THE SNAKE THAT WASN'TIt was the first week of turkey season on Montgomery Island, and two new members, Laura and Jep, asked if I would guide them on a turkey hunt. It was really Laura that wanted to kill a turkey. Jep was just along for the adventure. They were such nice folks—how could I refuse? I told them we'd all hunt together and to be at my cabin 30 minutes before daylight. They arrived right on schedule. As I briefed them on my plans for the morning, I sensed the anticipation and read the excitement on their faces.
I had patterned the birds from the day before, so I had a good idea of where they might be roosted and which way they would likely go after fly-down. We snuck into the woods in the dim pre-dawn light, trying to be as quiet as three sets of boots can be. I dug my Harrison owl hooter from my vest and cranked off a series of "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all." My efforts were met with immediate gobbles, and it sounded like more than one gobbler. We eased up to cut the distance between us and the roosted birds. Laura and I set up shoulder to shoulder under a huge cottonwood tree. Jep sat back a ways to watch what would unfold. I did my best to put her in a position to be the shooter. They continued to gobble good on the roost. I eased over to whisper in Laura's ear, "We're in business now."
After fly-down, they all cut my calls, so I figured we were going to have a good chance of making something happen. My years of experience told me they were headed our way. After just a short while, I could tell that the gobblers were real close. We still couldn't see them, but they were very close. At this critical juncture, every seasoned turkey hunter knows you shouldn't move a muscle. Well, I could feel Laura trying to stand up from our spot under the cottonwood tree. I thought, "Oh no—not now!!" So, in a bit of a panic, I reached over and put my hand solidly on her shoulder, preventing her from getting to her feet. As she continued to try and stand, I leaned back over and whispered, "What's going on?"
In a whispered response that was a little too loud, she said, "A snake is about to crawl in my lap!!" At that point, the turkeys all gobbled again—close, real close. I had to quickly get her emotions tamped down, so I whispered a little white lie in the most calming voice that I could muster, "It's probably just a garter snake," but the truth was, I had not seen it. That seemed to settle the situation down for a moment, and I was hoping it had bought us some time. Then, to my dismay, two coyotes came in, and I was sure that they were going to bust up our hunt, but to my relief, they did not. The turkeys continued to gobble.
As the gobblers got closer, they started veering to the right. Laura is right-handed, and since the gobblers were now in sight and advancing rapidly, there was no way to get her turned around for a shot. So—I killed the gobbler and broke in my new 20-gauge. After I shot (four gobblers came in), one of them began to fight the flopping turkey. I grabbed her, spun her around, and said, "Shoot that gobbler." The shot did not connect.
After the excitement died down with hugs and high-fives, we retrieved our bird and made our way back to where we were set up. I said, "Let me see if I can find that snake." After poking around a bit, I found the culprit. The "snake" turned out to be a box turtle—all she could see was his nose sticking up through the stinging nettles and thought it was a snake. We all had to laugh.
What a great hunt!! I made two new friends and killed a turkey—it doesn't get much better
https://a.co/d/b2Abt6i
