67galaxie and I hunted together this morning. We went to a produce farm he has access to. Since neither of us has scored yet this year and both wanted to kill one, we split up and hunted separately.

The season ends tomorrow, but today was my last chance. I set up on a small plowed wheat field/food plot (about ten acres). The temperature was in the 50's with low humidity after about three weeks of near summer heat and moisture. I began hearing birds just before 6:00, including one gobbler across the creek from me. Just at daylight, four hens flew from roost on the near side of the creek down into the field in front of me.

The gobbler had stopped talking when he flew down on the other side of the creek, but he responded to my calling, crossed the creek and came in silent. He got by me where it was my best shot and when I saw him he was strutting at my decoy. He was 55 to 60 yards out in the field at that point. Although he continued moving and strutting he kept that distance the whole time. I was using TSS #7's in my single shot 20ga and probably could have rolled him, but I was sure he'd come on in sooner or later. I try never to shoot at a turkey unless he's within 40 yards, and just didn't have the confidence in the TSS to make the longer shot and risk wounding a bird, so I waited. He finally gave up on my decoy because she wouldn't come to him, and he walked off to join the other hens in the field. Something spooked them at the other end of the field and that was the end of my hunt. Skunked for the year!


I thought I had heard 67galaxie shoot but wasn't sure. We'd agreed to meet at ten o'clock and he showed up with a really nice gobbler. Pix are below and I'm sure he'll tell the story of his bird...Geo