After a busy day we made it home, threw on our camo and grabbed the shot-gun and decoys. We still had about three hours of hunting time left. We hiked to our hunting spot, threw the camo netting up and decided since this would be the last day to hunt this mesa, we would “hit them hard”. We would do some aggressive calling and try to make it happen.

Hank with his Cane Creek Pro Custom Aluminum and me with my Primos “Ol’ Betsy” Slate we started our run. He would cluck. I would pur. I would cluck and he would cut me off. We chattered and waited and chattered and waited. We didn’t wait as long as we ordinarily would just due to the amount of time we had. We carried on with our concert for a couple of “sets” of calling.

Hank headed to peek over the hill and see if anything was down in the valley. Suddenly I saw him trotting back. He snatched up my decoys and I knew just what to do. Below were two toms headed our way in full strut. In order to cut the distance we would have to double back so they wouldn’t see us and drop off to get a set up further down the hill. We high tailed it and tried to hide ourselves behind the juniper and sage.

I was braced on the side of the hill ready for the two toms to show themselves. We called and they gobbled around the bend. I knew it wouldn’t be long. Then I heard another gobble. This one was from the “wrong” direction. This one seemed to come from above where us. I signaled to Hank and he gave me a signal back of “Yeah. I heard.”

We paused and waited then called again and then multiple gobbles from atop the mesa where we had just been. I looked back again at Hank and gave him a “What the heck?!” look. He gave me the ”Get ready. Here they come!” look. We were amazed because just days before it had been silent in here. There hadn’t been a single hen cluck much less a gobble or in this case multiple gobbles!

I slid my legs down the hill careful not to knock loose any rocks and rolled over to my belly. The gobblers at the top of the hill were coming faster than the two toms below. I hid myself behind the root of the juniper and knew that Hank was going to be “wide open” if the toms came in from the “back door”.

I lay on my belly and looked at him. That is when I saw it. Two blue heads poked over the top of the ridgeline.

With Hank in between me and them, I signaled. TWO. He held still and steady.

I watched as they made their appearance and started down the very trail Hank and I had come down only moments ago. Then I saw MORE. What?! I made BIG eyes at Hank. He could see nothing of what was going on behind him and remained still. I signaled to him. FOUR! His eyes got big and he mouthed “Can you shoot?” I signaled “NO WAY!” He had no idea but the toms came down not five feet behind him. The two first, then the next two and then four jakes. All came right past him.

I figured if I was going to get a shot I was going to have to wait until they not only passed Hank, but also until they passed me. Once they got to Hank’s left side, the tree I was hiding behind would be obstructing the view. I waited patiently and then when the tree hid me from the tom’s view I drew my knees to my chest. The decoys were directly to my right, and I needed to pivot 180 degrees to be facing their direction again. I waited until the tom was just to the decoys then pushed up on my toes, dug in on the steep hill, pivoted and as he heard the pebbles rolling down the hill he stuck his head up and I shot.

With my toes dug in I was still a little off balance. I nearly sent myself rolling down the hill but caught myself as I watched my tom go cascading. He tumbled to the bottom and Hank jumped up to come and give me a high-five. A high-five for me?! I think he deserved one more than I. He remained so still that those gobblers never even looked his direction. Amazing considering his wife was making BIG EYED expressions of excitement his direction and he couldn’t move a hair.

HAHA! What a hunt! It’s always an adventure!

In my Prois hunting gear with my Merriam tom.
12ga. Benelli Super Black Eagle