Okay, Since swamprabbit wants the details. 
Here's "The rest of the story."
Last weekend I went to my boss's place just north of Sonora to do a little work and some hunting. He's a great guy and lets me hunt his place some.
When I arrived Saturday mid day it was pretty windy so I unpacked and shot a little to feel better about the current conditions.
After SEVERAL blow stalks I was working my way toward the back of his propert, and came up to one of our water troughs. (this is important to how the bird was killed....) There was a large oak to the North of the trough so I sat down under it for a rest and to re-group, after sitting for a few moments I noticed something crawling at my feet. OH MAN- TICKS, and LOTS of them. I bailed from my shady spot only to realize i had an infestation of seed ticks.
So the next 30 minutes was spent picking them off my clothes, me, and my gear. I remembered I was not far from a ground blind we had built on the edge of a dry creek bed and decided that would make a better spot to de-bug.
I made my way to the blind, crawled in and well.. I stripped down to my undies and started picking more ticks off. I really have no idea how many were on me, but after I removed them from my skin I started working over my shirt and pants. (IF any of you have been covered in seed ticks then you will understand the thought), right at this moment I was thinking hard about walking back to the cabin with my clothes shoved into my pack. I was working over my pants and heard the distinct drumming.
Looking through a small window I saw a series of hens making their way down the creekbed. UH-OH, I watched for only a moment and then spotted a gobbler, but they were closing the gap fast. As I started trying to figure out how to make this work the big tom steps into a shooting lane. So I quickly gap my face mask, knock an arrow and ease into a shooting position, but he was now moving away and in a hard angle from the window. I tried the shot but over estimated the distance and shot a cedar tree over his back.
He jumped forward and behind a mesquite, then another tom steps in but closer, without much thought I grabbed a second arrow drew and fired almost before I could realize what all was happening.
the arrow was a little higher then anticipated but hit good. The Tom flopped for only a second and was done.
Only then did I realize I had still been in my underwear. I grabbed my clothes (still with ticks) put them on and grabbed my bird.
In times like these you have to know God is watching and maybe, just maybe chuckles a little at us. I feel OVERLY blessed that the birds just walked at me since I had been doing a fair job of running them off most of the day.
2 miles (literally)back to camp where I hung my bird and quickly got a shower.
Had it not been for that turkey, I may have not hunted the rest of the weekend, I was sour over the tick situation, but suddenly that became part of the journey.
So I am not some proud Turkey hunter who called them into a set and took a mature tom, but I am a blessed man who had turkeys walk to him. I'll take it.
My bow was my Freeman longbow that is 51# @ 27" and 66" AMO
Arrow was a POC tipped with a Zwickey two blade, and the Tom had a 9&1/2" beard, weighed 18lbs with his insides removed.
NOT the story anyone could have guessed, but it's the truth and now you know.
Here's "The rest of the story."Last weekend I went to my boss's place just north of Sonora to do a little work and some hunting. He's a great guy and lets me hunt his place some.
When I arrived Saturday mid day it was pretty windy so I unpacked and shot a little to feel better about the current conditions.
After SEVERAL blow stalks I was working my way toward the back of his propert, and came up to one of our water troughs. (this is important to how the bird was killed....) There was a large oak to the North of the trough so I sat down under it for a rest and to re-group, after sitting for a few moments I noticed something crawling at my feet. OH MAN- TICKS, and LOTS of them. I bailed from my shady spot only to realize i had an infestation of seed ticks.
So the next 30 minutes was spent picking them off my clothes, me, and my gear. I remembered I was not far from a ground blind we had built on the edge of a dry creek bed and decided that would make a better spot to de-bug.
I made my way to the blind, crawled in and well.. I stripped down to my undies and started picking more ticks off. I really have no idea how many were on me, but after I removed them from my skin I started working over my shirt and pants. (IF any of you have been covered in seed ticks then you will understand the thought), right at this moment I was thinking hard about walking back to the cabin with my clothes shoved into my pack. I was working over my pants and heard the distinct drumming.
Looking through a small window I saw a series of hens making their way down the creekbed. UH-OH, I watched for only a moment and then spotted a gobbler, but they were closing the gap fast. As I started trying to figure out how to make this work the big tom steps into a shooting lane. So I quickly gap my face mask, knock an arrow and ease into a shooting position, but he was now moving away and in a hard angle from the window. I tried the shot but over estimated the distance and shot a cedar tree over his back.
He jumped forward and behind a mesquite, then another tom steps in but closer, without much thought I grabbed a second arrow drew and fired almost before I could realize what all was happening.
the arrow was a little higher then anticipated but hit good. The Tom flopped for only a second and was done.
Only then did I realize I had still been in my underwear. I grabbed my clothes (still with ticks) put them on and grabbed my bird.
In times like these you have to know God is watching and maybe, just maybe chuckles a little at us. I feel OVERLY blessed that the birds just walked at me since I had been doing a fair job of running them off most of the day.
2 miles (literally)back to camp where I hung my bird and quickly got a shower.
Had it not been for that turkey, I may have not hunted the rest of the weekend, I was sour over the tick situation, but suddenly that became part of the journey.
So I am not some proud Turkey hunter who called them into a set and took a mature tom, but I am a blessed man who had turkeys walk to him. I'll take it.
My bow was my Freeman longbow that is 51# @ 27" and 66" AMO
Arrow was a POC tipped with a Zwickey two blade, and the Tom had a 9&1/2" beard, weighed 18lbs with his insides removed.
NOT the story anyone could have guessed, but it's the truth and now you know.
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