I got an invite from The Judge to "come hunt".This is the kind of invitation you sit through most of the season wringing your hands in hopes of getting.Highest ground in Hamilton County-a bluff pine plantation overlooking the Alapaha River and bordering Suwanneee River Management Property(no hunting) on a dead end road with no neighbors.You cannot walk these manicured sandy roads without finding arrowheads (which I dutifully give the landownwer-afterall whats an arrowhead when it comes to turkey hunting?).
The Judge kindasorta turkey hunts-he said "I shot a gobbler with a 3" beard" then I had my relatives come hunt and they saw one but he saw them too so they tried to chase after him but he got away".He said he "got one" so he was done.
I went out-down a steep 200 foot slope is a feeder set up so they can watch a feeder from their porch while drinking coffee (the feeder was a house warming gift from me).So I walk down the road 4-500 yards from the feeder and there is a big hardwood sidehill above a foodplot.Finally got a hesitant gobble so I spent 5 minutes cutting a hole in some brush in a dry cypress pond.I called to him one series of yelps and shut the heck up (I figured those guys had called him about to death).He answered once then went quiet.I did not put out the decoy-I also figured he had seen a bunch of those.(its easy to look good when you know what didnt work for someone else).
He came down the road very slowly,no gobbling,no strutting with his periscope 4' off the ground.I could have shot him at 5 yards but let him walk by before yelping and telling him how dead he was.
SO as I drive out I stop to show him the bird-he says "oh you shot Timmy!" "WHAT?" I say.
he says we see him every day,we named him Timmy.He told his wife and she said "oh Timmy!"
Now-I do not think turkeys should be named-I think turkeys should be referred to in terms a person can use when the ultimate goal is murder-names like "that loudmouth blankityblank by the boat ramp" or "the spooky one by the camphouse" or "that close-mouthed sonofagun down on Tiger Creek".
Names that make sense when you say "I finally killed that sonofagun near the pivot field"
....not-"I killed Timmy the Turkey"
About Us
Author