After shooting the turkey, Mickey and I decided, even though it was after 4:30 PM, that we’d go to another feeder and try for a javelina.  We went back to the ranch house, picked up his .204, rifle, stuck the turkey into the fridge, drove back to the new spot and hurriedly built us a spacious ground blind.

Not long after completion, out walked a gobbler displaying his fan, not strutting, just showing off.

The first gobbler was still walking around showing off his fan, shortly he was joined by another gobbler, this one more wary.

The second bird, more wary, barely nibbled at the corn and protein, then walked toward our ground blind.  Mickey, softly calling with a box call, had this one’s interest and as the big bird moved close to us, I snapped this picture.

Here’s a picture of an unusual bird, a bearded hen, only 10 to 20% of hens will have beards, and yes, they can lay eggs and raise poults.

We stayed around until dark seeing lots of turkeys, gobblers and hens, but no javelinas even though we were sure we’d see some.  Up before the sun on Friday morning and back to the spacious ground blind.  We could hear the gobblers coming down from the roost, gobble, gobble, gobble and knew they would head our way, but first up was this young doe.  She spent several minutes trying to figure out who, and what, we were.

Finally the doe eased off, then the turkeys showed up.  This picture shows a gobbler and a hen feeding, while another gobbler stands guard.

We came home, back to Goldthwaite, Friday afternoon celebrating a real good turkey hunt and some real good pictures!