GobbleNut Hunt Log 2025

[GobbleNut]

Wednesday, March 26:
Finally!...turkey season has arrived!  Hit the road early headed west for my first hunt of the year. (Note: a BIG THANKS to Avidnwoutdoorsman for turning me on to this hunt). Met up with my two hunt companions and arrived at our designated campsite rendezvous mid-afternoon. Drove around to assess hunting conditions and possible hunt locations (this is a REALLY big place) after setting up camp. The entire area is in the midst of a long dry spell and many of the water sources available to turkeys in the past were now dry, giving us concern about how it would impact turkey distribution and numbers in the area.

Even so, driving around, we spotted a group of twelve gobblers along the way in one spot, easing our fears a bit but at the same time raising our concern that they were still in the winter gobbler-flock mode...no hens in sight. We split up at sunset to try to locate gobblers for the next morning. Quite surprised that tried and true locator tactics failed to raise a single gobble for any of us, we went to bed very concerned with the outlook for the next morning.

[GobbleNut]

Thursday, March 27:
The three of us split up an hour before daylight, headed to different areas. I chose a high ridge where I could hear in all directions for gobbling and was in place for listening for gobbling well before first light. As the eastern horizon began to lighten, I was confident it was just a matter of time before the first gobbler sounded off.

The first gobbles heard were from the vicinity of where we had seen the gobbler group, which was just on the edge of my hearing well over a mile away (we had stayed out of that location due to another camp being set up nearby...assuming one or more hunters from that camp would be hunting there). A bit later, I heard distant gobbles from the area one of my buddies was supposed to be near, so I chose not to head for them. Fully expecting to hear gobbling in my "hunt zone", I was disappointed when nothing sounded off.

About fly-down time, I moved towards the first gobbler group heard mainly just to see if I could tell if someone was hunting them. They were roosted on the edge of a half-mile-wide open field across from my location and I sat and listened and watched through binoculars to see if I could spot them or any hunter that might be on them. The gobblers were now silent...and I was hearing no calling to indicate someone was there. After a bit, I decided I would head that way to see if I could make contact with the gobblers, and also look for any evidence that they were being hunted by someone else.

I couldn't raise a response from any of the gobblers...but looking around for any evidence that anybody had been hunting them, I could find nothing to indicate that was the case. I headed back to camp to see if my hunting companions had had any luck and was surprised to hear that neither of them had heard any gobbling at all and had also not been able to raise a response from a tom. (As it turned out, the one buddy who I thought was in the area I had heard the other gobbling from was not close enough to hear those).

In the afternoon, we drove around looking at other locations to hunt and found another group of gobblers in one spot. At sunset that evening, we again split up to try to roost gobblers...and again, none of us could raise a gobble. Very unusual, indeed.

Discussing our strategies for the next morning, my buddies decided they would head for the area we had found that afternoon to try those gobblers...and I decided I would head for the group near the big open field. Our plans were in place. 

[GobbleNut]

Friday, March 28:
Well before daylight, I park across from where I think the gobbler group had roosted the night before and head across the open grassland well before first light. I get to the tree line fifteen minutes before I expected the first gobble to be heard, chose a location I figured I would hear them from...and waited. I waited...and waited...and waited...and no gobbling!

It was well past "gobble-thirty" and I was concluding the gobblers were not around, thinking they had gone over the ridge to the north to roost out-of-earshot. Reluctantly, I decided to retrace my steps back to my truck and head for another location to try to raise a gobbler. I was 150 yards out into the open field when, all of a sudden, a gobble rings out from right above where I had been standing three minutes before!

Grumbling to myself, I quickly head back towards the tree line, all the while thinking the jig is up for this hunt. Before I am back to the trees, several other gobblers from the group have sounded off in various spots up the hillside surrounding a small draw. However, once I am again in a hidden position, I am relieved...and shocked...that the gobblers are still sounding off as if they had not seen me, for some unfathomable reason, walking across the open field right out in front of them. One of them turns out to be REALLY close, and I am totally amazed that he hadn't sounded the alarm to all the others,...but "it is what it is"...and in a state of disbelief, I accept my good fortune.

Regardless, at this point there was no way for me to get to where I am thinking I need to be to set up, so I just sit down behind a small cedar at the edge of the field, figuring I am just going to have to play the hand that has been dealt.

