I have been buying a lot of custom calls to give away, and someone who helps me find suitable recipients is our local game warden. Recently he reminded me how I can become a little too focused on a gobbler.
Last spring, he and his girlfriend were hunting on the south end of my farm which is about 3 miles away from the house which is on the northern end of the farm. Being a little lazy that day, I had decided to start right behind the house and see which birds woke first. It is about a 150 yard walk up a hill to a point where I can hear birds on about 600 acres of the farm if it is calm. The birds were a little slow to fire off that morning so I rested my gun against the tree and waited. it wasn't long. Multiple gobblers were firing up about 300 yards out the ridge so off I went. They proved to be quite the adversary. Roosted 75 yards over the hill and at the edge of a 2.5 acre foodplot they were in no hurry to fly down. After getting set up and letting them know the sexiest hen on the farm was near, I shut up and waited to see if they would come and if any would have long spurs (2020 was going to be a long season with plenty of days to hunt due to COVID shut down so I was holding out for a bird with great spurs). Although I could not hear hens, I knew there might be plenty near by. These birds were up for cat and mouse. The would come to the edge of the plot, but not commit. In and out the went for what seemed like forever. Never were they closer than 100 yards. We played a game of "I love you - no you don't" for about 2 hours. Finally, convinced that I did love them, and all five of us (there were four of them) about to die with excitement and frustration they decided to come see me. Well come see me might be a polite way of saying run to me and let me prove my love and devotion to them - ha ha. Good news; all four were in range, bad news iall four were 2-3 year old birds and with no limb hangers in the bunch. Off they went and I decided to go after another bird about 400 yards to the east that had been chiming in all morning.
Again set up on a ridge between the plot I just left and two more, I was in the center of turkey heaven. The bird I was wanting to work was just off a 1 acre plot and two more sounded like the were in another plot 250 - 300 yards to the north. My new target was wanting me to know he was there, but seemed very cautious. After getting set up I decided to talk softly to him and scratch some leaves. He liked, but didn't fall in love immediately. This too would prove to be a long courtship with him spending an inordinate amount of time on a flat below me about 70 yards out of sight. I had created so much gobbler talk that my buddy and his girlfriend had started to work their way south over an hour ago.
He texted to see which gobbler I was working and I suggested he set up between the birds I had just left and the one I was working. I became convinced I was working a very mature bird and 38 years of turkey hunting darn near every day of every spring season was making me tune in on this bird like no other. It was one of those mornings when the birds had no interest in gobbling and walking away, but they sure were not going to come in on a string in 5 minutes either. There was nearly non-stop gobbling from at least 7 gobblers all within 200 to 300 yards.
About 45 minutes into it, he decided I was worth the time and effort. He shut up and I had a feeling he had decided to come in silent. Wow was I ever right. He came up over the edge of the flat and started my way a few steps then strut and show off. A few more steps and then more strutting. He was putting on a show to beat all shows. He had a paintbrush beard and I felt certain he would have great spurs but there was no way I could look with anything but my eyes. And, let me tell you it isn't as easy to "judge" spurs as one thinks. They can be hard to see. When he finally got to about 9 yards I realized to things for certain. One, he had spurs that were over 1.5 inches. Two, I had left my gun back at that tree three hours ago!
Yes, I had hunted turkeys for over three hours, called in five long beards to within range and didn't realize I didn't have a gun until I was about 40 seconds away from being a bred hen. That is when you know you are a nut and a pure turkey hunter tuned into the birds a little too much. My friend - the game warden - has told that story about 1,000 times. When we came together after that bird left and he found out I didn't have a gun he had one response. "Only you".
