Long day for a

...short beard. Actually it's not micro small, but 8" (the beard is really 8" despite how it looks in the photo) isn't exactly a world record. However, considering the very limited time I've had this spring (one day) I'll take it and be happy. The day started at 3:30am and I introduced this tom to the ground 16 1/2 hours later about 45 minutes before sundown. I spent a couple hours before noon trying unsuccessfully to call this bird in. He would gobble, but wouldn't strut or take a step in my direction. I had him between 80 and 100 yards for most of the time, but he just wouldn't commit. Eventually he left. When I finally did get him that evening it was blind luck. I snuck back in to the area he was in earlier to see if he had returned. I didn't see him and as I stood up to leave, he popped up right in front of me in a patch of brush, 30 yards away. Boom and I was done. Survived 30 to 40 mph winds, way too damn many snakes, ticks and cactus. It was nice to have the day end on a good note as I was thinking the turkeys had won.