Another Longbeard Afternoon

Fred and I returned to the stand area where the Super Gobbler was yesterday afternoon. Today we moved the Primos Dark Horse ground blind into a group of cedars where we could see Super Gobbler’s hill, in hopes he showed up there again. I set up on the right side of the blind. We waited a couple of hours before anything happened.

First to show, was a bearded hen, in front of us. Nice and close, 15 yards.

Twenty minutes later our second visitor came up from behind us on the right side. Again, nice and close. I drew right away.

The gobbler was on a mission and it didn’t involve stopping or getting himself in a clear place. So I didn’t get a shot off.

Soon a nice Jake came past us from the front. Even closer than the hen had been. I passed him up.

So, before long a Jake and an hen walked past us in the brush to our front. They were 35 yards on my Nikon rangefinder. They zig zagged around and soon they were between 20 and 25 yards away.

Somethings you see something or have some warning when something happens. Sometimes you blink and, bingo, it’s a whole new deal. This was one of those whole new deal things.

A Longbeard popped out of the brush to our right and made straight for the hen and Jake. I pulled the FireBall back to full draw and got my top pin on him.

He slowed down, just as a small personal disaster happened. My bow sticks bow holder bumped against the side of the blind and my pin and the gobbler came together. I knew better than to shoot with the blind’s wall pushing against my shooting rig so I scrunched back in my seat to get more bow room.

I got my pin back on the gobbler’s vitals and pulled the trigger on my release.

My arrow hit just in front of the gobbler’s feet. He reacted instantly.

Up, up and away. The gobbler, Jake and hen all went airborne. This part of the hunt came on fast … and finished even faster.

Fred took my pic. I guess this is how I look when I’m surprised, dazed and confused.

But there was no time to think things over. A gobble rang out from across the creek. It was Fred’s turn now, so he slid me the video camera and picked up his slate call.

CONTINUED…

NOTE: Fred Lutger and I are the guests of Big Johnson Outfitters near Snyder, Texas. Big Johnson Outfitters offers bowhunts and rifle hunts for wild turkey and wild hogs. And they have trophy buck hunts as well as management buck hunts. For Information Contact: Big Johnson Outfitters at 903-388-5218 or bigjohnsonourfitters@gmail.com. Their web site is at www.BigJohnsonOutfitters.com.