First Turkey!!

Unpacked my turkey gear last night from its winters storage, gave the calls a few fresh scratches, loaded the truck and set the alarm. The rain was a little disheartening but the other hunter who I share access to the farm with had let me know he would be away all weekend and to use his blind if I wanted a dry spot to sit. Out I went and was sitting in his pop-up at 5:30.

I heard lots of gobbles, but in the distance. I did my best fly down cackle and got a gobble from close by. Got him to answer one more time, but he then went silent. I've always been afraid of over calling so I sat quiet for the next while hoping he was en route.

From where I was sitting, I was unable to see over the fence 100yds to my left, but a hen started into some yelps on the other side of it. After reading someone's post (sorry, can't remember the forum member) last night about getting the hen riled up I thought if give it a try. I got the box call out and gave it back to her every time she did. Back and forth about five or six times as loud as I could and finally a nice solid gobble from behind me. Hen and I traded a few more calls which we got responses from the Tom. I knew he was coming in, but the way the blind was set up against the tree line, I couldn't see anything behind me (I was sitting in the brush line between two fields). When I finally looked ahead after straining to see out the side window of the blind there was a doe and fawn staring at my decoys not 50 yds from the blind. Sneaky.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/27/qa4u4u3e.jpg

When they trotted off, they snuck through a section of the bush line and must have spooked the Tom. He sounded off and he was RIGHT behind me. Not sure whether he wanted my hen to come to him or couldn't find a way through the brush but he wandered back and forth behind me for what seemed like 20 minutes.

He gobbled about 8 times behind the blind and finally after going silent I could make out his head making his way through to my field over to my right. He strutted right past my Jake decoy and over to the hen. I waited for him to turn and put the tru-glos on the base of his head and squeezed off.

My first turkey down at 6:30am and I had a permanent grin all day. Still made it to work for 9am. Thanks for reading. Good luck to everyone in the field.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/27/y9a5ybad.jpg

17.6lbs
8" beard
7/8" spurs
Mossberg 500
Winchester Supreme - HV Turkey #5

Congrats on your first bird!

CONGRATULATIONS Young Man!!! :goodstuff:

That is a great story for your first turkey harvest and you will never ever forget it, even if you get 50 more turkeys - which I am sure you WILL anyway. Enjoy your turkey! :D

Good read, nice brd

Congrats! Very nice bird!

Excellent story! congrats on the bird!

Congrats on your first turkey. Nice way to start.

Awesome job on that first bird.

Congrats. Especially for going out in the rain! I'm getting a little soft in my old age!:ashamed:

Awesome, nice looking bird.