First-Day Feathers
Mark McPhail set up quickly beside a large tree under the cover of darkness in the spring woods. As the night sky slowly melted into day with an orange glow rising on the horizon to the east, he sent a few soft tree yelps in the direction of an old gobbler that he had roosted the night before. McPhail was met by a lusty gobble that indicated the old monarch was game and meant business.
A few minutes later, the gobbler pitched out of the tree and landed a mere 7 to 8 yards away. Before the gobbler had a chance to make another move, McPhail’s shotgun roared and another Eastern gobbler met its maker. […]