# Opening Day Success... HOOKS BABY YEAH!!!



## Benny (Mar 5, 2004)

Sorry I gotta a little crazy with the title but anyway. Had some luck opening day at about 11:15. I didn't get the job done with my bow Like I had wanted to, but I almost did. Just on Thursday (when the wind was blowing with a conviction to knock down all the dead trees) people on the property neighboring where I planned to hunt did a descent sized control burn. I wasn't sure if this was going to effect anything, but it did. When my camera guy and I got to the woods in the morning and listened for the gobbles where we expected them, we heard nothing. We did finally hear them, but they were all the way across a swamp and not on property I have permission to hunt. 
So we went back to my car and I grabbed the insurance program (Remington 870) and we headed to an old deer blind that was in a field facing the birds at a somewhat narrow spot in the swamp. The birds are still pretty far away, probably 400 yards or so, and I could barely hear them as they flew down from the roost.
Two hours go by after they fly down and we haven't heard a peep. I decide at 9:30 we'll move and try some calling else where to try to locate them. Just before I stand up I hear a hen start yelping her head off about halfway into the swamp. Then a gobble behind her. More hens start chatting and more toms start letting loose. Never mind, we're going to stay right here.
We called and sat for another 45 minutes as the birds came closer and closer but never came into view from the swamp, and then finally seemed to fade away to the right of us and headed north. Then it was quite for about 30-45 minutes and i begin to contemplate moving again. Its now 11:00.
The coffee I had earlier was now giving me another instinctual drive other than the one to hunt. I had to pee. I talked to my cam man about our plan to move and once again as we get ready to go a bird lets loose in the swamp in front of us. This time he's close, so close that I am surprised I wasn't busted on my bathroom break. So lets just say that i have never heard so many vocal hens try so hard to keep their boyfriends near, but I knew I was going to have to get really lucky to call old tommy boy away from the real deal if she didn't shut up and give me a chance. 
I must have done it just about right because out he came and once he saw my decoys he popped into full strut and started heading for that jake going after the girls he was hearing. 
Now I had intended to get this thing done with my bow which is why we had slipped into this old shack. However, even though it looked big enough, at the moment of truth I realized I hardly had room to draw!! I finally did though and set a pin staring right up his business end as he strutted in front of the jake. Feeling confident I let one fly. Thwack! .... not a good thwack, my bow slammed the edge of the window as I released the arrow and it went through his fan... a little high. The bird tumbled but recovered and went back into strut!!! went right back after the jake decoy. I scrambled and grabbed the shotgun. Boom! Yeah he's down now, doin' the death dance, which he through a couple back flips into that were pretty good. 
Turns out when we went up to the bird my arrow had hit him and probably would have killed him, there was an entry hole in the middle of his back and it came out through his breast just to the right of his beard! I am completely amazed that he even tried to strut again.

So the Stats:
21-1/2 lbs
right spur: 1-5/16"
left spur: 1-1/2"
beard: 9.5"


















*Big thanks to Natures Echo Call Company!!!*










I did the majority of the calling with one of his slate calls which is not only a work of art but an amazingly effective and good sounding call. If you're in the market for a new call you need to give him a shout. His name on here is Firefighter or you can check out his site www.freewebs.com/naturesechooutdoors "The dog bone" got it done! Thanks again Jason.


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

Congratulations Benny.....awesome bird! 

That's at least two birds that met their demise yesterday thanks to Nature's Echo.....my buddies son took a nice two year old yesterday as well......my Nature's Echo Copper did the job! :coolgleam


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## Henrik for President (Sep 21, 2009)

Nice hunt! Thanks for the pics!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Congrats on a great hunt and bird!


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## jaywkr (Apr 7, 2008)

WOW!! That's a real nice bird.


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## bowhuntr81 (Sep 13, 2007)

Sweet bird!


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## 00Buckshot69 (Dec 30, 2007)

Very Nice,
I got hooked up with a call from Natures Echo I hope it works as good as it sounds.
Bucky


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## MPT (Oct 7, 2004)

Nice bird, great story


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## BWHUNTR (Oct 3, 2008)

Booner! :lol: Great hooks on that bird man!


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Heck of a bird brother! I'm jealous!!!

Congrats


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## Root stumbler (Oct 16, 2007)

Sweet turkey and great story. Thanks!


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## bigrackmack (Aug 10, 2004)

Ya got to love those HOOKS......Nice bird..........Mack


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## crittergitter71 (Feb 9, 2010)

congrats. :coolgleam


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## smoke (Jun 3, 2006)

Very nice limb hanger length hooks! Pretty odd he went right back to struting after the arrow hit. They have a one track mind in the spring, that fo sho! Horny devil the girls just got the best of him. :lol:
Nice bird.
Smoke


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## Benny (Mar 5, 2004)

yeah it was really quite surprising that he tried to strut again I've got it all on video but have to get it digital with the dvr but i will post soon.


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