Post by Greenedog on May 3, 2010 13:35:00 GMT -5
Hillenbrand FWA is just a couple miles down the road, so even though I'm still seeing birds right around the house here, I decided to give them a break and try some public hunting ground.
Chase and me tried putting one to bed last night but we couldn't get a peep out of anything. I got up early this morning and went to a section where Monty and me worked a bird last year. They're some big old stripper hills and there's an open area where I planned on setting up. I make the long hike through the hills and as I get to the little opening, birds bust off the roost.
I decide to go ahead and setup hoping that more birds are around. I set there as it got light and it was all quiet except for 1 bird gobbling about 500 yards off. After about 45 minutes of listening to him sound off, I decide to move a little closer. I get within about a 100 yards and setup on an old road that's all grown up. He's up on a hill just a gobblin away to anything except my calls. After another hour of listening to him he finally starts my way. I flip on the camera and get my gun ready......but instead of coming down the trail, he just goes down the hill, crosses the trail and goes up another hill, gobbling the whole time. He circles around and is now right in front of me, but I still can't see him. It sounds like he's right on top of me, but I just can't see him. In front of me, on the other side of the trail, is a tall ridge. I'm thinking that any minute now he's coming over that ridge and I'm setting there with the gun ready and the tape rolling. I finally have to shut the camera off because my batteries going dead and my hour tape is almost gone. After almost 2 more hours of listening to this bird gobbling in front of me, but not being able to see it, I decide to go to him. I turn the camera back on and just leave it and I go up the ridge. I'm almost to the top and realize that the bird is not on this ridge, but the next one over. He's still gobblin his head off. I finally get to the top and peek over and there he is, in full strut and facing away! I'm lying on my stomach and when I start to raise the gun up, I start sliding down the hill. I had to reposition, then I was ready to shoot. I wait for him to come out of full strut, put the bead of Chase's Benelli on his head, and squeeze........MISS!!! What the 
! He doesn't know where the shot came from and runs towards me down the hill, he hesitates for a second and I blast him at 20 yards. 
I ranged the first shot and it was 35 yards. I have no idea how I missed. I had never missed until this year and have always used a 20 ga single shot shooting 3" Winchester Supremes #5 shot. This year I've been using Chase's Benelli Nova shooting 3 1/2" Winchester Supreme #5 shot and I've gone 1 for 3 
. I'm going back to the 20 gauge! 
He ended up being my biggest bird ever; 22.5 lbs, and I felt every ounce while carrying him out of those stripper hills.
I'll try to put a video together tonight of the hunt, even though there's no kill shot.
22.5 lbs 10 inch beard 18mm spurs
Chase and me tried putting one to bed last night but we couldn't get a peep out of anything. I got up early this morning and went to a section where Monty and me worked a bird last year. They're some big old stripper hills and there's an open area where I planned on setting up. I make the long hike through the hills and as I get to the little opening, birds bust off the roost.
I decide to go ahead and setup hoping that more birds are around. I set there as it got light and it was all quiet except for 1 bird gobbling about 500 yards off. After about 45 minutes of listening to him sound off, I decide to move a little closer. I get within about a 100 yards and setup on an old road that's all grown up. He's up on a hill just a gobblin away to anything except my calls. After another hour of listening to him he finally starts my way. I flip on the camera and get my gun ready......but instead of coming down the trail, he just goes down the hill, crosses the trail and goes up another hill, gobbling the whole time. He circles around and is now right in front of me, but I still can't see him. It sounds like he's right on top of me, but I just can't see him. In front of me, on the other side of the trail, is a tall ridge. I'm thinking that any minute now he's coming over that ridge and I'm setting there with the gun ready and the tape rolling. I finally have to shut the camera off because my batteries going dead and my hour tape is almost gone. After almost 2 more hours of listening to this bird gobbling in front of me, but not being able to see it, I decide to go to him. I turn the camera back on and just leave it and I go up the ridge. I'm almost to the top and realize that the bird is not on this ridge, but the next one over. He's still gobblin his head off. I finally get to the top and peek over and there he is, in full strut and facing away! I'm lying on my stomach and when I start to raise the gun up, I start sliding down the hill. I had to reposition, then I was ready to shoot. I wait for him to come out of full strut, put the bead of Chase's Benelli on his head, and squeeze........MISS!!! What the 
! He doesn't know where the shot came from and runs towards me down the hill, he hesitates for a second and I blast him at 20 yards. 
I ranged the first shot and it was 35 yards. I have no idea how I missed. I had never missed until this year and have always used a 20 ga single shot shooting 3" Winchester Supremes #5 shot. This year I've been using Chase's Benelli Nova shooting 3 1/2" Winchester Supreme #5 shot and I've gone 1 for 3 
. I'm going back to the 20 gauge! 
He ended up being my biggest bird ever; 22.5 lbs, and I felt every ounce while carrying him out of those stripper hills.
I'll try to put a video together tonight of the hunt, even though there's no kill shot.
22.5 lbs 10 inch beard 18mm spurs
Just another night at work for me and Monty will be back here again bright and early. 