Video to follow later

These suckers have a way going to the exact worse spot possible on their way in. This guy came in completely silent.

A jake...ought to be some tasty meat right there.

Nice jake, looks like the 20ga got it done congrats.

Congrats!

Congratulations!

Very good, congrats

Congrats!

Awesome congratulations!

It's a long story and I am down to time telephone for internet. So here is the story broken down.

We got in place with plenty of time to spare. Birds gobbled before I thought they would. We had a group gobble 5-600 yards away across the fence down the river bottom. They were not roosting where they normally roost, much closer. There was another group to our right by 5-600 yards.

I started calling and never got one on the hook. Cobblers went silent shortly after daylight. Nothing! 30 minutes in started thinking "Run n Gun" time.

I had a thought, felt a presence, maybe heard something, I don't know, but I told my wife we should stay. I told her I think a bird was working us from the river bottom below us.

A big Roman nose doe popped into the clearing to our left. I watched her until she winded us, snorted and bounded off. I tried to stop her with a turkey call, just playing around.

I looked stright again and there the bird was puffed up at 30 yards headed to the decoys. He got behind a small clump of trees and my wife was able to reposition her shooting sticks and weapon in the direction he was headed. We couldn't see he changed directions behind the Mott of trees, went off to our right and came out at 15 yards. He must not have read the script because he was not supposed to do that. He got to 11 yards and I think he spotted the camera.

His body language changed and he was headed out. I whispered shoot him now. Julie is not very practiced at off hand shooting. She had to get the gun off the sticks and turn 90 degrees to her right. She fired and I thought the bird was hit. Reviewing the camera it was a wing that flapped. I couldn't tell with the little viewer. The bird flew up and went down and stopped. I hammered him as I was not chasing a bird through the woods. I will look at the footage at work. I can't tell on the camera.

So we call this one out bird. We will go back and have a different plan for her. It is easy for us old hunters to transition and unjust. I will make it a point to make that easier for her.

Good hunt no matter the outcome. Congrats