First "Parker" turkey

[Pete OMS]

I've hunted turkey on our farm in South Carolina for many years with some success. But never with a Parker. However, the past few years, I have carried my 10g EH and not had an opportunity. This year was different. We often hunt together with one guy calling and the other setting up to shoot. My buddy couldn't join me this year, so I was solo. Also a rarity for me. Early the first day of my hunt, an owl call confirmed a gobbler was on the roost. However, once daylight came, he was disappointingly quiet to my slate. That didn't keep him from showing up, strutting and fanning about 100 yards from my setup. My hen decoy didn't seem to interest him as he had other hens with him. Following a long sit and a wait to assure he had headed out for other parts, I headed back to the house. That afternoon, I set up again. This time I had a little jake decoy in my set up along with the hen. The same gobbler showed up, but this time, he was not happy about competition from a young bird and headed in. My cover was good, but he still stopped short of the decoys by about 40 yards. He turned and I thought my chances were about as good as they would ever be. I hit him hard with #5 shot from my 10g and he dropped on the spot. I kept thinking about how many others had hunted successfully, or not, with that same gun. While I do not have any history of the previous owners, I still felt a bond. It was a great day. I did realize that the other benefit of hunting with a partner is that you have someone to help take a photo if your hunt is successful. I had to work hard to get this photo.