Arrived at the farm around midnight on Tuesday, 31st after a full day working and an 8 hour drive. Grabbed the necessary gear and crashed. Dad advised me that he had only HEARD one bird and had not seen anything but hens. At 5:30 I am on the edge of the "cedar clearing" awating the sun. At 6:15 the woods came alive with thunder chickens from every direction. At 6:50 the first hens flew down, soon followed by two jakes, and started feeding. At 7:05 the big boy arrived and started strutting his stuff, impressing the hens and pushing around the jakes. For the next 2 1/2 hours he gobbled, strutted, gobbled some more and made out like the cock of the walk! He finally presented a shot at 9:45. My Franchi I-12 drew first and last blood! He was 22.5 lbs, 10.25 beard and each spur was 1 1/8.
Bird 2 came on Thursday 2nd:
Weather was moving in and I went to our blind on the edge of the wheat field. On my way in to park I noticed what I thought was the two jakes and a hen wandering around about 80yds away, going into the woods. I backed up and came around another way and booked it across the field to the blind. Got two hen decoys up and jumped in the blind. I hit the slate and one exploded behind me at about 60yds. I figured one fo the jakes was feeling his oats and decided to play with him. I called three more times and he got progressively closer. When the two entered the field I saw that one was a gobbler and not a jake. He was looking at my hen decoy, which was spinning like the Exorcist in the high wind. He looked at her, looked at the woods, looked back at her and looked back at the woods. I wanted to get this on camera and could see he was not in the shot, but it was now or never. I lowered the hammer on him at 30yds. Bird 2 - 19 lbs, 9 1/8 in beard and spurs were 1 in each. Gotta love 2 year olds!
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<message edited by Bowman_No4 on Monday, April 06, 2009 10:08 AM>
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