Diary of a madoutdoorsman from INDIANA: Spring Turkey Season 2017

This year felt a little like last year just without all the rain. I hunted hard all 3 days from a half hour before sunrise to 1pm which is when we have to leave the field.
The first day was decent with mostly sunshine, so the birds talked a little in the morning. Then shut up the rest of the day, which is normal on public.
The second day had some rain which wasn't too bad, but the wind was really kicking. I didn't hear a single bird all day. I did see 6 meandering through a field. I didn't have my binoculars with me so I couldn't get a good look.
The third day I really thought it was going to happen. I set up in a field I saw a strutter in the day before, so I knew he was around. When the sun popped up I had 3 turkey's talking, I had 1 really close to me another was not that far and the third was way to my right across the road. He was actually the turkey I hunted the first day and to tell you the truth last year. So I knew he was there and pretty much what he was all about.
Well I stayed put and listened to my 2 birds fly down, meet up, and follow a hen (I assume) directly away from me. That all took about 2 and a half hours.

So once I realized where they were and where they were going I packed up my gear and headed out to cut em off. I got to the truck and headed up the road. When I got to were I thought I was in front of them, I got out of the truck shut the door and headed to the other si...... that was a turkey putting. Yep I had stopped parked and got out no more than 30 yards from where the turkey's were. So I got back in my truck and drove down a little further and hoped they would keep coming. I parked grabbed my gear and headed down to the furthest field in an attempt to get ahead of these birds. On the way I picked up my binoculars and glassed down the first field. I was right, the birds were all the way at the end, still in the field. So I got down to were I spooked them set out a couple decoys and called....and waited....and called.....and waited. Now if the birds were still on the way I should've heard or seen them in the hour that I gave them.
When they didn't show I got up and looked down the field and they were gone. So I packed up my gear and headed off to the truck. I went to the field in between where I was in the morning and where I had just been. I was still hopeful to get ahead of these birds. On my way into the field I was rounding a corner to the opening of the field and spotted a turkey contently feeding across my end. I glassed the bird and saw it was a hen, I got pretty excited because she might be with the birds I was hunting so I waited at the ready for the Tom to show. Well when he as a no show and she walked into the woods I made my way to the back corner of the field and into the woods to set up. I decided to give it an hour before I started back to the big field where I heard the Tom across the road this morning.
Well that spot didn't pan out, so once again I packed up my gear and headed to the truck.
I was going to head back and try to get on the Tom I had heard in the morning.

So I got to the parking spot a little before noon I grabbed my shotgun and off I went. When I first glassed him strutting like a stud in the field I knew it was on and that he was my only play. When I got to the 1 on the map that's were I stopped to see where he was and devise a game plan. It was 12:21 when I started the second leg of the stalk. When I saw him in the field he was working down that way and I knew if I wanted to fill my tag I would have to put the sneak on him. I just didn't have the time to drop a couple decoys and coax him up to see me, which I am sure he would've done... he was lookin' for love. I had to go back across the field follow the treeline and then cut back towards the Tom to get within range. When I got to the KZ-(kill zone... oops gave it away) I figured it was about 40 yards.I waited until he picked his head up out of strut, I put the red dot on his neck and squeezed the trigger. He just dropped without a flop I was amazed, I was ready with a follow-up but it was not needed. It was awesome I just put the sneak on a Boss Tom and made a clean kill from around 40 yards with 15 minutes to spare.
I would have much rather called him and had him strutting on video and taken him at 15 yards but I just didn't have the time.
Anyway..... he weighed in at 25 pounds had a 10 3/8's inch beard and 1 1/8 inch spurs, he was at least a 3 year old Boss.