And now the rest of the story:
I was a bit late getting to my blind. It was already light and I could hear a tom gobbling in the woods behind my blind. I quickly set one of my decoys about 20 yard out in front me and hit one of the box calls lightly a few times. I got no response so I hit it again a little louder but got no response. Not wanting to overdo it I decided to be quiet for a while and see what happens. A short while I heard turkey sounds and spotted two hens out in the middle of the cornfield about 200 yards out. I responded to them with a couple yelps and they started talking back. They weren't moving but they just kept yelping and cutting from the middle of the field. I stopped calling figuring that as long as they were making noise, it was much more attractive than whatever I could do.
They keep going on and on for 15 - 20 minutes when I spotted movement out of the other corner of my blind. A group of 6 hens and jakes started walking out to the field. I started to set myself up for a possible shot on one of the jakes when a younger tom stepped out to the field and went full strut. I continued to keep my eyes on him while still trying to turn for a show. After getting into position they were still walking around calmly so I double checked the yardage with the range finder just to be sure. He was spot on 35 yards. I watched him through the scope of the crossbow for what seemed like forever until he came out of strut for a second and let the arrow fly. He stumbled a bit and jumped back into the woods. The rest, clueless to what just happened, just started milling around anxiously. Some of the the hens followed the top into the woods while two of the small jakes stayed out in the fields.
I wanted to wait a bit just to be safe. I didn't want to push him in case the shot wasn't as good as i thought it was. After about 10-15 minutes the rest of the turkeys were no longer within sight so I crept out of the blind and worked my way along the edge of the field. I found the feather where I had hit him and lots of blood. I could see the arrow sticling out of the ground a few feet beyond where I had hit him.As soon as I looked up the tril to the woods, there he was crumpled up about 5 yards in. He was done and I had my first crossbow turkey.
8 7/8" beard
3/4" spurs
Shot at 35 yards with a Middleton DTM 355 crossbow using 18" Excalibur Diablo arrows and 100gr Ramcat Broadheads.
After I dressed him I determined the shot missed the heart but nicked one of the lungs. It entered the chest and exited the thigh.
I had my video camera mounted to the bow but never even though it while it was all playing out. DOH!!
I had seen what I believed to be the same flock the night before on the far side of the field but could not get them to come in.