"The Sneakers"
Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:34 am
Long story short... roosted 4 longbeards yesterday afternoon. Birds all down the swamp were gobbling (best I've heard in a while in the evening). They flew up about 100 yards from the hens, over water. I had them, I knew it. Get between the hens and gobblers, this was going to be easy. I got down in the swamp an hour before daylight, setup and waited with high anticipation. At 6:19, a thunderous gobble from deep in the swamp started a chain reaction of gobbling... it was beautiful. The 4 I was banking on gobbled non stop, then flew down... across the swamp from me. The pit in my gut was terrible. One by one, all the hens sailed out of the trees and headed toward the 4 toms that were ripping.
All except 5 hens, they flew down close to me and began looking for me. They'd yelp and kee kee, I would echo their calling. About 5 minutes into this, he roared... 40 yards away... he was close. Actually 2 of them and a jake. They never said a word from the limb and I had no idea they were in the area. They had snuck in and away from the dominate birds and they were now the men of my side of the water. They put on a show for 15 minutes until I felt it was time to end this. Strutting, drumming and gobbling less than 40 yards for 15 minutes... what a morning. What a great day that the Lord hath made!
Laid to rest @ 7:33.
All except 5 hens, they flew down close to me and began looking for me. They'd yelp and kee kee, I would echo their calling. About 5 minutes into this, he roared... 40 yards away... he was close. Actually 2 of them and a jake. They never said a word from the limb and I had no idea they were in the area. They had snuck in and away from the dominate birds and they were now the men of my side of the water. They put on a show for 15 minutes until I felt it was time to end this. Strutting, drumming and gobbling less than 40 yards for 15 minutes... what a morning. What a great day that the Lord hath made!
Laid to rest @ 7:33.