You are not going to believe this........

[Bill Cartwright]

I drew an IL tag last month and didn't know if I was going to get to hunt but maybe 1 or 2 mornings next week. The tag is good for a week. Well, with the storms rolling in like they are I decided to leave work for a few hours this morning and hunt until the noon cutoff. At 11:47 I put this big boy on the ground.

24.95lbs. 12 1/4" beard and 1 1/4" spurs. I was pumped. Called in 4 long beards and a jake. I have attached a couple pics. The bird closest in the one picture is the one I shot. After the shot, 2 - 8-9" bearded birds almost run right over me. I started hunting around 10:30 and back to work by 1. I love working right here in Southern Indiana. IL is 8 miles west, can hunt Indiana within 10 minutes of work and then living in West Ky.

[jirvin]

Nothing like getting him at the last minute.Congrats Bill. :bigthumb)

[swoop]

Way to go Bill! :bigthumb)

[M.I.B.]

Bill,


That is an awesome bird. Great job.

[TurtleKY]

Congrats. That sounds like a heck of a bird!

[John Maynard]

Gezzzz, Bill -- What a bird. That should hold up our team's scoring well. Funny though, it looks like that bird got hit by lightening! Frazzled! :)
CONGRATULATIONS

[DeerHunter3]

Sweeeeeettttttttt bird and good job!

Did you do any scouting before?Had you called in any birds or was this one of them lucky hunts?Just curious is all.

[stahlj61]

Awesome Tom ! Way to nail a giant? What calls? Gobbled comimg in ?

Tell a story please!

God Bless,,John

[Chenango Dave]

Sweet bird Bill - looks like he got a little water logged from all the storms you've been gettin. :bigthumb)

[Bill Cartwright]

Thanks guys. Not much of an exciting story. On a whim decided to leave work for a few hours and make the 11 mile drive to IL and the ground I have to hunt. It is all river bottoms. The area I have to hunt is basically a corridor of woods with the river on one side and fields on the other. After arriving the fields were empty and the plan was to get in the woods and hope to call a tom in that was cruising up and down the strip looking for hens. 25 minutes into my setup I caught movement and noticed a fanned out bird. After a few minutes passed another bird went into strut. Next thing I know I have 4 mature gobblers and 1 jake working toward me. None of the birds gobbled, but at every cluck or yelp two of them would go into strut and one would spit and drum. Two of the smaller toms worked in close, less than 20 yards. The 2 larger toms stayed near the strutting jake. The larger of the toms finally broke away a bit giving me a clear shot and I dropped him. Not one bird gobbled. It was very windy and I'm a firm believer that birds quiet up due to being nervous of predators and so forth.

[E.ShoreMD.]

excellant job bill

[Widowmaker]

Helluva note to end the season on! Ya'll are gonna make it tough on us to finish up on the team contest!!!

[wgatlin]

Congratulations, thats a good looking bird!