From now on, this turkey will be referred to as the “nothing” bird...

I got to my blind extra early this morning, got the decoys set, and got settled in to the sound of that same Whippoorwill that entertains this hills.

The early morning light finally started to brighten the pasture I was watching, but guess what I heard?

Nothing.

Finally, several minutes after shooting time, I heard a bird gobble, almost to the edge of my hearing.  Then 2 more chimed in, but all of them were spread far apart, and the last 2 I was sure were on other farms.

I scratched on my VECtor aluminum pot call, but you guessed it....

Nothing.

After about 30 minutes, I thought it sounded like the middle bird had come to a pond in the valley below me to the north.  He had gobbled about every 6 seconds, since he flew down, but when I’d call...

Nothing.

After a bit longer, I tried that aluminum call again, and immediately followed it with some sweet yelps from my VECtor slate call, and yea...

Nothing.

But, much to my surprise, when he did gobble again, he was closer!!!
So, I played his game, I gave him...

Nothing.

That bird just kept gobbling at my nothing, and kept coming up the trail to my corner of the pasture.  Finally he gobbled again, and I could hear him drumming.  I peeked to the trail and there he was in full strut.

He gobbled several more times while putting on a show for the feeder and breeder hen decoys.  He finally got to the breeder, and I figured it was time to get my Flintlock Trade Gun up on the shooting stick.

I got the gun up and ready, got myself ready while the Tom was on top of my decoy, doing what Tom Turkeys like to do, so I figured I’d cock my hammer too!!  I let him stretch his head up a little then squeezed the trigger....

Yup, nothing.

No spark, no flash in the pan, no big boom, just,

Nothing!!!!

So, at this point, as rattled as I was, and as busy as the turkey still was, I wiped off the frizzen face and the flint, got back on the gun to try again!!

This time, it went klatchBANG!
And the shaking is still going!!!!

My 20 ga Trade Gun shoots 70 gr by volume of 2F real black powder under 80 gr BY VOLUME of #5 lead.
The shot was at 8 steps.
The bird was 21#13oz with 1” spurs and a 10 3/8” beard.

https://imgur.com/gallery/0NmgZlj

Very nice day! Nice pics! Now go drink and celebrate!

Drink, celebrate and do nothing!!!

Great story Brad & photographs!

I have seen first hand (X ray vision) the hearing capabilities of birds.  I scanned the horizon for birds one day several years ago with 8X binoculars and saw nothing.  Gave a couple of "toots" on my old World Famous Herter's Crow Call and about 15 minutes later I saw a black dot on the horizon.  I gave another "toot" on the old Herter's Crow Call.  About 10 minutes later that back dot was sitting on a branch of an old ash tree about 20 above me.  The thing that really got me wondering at the time was the fact that the bird never changed course, he had me dialed in when he first heard the crow call.  At the time I thought it to be coincidence, but having had similar result time and again I have convinced myself that birds have vastly superior hearing to us mere humans.

Predators are the same way!!