This hunt actually started yesterday morning on my 6 th stop. I was just out looking at new spots for next year and happened to hear a bird as far off as I could hear. Once I figured out what direction to head I took off, after covering about 500yds I could tell he was on the next ridge and he was gobbling at a group of crows that were apparently driving him nuts. He was gobbling every 10-15seconds. I made a few call and I honestly don’t think he could hear me because of the crows. Well about the time the crows let up a dog basically bays him and that was the last I heard of him. I was sick but at least I knew there was a bird in the area.
This morning I get to the ridge where the gobbler was at yesterday morning and wait for the woods to come alive. It was a perfect morning except I didn’t hear a single bird anywhere around. I sat till about 7:15 and still nothing. I got up and started my long walk back to my truck. About 100yds from my truck I stopped and looked up at the blue sky and asked if I could please at least hear a bird gobble once so I don’t get skunked on the last day of season. I no more got that out of my mouth and I hear a faint gobble. I couldn’t even tell what direction it was but my little prayer was answered. I smiled, said thanks and gave a big thumbs up to the Man in the sky and continued on to my truck. When I got to my truck the bird gobbled again and I could tell the direction this time which meant he was a little closer. He gobbles again and I decide I’ve got to give him a try so off I go. I cover about 500yds and stop and listen and I hear him again so I cover another 100yds or so and now I’m once again one ridge away.
I set down and make a light call and he gobbles. I see a hen moving from right to left and I can now see him and another bird strutting on the top of the ridge about 175yds away. After about 30min of calling another hen starts my way and she’s bringing them with her strutting drumming and gobbling. They move out of view to my left about 125yds away but I can still hear drumming and I just wait and wait. And then to my right I see a head, it’s a satellite bird and he walks by me at about 35yds but I didn’t want to move because he was in a lot better positon to get away if I moved so I let him walk off to the right and my heart just sunk, I had missed my chance. Well he goes up on the ridge and gobbles at my calls and the other two birds come back into view strutting straight towards him and then you can hear them fighting. I said ok I can play that to so I pulled out my gobble tube and gobbled once and they gobbled but farther away. I called and gobbled and they gobbled but farther away, typical MS public land birds. I sat for a little while and then made a move, I moved up on the ridge where they had been strutting and fighting, the big pines merged with some big open hardwoods. I set up on a big oak tree and got ready, I hit them with my Madhatter 4track, my mouth call and my gobble tube I was like a one man band and was scratching leaves with my feet.
I hear a bird gobble down a ridge to my left and then all of a sudden I don’t know what happened but I almost died. I either sucked down a bug or a huge chuck of pollen that was in the air. I start coughing and basically choking but I’m trying not to make any noise and finally I had to let it go. I hacked and dry heaved and had tears streaming down my face, all the while I would gobble every time I could. After I finally got whatever it was out and caught my breath and regained my composure I made another call and a bird gobbles to my left and to my right. The one to the right is closer so I move my gun and get ready. After a few minutes I can see a black spot in the distance , then two spots. It’s the two birds from earlier and they are coming my way. They are moving slightly from right to left and disappear in a small dip on the ridge about 60yds out so I know when they emerge out on the left side of the dip they will be well with my range. I fix my gun to the left of a big oak tree in an opening where the two birds should step out from. They gobble behind the big oak and I get locked into place, then I catch something out of the corner of my eye. I was so fixed on that spot and having my head down on my gun concentrating on my red dot I never saw the gobbler walk out to the right of the tree. He is now standing a mere 4 steps from me looking around, he’s got about a 10” beard, and I never blinked or moved my eyes. I just stayed fixed on my gun. Then the second bird emerges from the dip to the right of the big tree and he’s strutting. Now they are at my 2o’clock and my gun is pointing at 11o’clock so I go from heart beating excitement to controlled panic mode. I stayed calm never moved or blinked and decided when the strutting bird walked behind a small sapling at 10 steps I would attempt to make my move. I figured that if the other bird busted me the stutter would give me enough time to get on him. As he stepped behind the small tree I slowly and smoothly moved my gun over without either bird busting me. He takes a step then starts pecking the grass as he’s walking, of course now I’m a nervous wreck and I put my dot on his head and as I squeeze the trigger he starts to go back into strut and I shot his beard smooth off. At 11 steps my lil 20ga rocked him. There was a beam of sunlight hitting him through the trees and it was like you blew up a pillow. The wad bounced off of him, it was so awesome. The other bird lit in a tree about 30yds off and just looked around. Once he flew off I walked over to my bird and saw that I had shot a little low and that he had no spurs at all. Crazy thing though he had whipped the two other birds just hours before.
I was able to find what was left of his beard and measured out 10” on the strands I found, I remember it being real thick too, before the shot lol.
I knelt down beside him and said my prayer and thanked the Good Lord above for all of his blessings and for allowing me the opportunity to experience and enjoy His most awesome creation. It was a last day bird I will never forget.
What a way to end it! That's a closer you'll never forget though. Congrats man!