05/16: Turkey of the Week
BY DALE BOWMAN outdoordb@sbcglobal.net May 15, 2012 8:34PM
Updated: June 17, 2012 8:20AM
Bob Spagnoli of Buffalo Grove knows how to fit hunting into a busy schedule. The New Trier teacher and girls track coach made the most of the day he had to hunt turkey this spring on April 22.
After a track meet at Lake Park, he drove to Galena. The next morning, he set up and heard birds, but none came into his decoys or calls.
‘‘I moved spots at 8:30 and set up my decoys 22 yards away from the tree I was sitting against,’’ he emailed. ‘‘I set up my pretty boy [with a real tail fanned out] with two jakes and three hens. Around 9 a.m., I heard a gobble approximately 400 to 500 yards away. The next 45 to 60 minutes was me and him calling back and forth to each other. Finally, I got smarter than the gobbler and stopped calling. Ten to 15 minutes later, I see this blue head coming through the high grass from approximately 100 yards away.
‘‘This big dude wanted to go and introduce himself to my decoys. Once he got within a couple of yards from my decoys, I let my shot go. He was approximately 25 yards away from me when the No. 5 magnum load hit him in his head and neck.’’
The gobbler topped 30 pounds and had a 12-inch beard and 11/4-inch spurs.
‘‘My 4.5-hour season was truly a fantastic memory,’’ he emailed.
