I woke up at 4AM and got ready. Off to Dave's house. Dave was planning on filming for me again. I was also looking forward to a full day of hunting rather than the afternoon couple hours.

We got to the "Bow only" farm right on time as the black sky was begining to fade to pink. From the truck we could hear some distant gobbles up the ridge we planned to hunt. We set up and waited for light. As it got light we noticed several hens roosted up above us.

When the birds started flying down, the hens flew away, not likeing the two dudes underneith them. All the gobbles moved off away from us but one. The gobbler that was coming in our direction held up at a river and just paced back and forth. We played with him for awhile hoping he would cross a road bridge that crossed the river. I knew he wouldn't cross it. Turkeys never cross rivers or roads or bridges to come in to calling. We could not hunt the other side of the river that divided the property line. So, we decided to hit some of the other great farms Dave had access to. We got in the truck and headed down the road with perfect timing. Low and behold, there was Tom turkey crossing the bridge headed to where we called from. The truck spooked him back across so we stayed with the game plan and left.

We drove around all the farms looking for a Tom out in a feild, we were having a hard time till Dave said, Theres one!

The Tom was way out in the middle of a huge feild. We sat in the truck nearly a 1/2 mile away trying to determine a direction. They looked to be heading towards land we couldn't hunt. We decided with the lack of action we should make an attempt anyway. We parked the truck behind a big woodlot where Tommy Boy was hanging and started a sneak towards the end of the woodlot which would put us about 80 yards from him. We had to crawl through the last 40 yards of thorns, tick's, and itch weed, but we successfully slithered to the edge.

I called Tommy with my box call and invited him over, but he payed little attention and went off following his hens which had turned and were heading towards a woodlot on a neiboring property.

We decided to crawl back out and run around the feild in a sprint to the far corner behind a hill and catch ol Tommy off gaurd as he got there. After a 120 yard dash we were able to watch Tommy strut into the woodlot ahead of us. He beat us there. Ok, no problem, we sprint another 100 yards and sneak 50 and call him back. We all know how easy it is to call turkeys a direction they don't want to go... Right? Well any way, it was more likly to be successfull than walking back to the truck. So now that Dave had caught up it was off at full sprint again headed for the corner. We got there at the same time as a hen that must of been lagging behind. Her eyes bugged out of her head and she made a mad dash for Tommy. Ok, I finally admitted it. We are not going to get Tommy.

We walked the half mile back to the truck and headed for another farm. This farm has produced many big Tom's in the past. When we got there the farmer told us nobody had hunted there yet. I figured we would surly get a gobble to sound back here! We walked another 1/2 mile through some of the angryest cows I have ever met. There was one black angus bull that needed an attitude ajustment, but Dave said the landowner dosn't allow us to wrestle with the bull's. Just my luck, another crazy landowner rule.

We set up on top of the ridge and called for 15 minutes with no answers. Ok, time to take the 20 minute walk through the cattle back to the truck.

Zoom Zoom. We get to the next farm that can be glassed from the road and see big tom on the neighbors farm. We sneak across a feild into a mucky swamp and get 30 yards from the land border. Yelp, yelp. He must have been one of those kind of turkeys that don't want to die, because he went the other direction. Back to the truck.

Zoom, zoom. We get to the next farm. More cattle. Dave says, this is where he keeps the mean ones. As soon as we cross the gait and start the 3/4 mile hike to the woods where all the turkeys hang out, this big bull charges right at me. I gave him a look and a holler and he hit the brakes. But he followed us the whole way making threats.

Long walk, yelp, yelp. No answer. Yada, Yada.

So, its off to glass some public land. 1st property, no birds. I stopped at the bottom of the hill and called once figureing if one answered we would run in and set up. The only thing we called in was an angry Dude who had some sort of emotional problem with living next door to public land. He riminded me of the angry cows. We moved on.

We glassed several more public pcs. No birds.

We stopped for a cheesebuger and headed for the farm with all the hunting pressure. As we drive by Dave yells "big Tom". I look where he is pointing and all I see is a tiny black dot a half mile out. Put up the bino's. Yep, that is a very big Tom. Dave's new glass's are sure working good.

We park the truck out of veiw and head up the treeline. We set up 40 yards from the land border watching the bird follow a hen slowly down the tree line straight at us.This is the same spot Berry shot his Tom last year. Dave says, "this is it Dan" I think your going to kill this bird! I secretly wondered what would go wrong? I always hunt all 5 days... It builds charactor.

The lead hen gets to about 70 yards and suddenly a turkey vulture lands next to it and the hen starts running away, taking tom with her. Oh well, I wanted to hunt tomorrow anyway. Back to the truck.

We take another drive around glassing and spot a lone turkey behind the barn in an easy set up. Looks like a gobbler, Dave says. Lets go set up. Hold on, I said. Lets get a direction of travel. Heading right for an easy set up Dave says. The bird raise's his head, its a jake. Zoom, zoom.

We drive past the rest of the nearby farms and see one Tom but because of awesome timing, spooked the heck out of it with the truck. I do beleive that Tom is still running.

4:00 time for one last hunt. We headed over to the bow only farm and set up on the ridge. Soon after setting up, I see a hen get up out of some grass at the bottom of the ridge and start walking towards the other end of the ridge. Then another, and another, and...