Marathon hunt for a bird I named "Sam Wheat"...long read

[Jbird22]

Have you ever had a turkey you would swear was a ghost? Well, I've had a few but none quite like the bird I named "Sam Wheat".

It started last Saturday when I went to my Grandpa's place mid morning hoping to get on a bird. I knew this bird would be tough as I hadn't heard him from the roost out of 6 or so mornings just listening before work. After letting a different bird get the best of me earlier that morning I decided to give the non-gobbling turkey at Grandpa's place a try. So I get there around 9:30-10 and decide to find a tree and just set up and blind call for a while. I did that for an hour or so to no avail so I packed up and moved to a different spot. I found a decent looking place and called just before I sat down. To my surprise, I heard what sounded a lot like a gobble. It was not an ideal morning at all so I had my doubts. I gave him a few minutes and called again. This time there was no doubt that I heard a gobble. I'd like to tell you he came on rope but that isn't true. He sat in one spot and gobbled maybe 6-8 more times over the next hour and a half. He was dangerously close to a field so I really had no option to move on him. So when he quit gobbling I packed up and slipped out thinking I'd be back the next morning.

The next morning met me with rainy/windy conditions but I decided to go anyway as I thought I knew where he was roosting. So I go and get soaking wet/cold but he didn't roost where I thought he would.

Fast forward to Wednesday evening. I decide that I'll take off Thursday morning and give him another shot. I go to Grandpa's place that afternoon in hopes of roosting him but as I expected he didn't make a sound. Grandpa actually told me that evening that he heard a few shots Tuesday morning just up the road from his place and immediately I thought that he was likely dead. His land on one side of the road is bordered by public land while on the other side of the road is bordered by private land. I've seen people do all sorts of things on the "public" side of the road so this made me believe even more that the turkey was dead. Oh well, I put in to take off Thursday morning so I'm gonna go and hope for the best.

So Thursday morning comes and it's one of the finest mornings you could imagine! I get there early in hopes of hearing "Sam" but as expected, I didn't. So I leave out around 9-9:30 and see a lone hen in the field on the private side of the road. I thought well that isn't good if she's by herself. Oh well, so I head home and off to work I go.

Friday evening I get a call from a hunting/fishing buddy who tells me he just passed Grandpa's field and that there was a gobbler and hen on the private side of the road. I was pumped to hear that!

Saturday morning comes and I decided to go ahead and set up where I heard "Sam" last Saturday which also happened to be about 75-100 yds from where he was seen Friday evening. As expected, he didn't gobble on the limb but I wasn't discouraged as I knew this was just what this turkey did. Around 8, I had two hens come slipping in to the decoys. I thought well it won't be long and he'll be right behind them. WRONG! I sat there til 930ish without seeing another bird. My curiosity got the best of me so I slipped out (75 yds or so) to the field on the private side to see if he went a different way to get there. Nope, nothing there. As I'm scanning the field on the public side though, there he is in full strut!!! Keep in mind, this field is where they normally like to be but there has yet to be a gobbler seen there all year! I gathered up my vest and made a loop back through the woods crossed the road and came through the woods to approx the midway point in the field. I looked for him and didn't see him. I thought just my luck. I eased on up the fence row and see his fan in the field about 80 yds from me! I knelt down where I could and a hawk above me screamed. GOOOOOBBBBBLE! I waited a sec and gave him a call and he answered. I thought well it's over now. I've got him all alone and it's game over. About that time a hen pops in one of the only holes I could see through in the fence row. Where did she come from??? Well I can hear "Sam" drumming and getting closer but I can't see him even though I know he's in range!! The hen eventually realized there was no other turkey there like it should have been so back to the gobbler she goes. I knew they would take him away and they did. I knew where they were headed but no way to get around them. Eventually I caught up to them and thought I was set up to kill him. WRONG AGAIN!! We played the game for another few hours (1-1:30) and even though he circled into gun range several times I never could see him through the thick brush. He's out of the field and into the woods now. Finally , three hens pop out at the other end of the food plot and yep he's in tow. Back into the big field they go and now I think it's over again as it's hard to move on them out there. I let em get out there a ways before I get up and move. I had to move about 100 yds or so to be able to see them, the last 40 yds or so I had to crawl. I go to where I could see them and there they are about 150 yds away in a small cluster of trees. I watched em for an hour or so (2-2:30) and they were obviously content to stay in that spot. So after watching that long enough I decide I can back out to the plot and make a loop through the thick woods and come out close to being in range. While doing that a small stick poked me in  my left eye and knocked my contact out. It went right back in so no harm no foul. I make it to where I think I need to be so I crawl out into the field to the nearest tree (maybe 10 yds from fence). I eased to my feet behind the tree and there he is! The only problem is he's 75 yds or so out. Well wouldn't you know they started to walk away AGAIN! So they get in the corner of the field and mill around for an hour or so (3-3:30).  The hens had appeared to have gone into the woods and he was out there by himself. He gave one courtesy gobble at my call but he knew that hen should be coming to him, not vice versa. Well I finally said enough is enough and it's make or break time. I had a fair sized tree surrounded by underbrush between me and him so I decided to take my chances (I gave myself a 5% chance of success) of crawling to that tree, keeping it between me and him as he was practically stationery. So I make the 80 yd crawl not knowing all the time whether they were there or not. I get there, ease to my feet, peak from behind the tree and there's his fan! WHAT?! THAT WORKED?! Well he's 60 or so yards out and now it's time to wait for him to walk by. Well remember the hens that had fed off into the woods? Yeah, two of them are now coming to my left and I'm in the wide open leaning next to a tree. By the grace of God they didn't spook and within a few minutes he followed and I rolled his butt at 3:45!!!

This is by far the longest hunt I've ever been a part of and I'm not sure I want to ever do it again. I had nothing to eat or drink all day and was dry as a powder keg! It did feel good though to know that I stuck with him and eventually got to kill him. Sorry for the long read but this is the short version I assure you! 

"Sam" was likely a 3 yr old sporting an approx 8" fairly thin beard and probably 1" spurs. I still haven't measured them as the trophy was the hunt itself and not the stats plus did I mention I was/am tired?   

Hopefully yall understand why I named him "Sam Wheat"..lol

[DirtNap647]

congrats

[boomer]

Congrats!!

[Jbird22]

I have a new suspicion that this might not have been Sam. I was so tired after I killed this bird that I left my decoys across the road at my original setup and didn't go get them til yesterday afternoon. Well, my feather flex hen was intact but my pretty boy jake was knocked off his stake. Hmmm, could it be that this was a different bird and Sam is still alive? It wouldn't surprise me. Stay tuned...

[BigAL64]

Great story!!

[darn2ten]

Congrats

[Gooserbat]

I pays to stay after them.  Congrats

[JALA Strut]

Great story and hunt...Congrats!

[JVA54]

  Congrats!!

[captin_hook]

Good read, congrats.

[steveo]

Good read !! Way to go!.

[bmhern]

Congrats!!
                    :icon_thumright

[beagler]

WTG!

[surehuntsalot]

congrats on the bird and a great story

[RutnNStrutn]

Way to stay after them!! Good job and a good gobbler too!!