Didn't get out opening day due to granddaughters in-house, but they went back to school this morning. Got to the popup, set the feeder for a 4:45 feed, put out the decoys, and climbed into the popup.
No action for about an hour then at 5:35 or so I hear a distant gobble. Reach down to pick up the diaphragm call and when I raised up, she spotted me. Hen had sneaked in from the 10:00 direction.
She froze, then turned and walked away, but didn't seem to be spooked. 
10 minutes or so later I hear another gobble, so I yelp a couple of times. Another 15 minutes and I see a gobbler about 50-60 yds out at 12:00. He comes in to about 30 yds and struts a time or two, then turns and walks back in the direction he came from. 
Another 25 or so minutes and I see a solitary hen coming thru the field about 60-75 yds away, past the decoys. She comes in steadily, and begins to pick up speed the closer she got, finally going into a blind spot. I wait for her to appear in the pen, but she doesn't, so I lean s-l-o-w-l-y to the right but can't see her. Lean back and peek left and there are 3 hens in the pen, then 6, then 10, then finally 13, with one having a long, stringy beard. They are cleaning up the corn--and then I see 3 gobblers coming thru the mesquite--but they head to the hog trap about 40 yds away and start scratching for corn there. So, I sit and watch them. Then a 4th gobbler is headed in, but he hangs up in the mesquite and I have to lean far L or R to see him. The hens start drifting away and the 3 gobblers start my way, walking right past the decoys paying them no attention. They come into the pen, and then #4 starts moving R to L behind the pen, eventually ending up at my 10:00 about 13-14 yds away. So--now I have 4 mature gobblers to choose from--and I opt for #4 as he has the thickest beard though it might be an inch or two shorter than one of the others.
I slowly turn to get in to position, knowing it is probably in vain as there are 4 sets of eyes within 15 yds of the pop-up---but eventually get the shot when all 4 are either turned away or have their heads down. Draw, anchor, aim, and release and THWACK! Looks like a good hit but not sure as the gobbler flies---but only about 15 yds before crashing.
19 lbs---and the first turkey I've taken with a bow---All in all, a great afternoon.
Going back out tomorrow to take down the pop-up as the landowner and I agreed on a 1-gobbler deal--
No action for about an hour then at 5:35 or so I hear a distant gobble. Reach down to pick up the diaphragm call and when I raised up, she spotted me. Hen had sneaked in from the 10:00 direction.
She froze, then turned and walked away, but didn't seem to be spooked. 10 minutes or so later I hear another gobble, so I yelp a couple of times. Another 15 minutes and I see a gobbler about 50-60 yds out at 12:00. He comes in to about 30 yds and struts a time or two, then turns and walks back in the direction he came from. Another 25 or so minutes and I see a solitary hen coming thru the field about 60-75 yds away, past the decoys. She comes in steadily, and begins to pick up speed the closer she got, finally going into a blind spot. I wait for her to appear in the pen, but she doesn't, so I lean s-l-o-w-l-y to the right but can't see her. Lean back and peek left and there are 3 hens in the pen, then 6, then 10, then finally 13, with one having a long, stringy beard. They are cleaning up the corn--and then I see 3 gobblers coming thru the mesquite--but they head to the hog trap about 40 yds away and start scratching for corn there. So, I sit and watch them. Then a 4th gobbler is headed in, but he hangs up in the mesquite and I have to lean far L or R to see him. The hens start drifting away and the 3 gobblers start my way, walking right past the decoys paying them no attention. They come into the pen, and then #4 starts moving R to L behind the pen, eventually ending up at my 10:00 about 13-14 yds away. So--now I have 4 mature gobblers to choose from--and I opt for #4 as he has the thickest beard though it might be an inch or two shorter than one of the others.
I slowly turn to get in to position, knowing it is probably in vain as there are 4 sets of eyes within 15 yds of the pop-up---but eventually get the shot when all 4 are either turned away or have their heads down. Draw, anchor, aim, and release and THWACK! Looks like a good hit but not sure as the gobbler flies---but only about 15 yds before crashing.
19 lbs---and the first turkey I've taken with a bow---All in all, a great afternoon.
Going back out tomorrow to take down the pop-up as the landowner and I agreed on a 1-gobbler deal--
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