Been going back and forth with this old boy for over a week. He rooted in the head of a bottom that had a nice clover field on top. Heard him gobble from the roost several times since opening day but he would never come to my calls and only entered the field sporadically. My tracking cameras showed him there on days I hunted elsewhere or didn't hunt so I told my wife I was gonna lock in on that field and hunt there until I got him or season ended. Yesterday morning I sat up before dawn and he began gobbling at sunrise. He was not firing off quickly even to my calls but just letting everyone know he was there. He gobbled about 3 times after fly down and began to walk down the bottom as was his routine. I figured he was henned up but still gave him a few light cutts and yelps. As he seemed to get further away I decided to just go quiet. After a few minutes he gobbled again and I thought he sounded much closer but I just continued to wait. About 10 minutes later he popped up on field edge about 45 yards away. He as eyeing my decoy and went into half strut. I had an awkward shooting angle (of course) so I was going to wait. He wouldn't move an inch and then he gobbled hard at the decoy. Fearing he was suspicious I took the shot. To my dismay, I missed, and he began running across the field parallel to my left. I swung the 20 gauge on him and shot again. The load of #9 TSS caught up to him at 52 yards and he rolled up without a flop. Standing over him I almost regret not being able to hunt him again. He was certainly a cagey old bird and I must have just caught him on a morning without his hens close by. Many memories made on this bird and very impressed with the performance of my gun and load. 21 pounds, 9 @3/4 inch beard, both spurs 1 @ 1/4 inches.
