For the short and sweet. Skip the first two paragraphs about the trials and tribulations of taking a new hunter.
Alright.... So this day started yesterday with my 12-year-old son who just recently decided he wants to hunt Turkeys with me. It was the second time I had gotten him out this spring and I have to be honest it was a good test of my patience lol. I told my Wife I appreciate the opportunity to take my Son hunting and I hope that he grows to love it as I do. However, he's completely new to it so it's a learning experience for both of us, to say the least. Yesterday we went out in the South Ga and the Toms could not shut up to save their life for a full on hour. That said, on the roughly 3K acre property I had pinpointed 4 birds. Now the main problem I kept running into was the birds are all henned up, every one of them had hens with them. I couldn't make a noise without getting cut off and the hens running in the other direction and pulling the Toms with them.
About 0830 they went completely silent. I mean not a peep. My boy wanted to keep hunting so we kept pushing on, I think we walked close to 7 miles. We circled back to where we originally started and found fresh tom tracks in our boot tracks from the morning. We had a bird literally walk right past our initial setup while out chasing other vocal birds. I am guessing one either liked that route or one was the silent subdominant type. Either way they came through. So we sat back up and I did some light calling. The spot was a 3 way road making a T I was sitting in the top middle section looking down a long shot about 200 yards. We kept seeing a hen come in and out but that was all. I had to leave by 11 for other family obligations, I also have a camera on that road about 600 yards from where we had been. It is around a curve, so I can't see down the full length. About 5 minutes into walking back to the truck I got a photo of that tom coming our way and he was booking it. I told my son to haul butt back to our spot and get ready, when we got close I told him to hold still while I checked around the corner. All was clear so I waved him into his spot. My son then proceeded to do his best sasquatch, full stride, full volume impression which got the attention of a hen hiding in the taller grass of the ditch and apparently the Tom who was in full strut on the edge of the corner just out of my view. My son, not quietly goes "OHHHH HES HAULING BUT DAD"
So that was the end of yesterday. I figured that spot was completely busted up now, but I continued getting photos over the next several hours so two toms are still traveling this road and strutting. I decided I would head back the following morning.
Now on to today. Wife is working, and I have to get the kids to school so I can't be out there any earlier than 0830. I know this most likely means I wont hear any gobbles but I had nothing better to do and as a newer turkey hunter (been hunting about 9 years now) I have been wanting to try out this whole having patience thing. Normally if I don't hear anything I am out of there in a hour. Today I sat in a spot further down that same road, up in their strut zone and I sat there for 6 whole hours. Not gonna lie, I am not a fan. Around 3 I decided I had enough and I am going to start my walk back to the truck (I parked 2 miles away) I started walking south down that road, easing around the corners and glassing them. There was a logging trail of sorts off to my left that goes back towards one of their roosting areas. I had not explored that area yet due to all the rain making it about a 10" deep mud pit. Ill attach a couple photos from OnX showing the area. The green dot is where I was laying down while I belly crawed up toward the ditch so I could see down that road. The yellow line is where I seen a hen down at the end, she was dusting which I have never watched before it was really cool to see through binos. I did not see the Tom initially.
I lay there a few moments and hit the box call with a cluck cluck yelp yelp yelp yelp yelp. Within a couple seconds he stepped around the corner in full strut. Wings looked almost white, I haven't seen one like this here. Normally they have some lighter blondish wings but he was on another level. He started working his way down the road towards me but the hen wouldn't have it and kept dragging him back. I really didn't know what to do at first, he seemed really hesitant. So I pulled out a Lonnie Sneed hot hen slate and did some soft purrs and I guess that did the trick. He turned and started coming towards the gun. Im not a huge fan of the next part, and I misjudged the distance. I normally don't shoot unless they are 35 yards or in, but something about laying in the ditch and sweating all day I felt like he had crossed that threshold so I let him have it. He dropped like he had been shot at 15 yards. I ran towards him to put a foot on his neck and the crazy thing to me was that the hen was still standing there after I had already ran across the road and probably closed 10 yards. She looked confused and then reality set in and she booked it. Once I got to him, I looked back at where I was and thought to myself man that looks a lot further than I thought. I walked it off, it was approx 48 yards. Nothing I would ever knowingly attempt, I use a 20 gauge and I don't use TSS either. I am big on 35 and in, but either way, the Federal GS#5's got to him hard. He had a couple of broken vertebrae and a few pellets went clear through his head with several more in his neck.
I then hiked 2 miles back to the truck. I'm now tagged out in Ga for the first time. I look forward to getting my Son his first bird, there are several more out there I have pinned down to certain areas. Hopefully, the next time I get him out he keeps the sasquatch activity to a minimum lol.
Spot where I was laying down looking down the logging trail.
