for a little bit and got a gobble. It had rained hard the night before and off and on in the AM. I guess the gobblers were a little slow waking up because of the rain. I got him to answer me a couple of times so I thought he might be workable. I eased up the logging road toward the lake to where I thought I was under 100 yards from him and sat down by some youpon bushes. He gobbled a few more times and I heard him fly down. It was then that I heard several more birds fly down also. I figured he was wrapped up with hens. I was right. The hens led him straight away from me. I gathered my stuff and thought I could cut them off so I made a big loop to get in front of him. He would readily gobbler back at me any time I could get within ear shot of him. The hens just kept moving away from me towing him along with them. I made a couple of move on them but I seemed to never be able to get into the right spot at the right time. I thought that they were going to the burned out area that the landowners had burned the week prior. I went back to the camper, it was on the way and made me a sausage biscuit, drank a soda and gave him time to do his thing with the hens. After i finished breakfast I walked across the street to the newly burned area. I set up in an area where the pines stopped and an Oak hammock fell off to the lake. I cold called for a bit when I thought I heard a gobble coming from the burned pines. I gave him just a bit and gave out a couple of yelps and clucks and BAM!!, I definately heard one and much closer this time. I think the time I first struck a gobble from him was 9:15 or so. I worked him to 10 to 15 yrds or so but it was so thick I couldn't shoot him. He was just the next pine row over from me.
He quickly tired of this game and decided to walk off gobbling. He got probably 60 to 70 yards from me and gobbled 4 or 5 times and the next time I heard him he was 150 yrd on down the hill headed for the lake. I cutt at him with a Hook's red call from their Patriot pack. and he cutt me off. He was still interested and I was still in the game. I got him pretty fired up with the mouth call and he started double and triple gobbling. It was at this time that another gobbler fired off with him. Wow, an added bonus he was with another tom. I fogured they were the two gobblers that I saw earlier in the year. I got them uo close again but could just not get them to come out into the open and again didn't get a shot at them and the walked off both gobbling. The would still gobble back at me so I knew that they were still out there. All kind of things were going through my head. Should I stay or should I move on them. Should I try and circle them again. Do the have hens with them, probably not I thought. I got a glass Camp caller from the bag and clucked and yelped on it. Man that wsa the call he wanted to hear all along. He double gobbled, the other gobbler gobbled and they ran right back to the same spot that I couldn't get a shot at them before. I was out of ideas. The walked off again and I gave them the silent treatment. I don't know which one of us it was harder on, me or them. I thought I had messed up when both of the gobbled from 50 yrds or so. I stayed quiet. They gobbled again. I held out and they couldn't stand it. They got to 20 yrds and gobbled for probably 10 min. When it got quiet again, I thought they had walked off, when FINALLY I could see 2 white heads coming out of the pines and into the open area. Time of death 10:38 AM. The shot was a little long for a 20 ga, 41 steps, but I was confident in that I had patterned this gun and knew it had the ability. He dropped straight down, and flopped some but I knew he was finished as I walked to him. He was 17 lbs, 1 1/4" rt spur, 1 3/16" lft spur 10" beard, although 2 strands werte 11". Just a GREAT way to finish the season. In the last picture, does anyone know the correlation between the emotions and the head colors on a tom. This tom had one of the longest snoods and the bluist head of any I have killed. I had a great season and good luck to all that are still hunting and those getting ready.
Rick
