What a great day it was! To start with, it seems like the season started a little later than normal and so the weather was really nice. I was disappointed, however, that I couldn't smell the autumn olive. In year's past it would fill the air with sweet fragrance but either way, it was great!
As usual, I had the club all to myself. At dark I went into the blind that I had set up over the weekend. I set up the decoy and went to the blind on the first field. I didn't realize when setting up the blind that the ground underneath it wasn't level so I was sitting on a lump! It was quite uncomfortable, to be honest.
Around 6:30ish, I had a hen come walking into the field from the railroad bed and as she started to walk around I had to adjust myself because it started to hurt sitting the way that I was. That noise was enough to scare her off but she didn't run putting, just meandered away. Soon afterwards, from the left of me, appeared a group of 5 deer. I think they caught my scent (or heard me move) and they ran off too.
It was about 7:15ish and I was feeling like I should walk around. Just then I heard a gobble, so I called and to my surprise, two gobbles!...from different directions. One behind me to my left and one from, it sounded, across the property. I called and they both answered back. I thought "It may actually be on". After a bit of calling back and forth, I noticed a hen coming into the field to my left. She was followed by two more hens. I couldn't see them too well because of the brush but as they approached my decoy I saw a gobbler! He also approached the decoy and I lined up my sights and pulled the trigger. NOTHING HAPPENED! My gun wouldn't shoot! I checked the safety and it was absolutely off so it should be shooting. I pulled the trigger again and nothing. I decided to cycle another round into the chamber. So slowly, and as quietly as I could, I cycled the pump on the shotgun. I took off the safety again, lined up the shot and this time it went off. The bird fell on the spot and the hens flew away.
What an awesome hunt!
