We have been chasing a big Tom around for the better part of 2 weeks and have seen him from as close as a 100 yards but have never been able to get him into range.
We decided to try no decoys and no calling this morning and just wait at a gatepost between 2 fields we have been seeing him and others in and hope for an ambush.
We wandered in at O'dark:30 this morning and got settled in. We could hear toms gobbling in the swamp like normal and then one came from behind us a ways off. The only thing there is a 400x400 yard tree covered hill "island" and a fence row with 2 or three big trees. We figured it came from the island, but it's near a kilometer away.
A few minutes passed and we heard him gobble from behind us towards the island again - only closer! My buddy peaked over the fence and there he was in the middle of the field at 05:00, 200 yards from us - RIGHT ON! He must have been roosted in one of the big trees on the fence line, because there is no way he could have come from anywhere else in that time frame.
We carefully turned ourselves around and got setup. The poor bugger gobbled and strutted his way right into range
.
Fastest turkey hunt ever. We left the truck at 04:30, legal shooting was at 04:50 and we had a dead tom at 05:09.
It turns out that this was not the big tom we had been seeing, but a good one none the less.
18lbs, 8" beard, 1" spurs.
We decided to try no decoys and no calling this morning and just wait at a gatepost between 2 fields we have been seeing him and others in and hope for an ambush.
We wandered in at O'dark:30 this morning and got settled in. We could hear toms gobbling in the swamp like normal and then one came from behind us a ways off. The only thing there is a 400x400 yard tree covered hill "island" and a fence row with 2 or three big trees. We figured it came from the island, but it's near a kilometer away.
A few minutes passed and we heard him gobble from behind us towards the island again - only closer! My buddy peaked over the fence and there he was in the middle of the field at 05:00, 200 yards from us - RIGHT ON! He must have been roosted in one of the big trees on the fence line, because there is no way he could have come from anywhere else in that time frame.
We carefully turned ourselves around and got setup. The poor bugger gobbled and strutted his way right into range
.Fastest turkey hunt ever. We left the truck at 04:30, legal shooting was at 04:50 and we had a dead tom at 05:09.
It turns out that this was not the big tom we had been seeing, but a good one none the less.
18lbs, 8" beard, 1" spurs.
