Success favors the stubborn

[Garrett Trentham]

The spring of 2023 has been a heck of a run. Continually through the season, I was reminded that success favors the stubborn. Being strong willed (or maybe ignorant of flaws?) can hide many a fault in the turkey woods. Those that are consistently willing to walk another mile, call down into one more draw, or drive a few more hours instead of sleeping are eventually going to find success.



Started the season off in Mississippi. It was my first time hunting the state, and I did a four day hunt on public ground. Beautiful turkey country, got on a couple birds, called up some jakes and hens, but never could close the deal on a gobbler. The weather was unseasonably warm and windy for the duration of my hunt, but I saw and experienced enough to know, Lord willing, I will be back next year.

[Garrett Trentham]

We made a run down to west Texas to hunt for a few days. Got an invite to hunt a beautiful private ranch that essentially hadn't been turkey hunted in 10+ years. Joe and I each tagged a gobbler and got our host a couple gobblers as well. We also called up a gobbler for a couple of our hosts friends but they each missed. Beautiful ground with plentiful turkeys. We must have timed the trip just right because they were definitely peak rut. Each time we set up on a gobbler, we ended up calling them in – it was crazy!

[Garrett Trentham]

I met up with my father to hunt some public ground in TN where he and I used to hunt a lot in my childhood. He got a bird opening day before I got there, and the next couple days were rough. We went an entire day on Monday, hunting daylight to dark, without hearing a single gobble. That's the first time I can recall ever having that issue on this particular area. Tuesday was better, we messed with a bird for a while in the morning before he met up with hens and I was able to roost a couple gobblers later Tuesday evening. After a couple strategic moves on Wednesday morning, I was able to close the deal on one with my father on the tree next to me. Shot him in a spot that Dad and I have hunted countless times since my youth. Very cool experience.



MO also got off to a bit of a rough start. Got on birds each day, but it was a tough sell getting anything within 40 yds. I've never had so many fired up gobblers hang up within 100yds and vanish. But, I'm stubborn and kept going.

Got a buddy's kid on a bird one morning. We were messing with a gobbler that was a ways off and this one slipped in silent to our left.


Roosted this bird the night before and set up under him at 4:30 the following morning. After 8 hours of cat and mouse, I finally had this public land longbeard at 40yds.


The next day I hit a stand still in my work at about 10:30 so I made a quick run out to some national forest ground south of my house. It was windy, but I got one to answer me at 11:45. At 12:15 I felt like I could hear drumming so I called again. He gobbled and was standing right where I had last called to him. Got my gun up and watched him come strutting up the hill to me. Beautiful!

[Garrett Trentham]

Made a run up to IA and a buddy and I got our tags filled in short order. There was quite a bit of hunting pressure on the area we hunted and it had the birds acting a little off. Patience killed these birds as each of them tried slipping in silent after being very fired up.

[Garrett Trentham]

A buddy and I made a trip out west with about as little planning as we could. We each took two weeks off work, booked flights and rental. Our plan was to hunt WA and maybe OR or ID if we got lucky enough to each tag a bird. Ended up hunting all the way up to the morning of the day before our departure flight and put 4000 miles on that rental, but we each tagged a gobbler in WA, ID, OR, and MT. We saw some beautiful country. Turkey densities out west will make a man appreciate hunting the Midwest and Southeast. But, there's birds to be had out there, no doubt.

First bird of the trip in WA


My first WA gobbler. Called this bird up from a mile away. He hung up across a deep ravine about 75yds away. Gobbled and strutted for an hour just out of sight. Eventually broke when I started spitting and drumming at him. He flew the ravine and landed 15yds in front of me. Ended up having solid black wing feathers.



Decided to run to ID as the season would close there prior to the end of our trip. Got on some birds the first afternoon and roosted them. Finally got them within range mid-morning and doubled up.

[Garrett Trentham]

We decided to go to OR next so we loaded up and made the drive down there. Took us a couple days to get on birds, but finally roosted some and through some luck we eased right up into position before flydown. Gobbler hit the ground at 4:45 and was dead well before 5:00am. Killing one that early was a personal first for us.


Hunted all day without getting on another bird, but found some right at dark. Got in on them the next morning and they started gobbling at 4:25am. They met up with a hen right off the roost and started easing off with her. I gobbled at them and started drumming. About a minute later I heard one drum right in front of me. He came right up to me at 20yds looking for the unwelcome new guy he had heard. Killed this one just before 5:00am as well.


With nothing better to do than hunt, we made a run out to MT. Hunted hard for three days before we really got into some turkeys. The rumors we had heard about Merriams turned out to be mostly true. Gobbling was basically the first hour of daylight and the last hour of daylight. No idea where they go during the midday hours, I think they might burrow into the ground somewhere? They really like to run and walk. I think they have a personal quota of stepping foot in three counties each day. But, they're beautiful birds that live in some beautiful country. It was a blessing to get the opportunity to chase them.

After roosting a gobbler the night before and watching him leave his hens to go up the hill away from us and gobble by himself for an hour, we decided to back out and circle around above him. 3 miles of hiking and an hour later, we finally crossed paths with our first MT gobbler – a beautiful white tipped Merriams.


Our last and final morning found us on a high butte listening to two gobblers cutting loose at 4:15am. One was about 2 miles away and one was closer to 1 and a half. It's hard to believe how far you can hear them in that open country. We moved four times on this bird and finally got within playing range of him and his hen. Joe closed the deal at 7:30am.



An absolutely incredible season! Got to see some breathtakingly beautiful country and hunt some incredibly frustrating gobblers. I doubt I'll have many more seasons like this in my lifetime, but hopefully I'll get the opportunity to try.

[runngun]

Looks like y'all had a big time!!! Enjoyed the stories and great pictures!! Glad y'all had success. Absolutely amazing!!!!

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[Turkeybutt]

Congrats to you and Joe and some absolutely awesome hunts. No doubt this season will be hard to top.
Thanks for taking the time to share the stories and the photos.   

[Prospector]

Great stories. Great pics. Congratulations!

[zelmo1]

Congrats, sounds like a fun season. Z

[bbcoach]

I love the PICS.  Plenty of memories in your travels this year.  Hunting multiple states is a BLAST for sure.  And Persistence will definitely put birds in the Bag!  CONGRATS!

[Tom007]

Fannnntastic! Nice pics, congrats! Thanks for sharing....

[GobbleNut]

Continually through the season, I was reminded that success favors the stubborn. Being strong willed (or maybe ignorant of flaws?) can hide many a fault in the turkey woods. Those that are consistently willing to walk another mile, call down into one more draw, or drive a few more hours instead of sleeping are eventually going to find success.

First of all, congratulations on your "fantastic voyage" this spring,...and great pictures!  Looks like your time and effort paid off handsomely.   

Secondly, I could not agree more with your introductory statements.  With certain exceptions, the consistently successful guys are those that just work longer and harder at it. 

[Tnandy]

Congratulations Garrett on some great hunts. Nice pics. Loan me some money and time, so I can do that next season, lol. Just carrying on, seriously congratulations on an awesome year.

[CntrlPAlongbeard]

That's a tremendous season man!
Awesome pics!


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