EWINGS GOBBLER...

[netman9]

Started the morning with an early 5am wake-up getting everything in truck including Ewing for his first youth turkey and brother Wyatt. The boys are wondering why Buzz is so late. Buzz is our close friend who has a gift for turkey talk and had troubles on his drive this morning. He was messing with mouth calls with one new and one old faithful when he dropped old faithful and it fell in the steering column behind dash. He pulls in the drive with the first hint of light in the far sky with bifocals requesting a flash light saying "I've got troubles". A few more minutes and we're on our way.

Boys are out of the truck and eager about the morning making a quick hike out of the old logging road covered in briars to the top of the ridge. We are greeted with the first sign of spring foliage on the NE side of the ridge to make for an awesome morning hunt with almost full light. We pause to listen for the sound turkey hunters love to hear at this moment. In the distance we heard a gobble... then another... and another. Not sure how many but a tree had some sagging branches over night with all the Toms on roost. We figured our setup and sat down to begin the work of drawing one in.

After many gobbles the birds were off roost and all was quiet again. This is where Buzz works his gift understanding when and what to call to keep the interest of the birds. Only problem was the Toms were tired of gobbleing and stay quiet. Finally a gobble coming from below and off to the right made for the perfect setup... then the Tom stayed low and continued to our left leaving Buzz to make a move from our left to right behind us leaving Wyatt in an old tree stump.

Ewing quietly says I see him and I look and look, Ewing again quietly says I see him and his beard. I finally locate the bird heading up the ridge on our left and within 10 yds of Wyatt (with his 20ga) in the stump in full strut. Now Wyatt knew this was Ewing's morning and sat still allowing the Tom to continue his display only not to our decoy hidden by a blowdown. The Tom made his way out of site not giving us a clue to where he was headed when another distant gobble came from high and to our right closing the distance with a second gobble.

Now we are completly out of possition with decoy behind us and buzz between the gobbler and us. Wow! What a morning as I spot the Tom 150 yards out in full strut but having nothing to do with us. The two birds have left us and all is quiet leaving us to hit the crow call as a last resort with no responce.

Ewing has been a great hunter absorbing all that has taken place in the first 2 hours of daylight wondering what next? We gather and head back to the top of the ridge pausing for a few minutes before making a soft call. Before we could get the call out we hear a close gobble just out the ridge top.

Backing up and getting tucked in place we give a few soft yelps and again no responce. Ok, we will play the quiet game and just scratch the leaves occationally to tease him in. Soon we hear the russel of the leaves growing closer when he shows himself at 40 yards and moving from our right to left to make for a great shot opprotunity. Ewing was ready with his little Moss. Super Bantam Youth 20ga on his knee. At 30 yards I gave him the ok to shoot and he squeezed the trigger and the long beard dropped in his track giving me the chance to close the distance to make sure he didn't leave.

What a way to finish chapter 3 of our three boys gobbler hunts over the last 5 years! Ewing has out done his brothers taking his bird on his first hunt at age 8.

After a few pictures we are off to home where we meet his oldest brother and mother waiting to hear about and see this beautiful bird. We don't take much of a break before heading out for a little trout fishing. Graves Mountain Lodge host the Herritage Day event each year giving kids a try at fishing for trout in a natural trout stream without pressure from adults.This is where Ewing takes the time to visit the guy at a booth educating kids about turkey and where he got his face mask. This was a big story for such a little guy to come and tell of his morning hunt using the mask he recieved from the previous year. Ewing was given a new hat and a choice of framed gobblers displaying thier feathers and recieved with great pride.

To add to the day I had a text come in while cleaning trout from my brother who was sending pictures of his daughters afternoon gobbler bragging as dads can do. Sue's topped hte scales at 23#, 8" beard and 1 1/8 spurs while Ewing's bird hit the scales at 20# with a 9" beard and 3/4" spurs.

What a day!!!

[WAHOONBOX]

EXCELLENT SUNDAY MORNING READ BEFORE I HEAD DOWN TO THE BOAT!


CONGRATS TO THE JR HUNTER!

[NY Bearhunter]

NOW THATS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT...