[Tenth Legion]

Opening day of spring gobbler and the start of a new Parker quest found me in Volusia County, Florida watching daybreak and listening to several roosted Osceola toms. As is often the case the gobblers quit talking once they hit the ground on this cloudy 72F morning. The wildlife show was entertaining nevertheless as Sandhill cranes, hen turkeys, gopher tortoises and a pair of whitetail bucks showing their white antler bases paraded around the food plot. After a quick lunch at a local diner the hunt was resumed at 2PM. Immediately after being dropped off at a new blind in a lovely oak hammock by friend Jon and host Wilbur, the wildlife show resumed. A scrawny raccoon was spied weaving in and out of the palmettos soon to be joined by the quarry….an Osceola longbeard! This tom was on high alert, standing as tall as his form would let him. As he moved to the left behind a broad oak I yelped and clucked very softly on my Horse Pasture Maple short box, a gift from dear friend, PGCA member Niles Oesterle. The gobbler’s response was to move back to the right and periscope his head even more. He could see the decoys and he was still 100 yards away. Niles always advises to call sparingly, just enough to “worry” him. And that’s what I did. I called again very softly once he entered the palmettos while angling toward my position. As quick as he appeared he disappeared. I figured I better pull the hammers back quietly as possible in case the “worrying” had the desired effect. After fifteen long minutes that’s exactly what happened. He was closer now and slowly closing the distance. At fifty yards he wagged his tail feathers, at forty yards he adjusted his wings……he was nervous. When he got thirty yards I slowly raised the 1880 lifter, lined up the bead at the base of his neck and touched off the right barrel! Smoke filled the air and I couldn’t see a thing but I could hear wings beating the ground. I fumbled around unzipping the blind door, half stumbling out before hustling to retrieve the downed gobbler. He was a dandy! Long sharp spurs and a matching long beard! Truly an incredibly exhilarating hunt in the unique Florida wilds.