01/05/2025
Long read but STORY TIME: As our Texas trip wrapped up, the backwoods obsessions team split ways to head home that Sunday around noon. For me personally it was a 17.5 hr drive to get back to South Ga. I planned to drive until sometime around dark and find a hotel for the night and get up the next morning and finish the rest, same as I did on my way to Texas. So I gas up, start driving, and as I’m driving I get the most beautiful sunset you could ask for in my rearview ! Next, to my surprise is a super big pink moon !!!
Not ready to stop yet, I pulled off and topped off on fuel and grabbed a snack and got back on the road. The later it got, the closer I got to that salty coast air ! I looked down and just happened to notice my arrival time if I didn’t stop, would be right around daylight. So I did a little adjustment on my gps to see what time I could be at our hunting club; 5:45 AM. Fast forward, I make it, get dressed and get in the woods. I walk from the gate, maybe 1/4 mile ish down an old railbed up onto a crossroads where the turkeys like to dust in the roads. I had heard a bird there just before season but never got on him once season opened. I wait and listen, not pressuring him to gobble, I’m in no rush at this point.
30 mins after daylight, no gobble so I set up some decoys in the crossroads and set up and did a little light calling on and off for about an hour. Nothing happening and me dozing off sitting against the tree, I decide I’m going to get in my bed ! I’m easing down the road clucking and putting working back toward the car and GOBBLE ! He is maybe 150 yds in front of me, directly beside the parallel running railbed. I get down to about 100 yds and slip off down a thinned pine row, and start clucking and purring and scratching leaves and he gobbles again.
I went quiet and 10 minutes later, I see his head bobbing coming down the road. He gets to 15 yards and comes to Full strut, and as soon as he came out of it I sent one with the 28ga. He hits the ground and jumps back up and I need to get another one in him, but that was my LAST SHELL !!! I jump up to catch him and he takes off flying over some saplings, into a swamp. How in the world did I just shoot this turkey in the CHEST ????
I had my 20 ga in the car, so I ran to town about 5 miles away and grabbed some shells for it and give him about an hour to, hopefully expire. After maybe an hour and a half I ended up walking him up and finishing the job. 🤦♂️🤷♂️😂. I’ll take it any way I can get it !
A young lady here locally wanted to try doing her first mount with it and she just dropped it off to me and it looks AMAZING ! Jill Middleton is her name, if you are interested in getting one done I can get you in touch with her ! Always thankful for the opportunities I get. Thank you god for the great outdoors !!!