I sit listening to about a dozen gobblers sounding off on the hillside behind and beyond me, waiting for fly-down time to see what happens. Then, at one point, I hear what sounds to be a hen give out a single series of yelps up the hill near the closest gobbler. Thinking "what the heck" at this point, I give out a single series of "morning greeting" tree yelps back.

Shortly, I hear wing beats as the closest gobbler flies down into the hillside above me...rather than out into the open field in front. I don't hear any of the others fly down but soon see the backs of turkeys (the grass in the field is just about back-high to a turkey) filtering into the field from the draw about 120 yards away. Looking through binos, these turkeys look like hens to me in the pre-sunrise light and I am figuring that I am dealing with a mixed flock of birds...generally a really bad combination, especially considering where I am set up. 

Regardless, I send out a series of hen yelps followed by a short series of jake/gobbler yelps, hoping to play the "jake/hen card" on the group. I can see three turkeys at this point and a couple of them raise their heads and look my way...a remotely promising sign.  They mill around in sight for a bit and then one of them takes a few steps towards me...and then the other two do the same.

I am thinking "hey, there's hope here". The three turkeys (I am convinced they are hens at this point due to their non-descript-looking head size and coloration) are slowly feeding towards me, looking up every so often. Every couple of minutes, I give them the same series of soft hen yelps followed by a short series of coarse jake/gobbler yelps. Slowly they keep coming on towards me, soon cutting the distance from the original 120 or so yards to sixty...and then about fifty.

Again, thinking I am dealing with hens here, I have not even got my gun in position...it laying on the ground next to me. As they approach shotgun range, suddenly the closest one turns sideways...and I immediately see a significant beard hanging from its breast!  I am thinking...'bearded hen"...but decide I should at least pick up my shotgun, so I slowly reach down and start bringing it into position. Fortunately, the straggly cedar tree I am behind allows me to do so without notice.

I watch intently as the second turkey also turns sideways...and there is a long beard on that one, as well. I ask myself,..."Hmmm, what are the odds that there are two long-bearded hen turkeys running together around here?" and the old light-bulb suddenly comes on. These are NOT hen turkeys! They are the gobblers I heard...and they are coming to investigate! During their approach, not once had they gobbled or strutted, and their dull head coloration had fooled me.

Urgency now sets in and I figure I need to get the gun into "ready" position as the first gobbler reaches thirty yards. I get the gun up right as the second gobbler moves in right behind the first...and they stand there looking...and looking. I am a bit nervous that they are going to turn and walk off without separating and allowing me to shoot. I hold and wait. Luckily, in a few seconds, they separate...and I pull the trigger on the first bird. He goes down in a heap and it is over.

Soon I am putting my hands on another beautiful high-mountain gobbler, and as I sit and admire him as I fill out and attach my tag, I am frankly shocked that it has worked. Everything had pointed towards this morning being anything but successful. That's one of the fascinating things about it. You never know what is going to happen...but there is always the chance, no matter the odds, that something good will! As always, I am thankful beyond words to be able to be here...


The background is the wide-open field I crossed...

[Vintage]

Congrats GobbleNut.

[TrackeySauresRex]

Wow! That was a great read. Congrats on a great hunt. 

[crow]

Well done Jim and very good write up's.

Some people just live right

[JeffC]

Awesome hunt and great read Jim, Congratulations!

[Happy]

Nice Jim! I am very happy for ya. You must be living right sir.

[eggshell]

Well done Jim. Sometimes it just works out, others it doesn't. Glad this went the right way

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

I have said that is a hunt I always want to go back to. It is some of the coolest country I have ever been to and one of my favorite hunts. Congrats!

The birds just don't ever seam to follow the script there.

Funny thing is my girls are 2hrs away at there grandpas rights now and I'm here in the rain and the cold waiting...


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[YoungGobbler]

Good job Jim    Glad your season is started, this thread will make for a nice read this spring!

[g8rvet]

Awesome and congrats.  The write ups were great.

[GobbleNut]

Thanks everybody for the kind words.  My next hunt isn't until mid-April so the log will be on hiatus for a couple of weeks. 

In the meantime, here's hoping that everybody else is either having a great season...or is getting ready to do so!   

[eggshell]

I won't hunt until the 12th but I will be guiding the wounded warrior / handicapped hunt this weekend. I was out this morning scouting and I wish I had a hunter with me, they were on fire

[randy6471]

Congratulations Jim. Great story.