SongDoghunter
01-26-2009, 09:41 AM
My neighbor and I called these two birds in several years ago after nearly an hour of calling. When we first heard the birds on the roost, they were at least 3/4 of a mile away. We just could hear them. As we started calling, we could tell the birds were on their way to us as their gobbling increased and became louder. After they got to within 100 yards of us in the woods, they stopped gobbling. We assumed they were still coming but because they could not yet see the field where our decoys were set up, they were in stealth mode. Just as they got tot he edge of the field, they fired up with double and triple gobbling. They both flew accross a ditch at the edge of the field and the dominant bird went into full strut. I called him to within range and nailed him. Rather than moving, I kept calling to the other bird that had gone to my right away from my buddy who was seated about 20 yards to my left. He started gobbling again and came almost 100 yards back to me and went past me to the decoys in front of my buddy. Needless to say, he spanked him and we had ourselves two record book gobblers. Doubles are fairly common in several western states where the population of Merriams and Rios are dense. However, to double on two 4 year old birds around here is pretty amazing. Both of these birds made the NWTF record book at nearly 25lbs each with inch and a half spurs and 11 inch bears.
http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii474/curtispittman/scan1.jpg
http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii474/curtispittman/scan1.jpg