I’m a north Alabama boy but the last few years I’ve done most of my hunting in Tennessee. The Tennessee season opened up Saturday and I hit some public land. Gobbling was a little light but I did end up getting on some birds just couldn’t make it happen. Being the opening day of season, it was crawling with people which made it harder.

I decided to hit a small private farm I can hunt in Giles county Tn. This place used to be infested with birds but the last few years the population seems to have declined some. Since it is 10 minutes from the house, I decided to give it a try on Sunday to save some gas. I get there early and it was foggy as crap. I ease up to the top of the hill where I think there might be some birds roosting because it is high enough it is usually out of the fog. I listened for a minute…nothing. I owled a couple of times, nothing. This is going to be a bust I thought. One of the cows up top started mooing really loud and that got a bird fired up in the far right corner of the property but I could tell the bird was roosted on the neighbor’s property. He would gobble at the cows every time they would make a sound and I figured out that he wasn’t too far across the line. The only way to get to him was to cross a wide open pasture up top to try and get to a little patch of woods on the edge of our property. There was a chance he could see me, but I thought with as green as the woods are and his location that I might could slip up there without being busted. I got about half way across the pasture and he gobbled again so I knew he hadn’t seen me. I get to the edge of the woods and listen again. The cows start making noise again…no gobble. I listen for a few minutes…nothing. Crap I thought, he must have seen me. I got my slate out and clucked/yelped softly a few times…nothing. I had about decided he must have seen me and was contemplating plan B when I heard him gobble about 75 yards from me just down the hill and he was on the ground. Holy crap, he’s on the ground and coming straight for me. I had no good trees to get by so I just sat down by a little tree probably 8 inches in diameter. He gobbled again probably 50 yards away. I had to get my mask on quickly because he was coming quick and would crest the hill any moment. I put my mask on, got the gun up and about 30 seconds later I hear him spit/drum. He gobbled again at probably 35 yards out and then I see him crest the hill at about 25 yards in full strut. I clucked twice on the diaphragm and he raised his head up and I let him have it. From the time I heard the first gobble to the time I shot was probably a total of 6-7 minutes. It all happened so fast.

He weighed almost 20lbs, had a 10 inch beard but only had ¾ inch spurs. He was just a two year old bird, but it was an awesome hunt. I was back home by 7:30am.

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Nothing wrong with that! Congrats!

Very nice going,congrats!!

congrats!

Congrats!

Flash hunts....you GOTTA love em! Congrats!

Congrats man!

Nice one, Congrats!

Congrats!!