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The Legend of the Swamp Donkey Tom Part 2

TripleA88

*Supporting Member*
Deep in the woods of Clark County lies a beaver dam swamp infested area that is nearly impossible to enter. Those who do rarely come back out. Old folklore suggest that this area holds the king of all turkeys.

This was mearly a myth until last year when Joe and I succeeded on making it out alive but with a dead bird. We made history and had the video footage to prove. So we set our standards high yet again this year, to try and put the myth to shame and dethrone the king.

I have to let Joe tell the story as my mind has not fully recovered from todays events.


 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
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SW Ohio
That pic is freaking hilarious!!!!! Can't wait to hear this one! Congratulations guys! Nice heisman(sp?) pose Joe! Rotflmao
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
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39,720
248
Ohio
I am laughing already and I haven't heard the story yet!

That is a good look for you Joe! Makes me want to call some of muh cuzzins on da celler phone.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
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.


Well, to tell this story right I'll need to back up about three weeks. It's scouting time, the days alternate from mid 60's one day to sleet and snow the next. I roll out of bed well before dawn one such frosty Saturday morning and stumble to my truck. I meet up with Alex about 10 minutes later and we're ready to roll. We're going to the black water swamp to listen for old king Tom. Last year I had stepped in water over my boots and finished the hunt despite mild frostbite. Ok. They we're just cold.. But still, it sucked. Anyway, back to the story. We're sure he's in the wasteland of flooded timber interspersed with a winding maze of dry ground. A place where the water never gets over ankle deep but it's always perilous as one step may be solid, the next step you're up to your crotch in mud. The Birds eye view from Bing maps is practically worthless because shallow water and dry ground are nearly indistinguishable from 3,000 feet. On this morning however we're staying out of the swamps and just listening from the edge. We see some hens in the trees and like clockwork the Tom hammers deep within the black water swamp. That's a good bird I say to Alex. He agrees as the bird has a full chuckle gobble that just sounds mature. As the days pass we go out and listen to the tom a couple more times. Yeah, he's hooked, not going anywhere. I recall telling alex that it's a "Bob Evens Bird" by how fired up he was all on his own.. Our tradition is to go to Bob Evans after a kill. Last year while Swamp Donkey tom 1 was still roosted you can hear me tell Alex "We'll be at bob evans by 7:30."

Opening morning. April, 22 2013. After trudging through the swamps in the cold, damp, darkness and sinking up to our knees a few times. We arrive and set up between where the tom was 2 days before and where the hens have always roosted. As the sun cracks the horizon the king of toms lets out a gobble that thunders through the flooded timber. He's not where we thought and about 125 yards deeper in the swamp. The hens are to our front left, the tom to our front right. After gobbling 80 or so times in the trees the tom pitches towards us. He's on the ground. Still hammering, closer, closer, he's closing FAST. Easy as pie, this dudes in the bag! He gets about 30 yards in front of us and crosses from right to left through the brush. He's still in the thick underbrush hammering away, all we can see is the occasional flash of white from a strutting wing. Commit you crafty bird, come in another 5 yards and clear those honeysuckle bushes. But, it wasn't to be. The hens to our left flew down right to him. The last we saw of king tom he was strolling off in to the sunrise with his girls. We decided to back out and not push him. He is after all very wise in his years. Until this hunt we were 3 for 4 in the black water swamp.


Today's hunt to come.
 
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Jackalope

Dignitary Member
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This morning started much like yesterday. I rolled out of bed at 4:15 and alex texted shortly thereafter. Meet ya in 45min i replied and stumbled into the living room to let the dogs out. As I sat there I mumbled to myself "I love turkey hunting, but this 4 am stuff is getting old." It wasn't long later I met alex at his truck that we started the mile long walk to the cold black water swamp. We had formulated a plan that this morning we were setting up about 75 yards deeper in the swamp where the hens pitched to the morning before. As we trudged our way through the swamp cautious of every step we came upon a small clearing. This has to be his zone, this is where he wants to go. We set up on a small patch of dry ground surrounded by water about 60 yards from where he was roosted the day before. We put out two hens and a B-Mobile strutter to our front about 20 yards. After setting the deeks I looked up and noticed two hens roosted behind us about 60 yards. Yeah, we're on the X. Alex started calling at about 6:20. Ole King Tom didn't respond like the morning previous. After about 3 calling sequences he managed to coax a gobble out of him.. CRAP! He's back where we were yesterday! I bet he's in the tree we sat beside. Ole Tom just wasn't cooperating. A bird that hammered 80 times on the roost yesterday, and every step on the ground, for some reason today was tight lipped. I think Alex managed to coax 4-5 more gobbles out of him. About 5 calling sequences later we still didn't have a response from the roosted Tom. Then a thunderous gobble came from only 15 yards to our right behind a bunch of brush. I looked over and he was running through water and brush while in strut. He saw the deeks and came out of strut quickening his pace. Alex is trying to get his gun up and on the bird. King tom runs up beside the foam hen and busts a strut sideways not 15 yards away. BOOM, the gun barks and the Majestic swamp donkey Tom #2 had gone to the big strut zone in the sky. High fives and "holy craps" were shared.. We walked over to the still kicking King tom.. I started laughing almost uncontrollably, I managed to mutter between gasps "It's a F****ng Jake".. "No way!" came Alex's reply as he bent down to grab his feet. WTF he said and started laughing.. Yeah.. King tom, the most pursued, hardest hunted Tom was nothing more than a pecker head jake..


And No, he isn't praying. It's the Jake killing bow of shame..


 

hickslawns

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Ohio
Sounds like a great hunt because it was a memorable hunt. Even if it wouldn't have been memorable, this story just turned it into a "Tales around the campfire" kinda story.