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- Nov 19, 2012
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1st season spring turkey in Southern Illinois. A big thunderstorm moved through just before dawn. I took a tarp with me and set up over a small mowed patch on my 12 acre property.
A gobbler was sounding off in his tree about 200 yards away. After he flew down, between rain showers, I called and he would come closer, but not commit to coming all the way in.
After a while, he went silent. about then, the thunder and wind started up again. I was about to get under my tarp, when I heard a putt, and saw a bearded bird through the weeds coming toward my decoy. I moved ever so slightly to bring my 12 gauge flinter up, when the turkey spotted me and flew up. I led it's head a few inches and the flintlock went off nice and fast, even in the wet weather. My bird crashed into a tree and fell to the ground.
I quickly reloaded and walked over to find I had shot a bearded hen! She sported a 5" beard, and I at first thought it was a jake, but since there are dozens and dozens of hens in the area, I didn't feel too bad about taking one.
The hen was really fat and healthy and should be great eating.
2017 spring by okawbow, on Flickr
A gobbler was sounding off in his tree about 200 yards away. After he flew down, between rain showers, I called and he would come closer, but not commit to coming all the way in.
After a while, he went silent. about then, the thunder and wind started up again. I was about to get under my tarp, when I heard a putt, and saw a bearded bird through the weeds coming toward my decoy. I moved ever so slightly to bring my 12 gauge flinter up, when the turkey spotted me and flew up. I led it's head a few inches and the flintlock went off nice and fast, even in the wet weather. My bird crashed into a tree and fell to the ground.
I quickly reloaded and walked over to find I had shot a bearded hen! She sported a 5" beard, and I at first thought it was a jake, but since there are dozens and dozens of hens in the area, I didn't feel too bad about taking one.
The hen was really fat and healthy and should be great eating.
2017 spring by okawbow, on Flickr