My number one got her first Tom!
I roosted em Saturday night after leaving early from a CCA banquet and picking up her 8yr old son. We set up early this morning with a B mobile Tom and two Swingn hens on an oat field. They started rolling around 6:30 am and the show was on. I threw in a few clucks and purs on a primos triple reed diaphram to let em know where the ladies were hanging. I had her son beside me burried in deep cover to hide our movements as he still figits a little. She was about 10 yards to my right in a muscadine thicket with a perfect portal to the dekes. I didn't get to see the whole show as we were buried deep but heard him pop the decoy which sounded like a car wreck and watched another tom, also nice, boogey off a couple of yards. I whispered shoot him and watched her settle in, put her face firmly on the stock, take a deep breath and BANG.... off he goes just a flying. Of course, I am thinking OH SH#T she missed, so I jumped up and ran over before the shell casing even hit the ground, low and behold the reble rouser and also the one I couldn't see was doing the Watoosey Two Death Dance!!.
She was using my Benelli SBE II with Federal 3.5 inch copper plated number 4s courtesy of Dad. She said she didn't even feel the kick and was grinning ear to ear, imagine that! I absolutely couldn't be prouder of her and her son. The old tom weighed in at 20 lbs and a few ounces, had 1-1/8" spurs and touched 11 inches on the beard. My hats off to her folks, as they know how to grow em down at Docheno Plantation, Walterboro SC. Now its time for the stick an string.
Till then keep your powder dry, aim small miss small and get in the woods boyz!!
Biggest thanks to Chad for the pics!
I roosted em Saturday night after leaving early from a CCA banquet and picking up her 8yr old son. We set up early this morning with a B mobile Tom and two Swingn hens on an oat field. They started rolling around 6:30 am and the show was on. I threw in a few clucks and purs on a primos triple reed diaphram to let em know where the ladies were hanging. I had her son beside me burried in deep cover to hide our movements as he still figits a little. She was about 10 yards to my right in a muscadine thicket with a perfect portal to the dekes. I didn't get to see the whole show as we were buried deep but heard him pop the decoy which sounded like a car wreck and watched another tom, also nice, boogey off a couple of yards. I whispered shoot him and watched her settle in, put her face firmly on the stock, take a deep breath and BANG.... off he goes just a flying. Of course, I am thinking OH SH#T she missed, so I jumped up and ran over before the shell casing even hit the ground, low and behold the reble rouser and also the one I couldn't see was doing the Watoosey Two Death Dance!!.
She was using my Benelli SBE II with Federal 3.5 inch copper plated number 4s courtesy of Dad. She said she didn't even feel the kick and was grinning ear to ear, imagine that! I absolutely couldn't be prouder of her and her son. The old tom weighed in at 20 lbs and a few ounces, had 1-1/8" spurs and touched 11 inches on the beard. My hats off to her folks, as they know how to grow em down at Docheno Plantation, Walterboro SC. Now its time for the stick an string.
Till then keep your powder dry, aim small miss small and get in the woods boyz!!
Biggest thanks to Chad for the pics!