I went out the weekend before Mother's Day. I had a feeling it might work out when I could hear him gobbling on the roost at yotes yappin pretty close by. When it got close to fly down time I started lightly calling every 15 to 20 minutes. Just a 5 note yelp and clucks. He answered the whole way in so it didn't take him long. Once he sounded like he was a 100 yards or so I purred a bit. He came into the hen decoy with some swagger and putting on a show. Was turning completely sideways but managing to keep his fan facing directly at the deke. When Rosie, my pudelpointer, heard him gobbling she started shaking like a leaf. Tom fever LOL! He has some pretty serious hooks, a bit over 1 1/4". He worked a lot better than any gobbler I've hunted on this place over the last 6 years. Normally they're quiet off the roost, but he was fired up. I have had a lot better luck later in the season. I suppose lots of his hens were broke up nesting so it was easier to talk him into it.

Good old bird congrats. If I went most of the season without killing my limit I never worried about it the last 2 weeks were generally easy to get a bird or 4.

Nice old bird!

Beautiful old gobbler, sounds like a fine hunt