First Turkey

It was a beautiful spring morning at Tuckahoe. The two days prior, Richmond had seen multiple tornadoes sweep through the surrounding area. I got out to Tuckahoe around 5:30. It was actually the third hunt of the week. Peter had called me on my way out there, telling me that the spot he was planning to go was full of sheep that Daniel had moved to the low grounds.He asked if I wanted him to come call for me but I told him I wanted to give it a try on my own this time. Peter has taught me most of what I know about turkey hunting and I am really grateful for all I've been able to learn from him. I stepped into the pines around 5:40 and stopped at the woods edge to listen. I anticipated hearing an early morning gobbler on the roost. I proceeded after waiting for a couple of minutes. I took my time walking to the fork in the woods where Dawson and I flushed a group of hens and jakes on Monday. When I got about 50 yards in, I heard a distinct gobble coming from about 100 yards to the Southeast. I walked slowly trying not to break any sticks as I was hoping to get between 40-50 yards of the roosted bird. I found a spot I would sit from, set my gun against the tree and went to put my decoy up. Just as I had pushed the decoy into the ground, I heard another gobble, closer than I expected. He was probably 40 yards off. My heart was racing with excitement as it felt like a good morning ahead. Long story short, the roosted jake gobbled for about half an hour and finally hit the ground around 6:30. He ended up circling around me and sneaking up five yards behind me. I got a shot off once he was about ten yards off, still a really close shot for turkey hunting. Definitely a feeling of accomplishment after a couple of weeks of many early mornings. Looking forward to sharing the turkey with friends and family in the next couple weeks.