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Backyard beard dragger...

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
The video that I posted in the Scouting Report most certainly features this bird. So would the video I took of them crossing the road two weeks ago. And this may be him too...



One thing is for certain, he and his buddy have been running this neighborhood for 3 weeks or better. I knew it was a matter of time before I had my chance, but after them disappearing last week and the surrounding hunting pressure, I thought maybe they'd been shot or boogered up. This morning I woke up and headed out to grab my coffee when I noticed a bird in the woods on the upper end of the yard. It was having a standoff with a feral cat that runs the "hood" as well. To me, it looked like a hen until he turned and I saw that big old paint brush swing across the grass! I about spilled my coffee and was off to the races!

My gun was in the truck and I had on a red shirt. I managed to duck waddle to the truck out of his sight and grabbed the gun, a call and my shirt. While I was loading my gun, the other big bird gobbled in my neighbor's field/yard, followed by a hen cutting hard and the bird in my yard gobbling! It was awesome. After he gobbled, he turned and headed down the yard towards the low gap in the fence between our brushy draw and the neighbor's place. He was giving up elevation, so I was gaining ability to move undetected. I circled around the front of the house and used the new playhouse to conceal my movement! I lost sight of him and decided it was a now or never moment, so I took a few more steps to clear the playhouse and stood up. He was 30 yards out in the brush about to cross over to the neighbor's when I settled the bead. He'd caught the movement and poked his head up out of the brush about the time the Benelli barked and the Remington Nitro Mags got to eat!

I've worked harder for a lot less, but few hunts will ever top the fun of this one! Our place may be small, but it's well positioned for someone that can capitalize! Just so happens that where he died is the northern most tip of a near 1K contiguous acres of timber and was within mere feet of where I shot my buck back in December and where Tracie shot her doe in January. Our freezer thanks us for the local efforts! :smiley_clap:

Best bird to date at 22+ pounds, 11" beard and 1.25" spurs. Good times in the neighborhood today!

 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Food plotting and hanging stands...pfft. I like your methods; keep the yard mowed and build a playhouse!