last tom of the season


loner

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this tom was my final bird of the year here in mississippi.he was in the pasture with a hen and the cows would not allow them to go where they wanted.i slipped into the woods and walked several hundred yards to try to get ahead of them and the hen busted me and scooted off to my left.i did not see the tom leave so i circled around to the direction i thought he went.the pasture was open with only a few sprigs of sedge grass here and there so i was afraid i had lost out.there was a small rise i was on and i saw his fan in strut so i laid down facing him and called softly with my mouth call.he started towads me but all i could see was his fan .he kept coming thinking i was his lost hen i guess.at about 35 yards i put the bead below his head and squeezed.SNAP! stood tall and i thought it was over.i had my face net and gloves on and must have blended pretty well as i eased my hand to the bolt and eased the shell out and let the other ease into the chamber.i put the bead back below his head and BOOM! i call this bird the 'low crawl' tom.his beard was about 10" but only had about 3/4" spurs. since, this keeps my consectutive streak alive,i'll be glad to take him.:yes:

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I'll bet that dud shell made your heart skip a beat! Nice bird! Congrats on tagging out and keeping your consecutive streak alive too. It's been a tuff season this year in MS compared to recent years.

with it wide open and no cover,the loud snap made me think it was over.you are right about the season being tougher than usual.the hatch has been down the last two years causing fewer jakes and hens leaving the older birds to do battle with.the more pressure on older birds just makes them very quiet.

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