A friend of mine asked me last week to take his son turkey hunting. His son has never shot a turkey, nor has my friend, though they have been before. We tried to set up a time last week, but with his son's school and sports, we were not able to get a time set up. However, today was a good time for all of us and our schedules and we all needed to leave by 10:00, as our church had an Easter egg hunt at 11:00.
I have been pretty anxious, as I was hoping the birds would cooperate, and be gobbling. The last time I was anxious, my daughter wanted to go in pursuit of a mature bird, and despite me hearing birds all week, the time we went, we heard nothing!! That's why it's called hunting.
It was rather cool this morning at around 42 degrees, but welcomed compared to the 80 degrees and high humidity lately. We went to our first place to listen, and nothing!! We heard this bird gobbling WAYYYYYY in the distance, and I decided we needed to go, THEN and quickly. Drove out, and listened to course the bird, heard him, and then moved to another parking spot to go after him.
We started out going to the left to loop around the bird, and after about 20 steps, I decided it wasn't going to work out, and doubled back to go around the right side. We set up on a ridge finger, with a road coming up to where we set up, and thinned pines with a LAAARRRRGGGE viewing area all around us. We could see around 200-350 yards away, depending on which way one looked. My friend, and his son were sitting side by side, on a large pine tree, and where they were barely able to see over the hill to the bottom about 150 yards away. I sat directly behind them.
First set of calls and the bird gobbled back. Two more sets of calls with the mouth call and slate at the same time, had him coming. My position behind the two were a disadvantage to me and what I could see. I saw the bird or his white head, coming off the other hill at about 300 yards away through a hole in the timber. That was all I ever saw him, until the last 25 yards.
I found out after the hunt, my friend was able to see the bird strutting at the bottom of the hill for 30 plus minutes with a hen. His first sighting of the bird was the tail fan all spread out. His son, was not able to see the bird at the bottom of the hill, except in one small hole through some briars. Amazing how both can sit together, and just a few inches up, and to the side, can change the view!!!
Due to my lack of visibility, and the bird not gobbling anymore, I was worried he may have slipped behind us, and seen us. I didn't call for 30 minutes after the first three sets of calls. Finally, I did some light purrs, a few clucks, and waited. My friend reports the bird had left the area, and after the purrs and clucks, he showed back up at the bottom of the hill. I waited and still feeling like the bird had seen us, but not sure, decided to call a little more aggressive.
BAM!! He hammered back at the bottom of the hill.
I figured he liked it, and gave him some excited yelps, and he hammered back. I did this a few more times, and shut up. A minute of two later, I see my friend's son move the gun some, and then the bird popped up over the hill into view, coming to the decoys. The bird was trotting up the hill like a fat man running to the ice cream truck!!
When the bird got to where he was in full view, WE WERE TOO!!! He put on the brakes, gave us the one eye, and turned to walk away. I whispered to shoot the bird, and see my friend's son flinch, but nothing. I whispered louder to shoot, as the bird was about to be over the edge of the hill and gone. BOOOM!!!!!!!! Feathers flew, the bird dropped, and flopped, and flopped, and flopped, and then started to get back up. I told him to shoot again, and a brief, but short chase down the hill, to make the memory stronger, ended the hunt with some excited hollers, high fives, and some laughter at his dad's expense. We learned his dad's leg had gone to sleep, and when his dad stood up help to go after the bird, he fell down due to no feeling in his leg. He was only able to watch us on his back as we went after the bird.
The bird had sharp one inch spurs, a little over 10" beard, and weighed 18.70 lbs!!!
What a great day to spend with friends, and to feel the excitement in the air of a successful turkey hunt for a beginner!!! It's days like these which make all the hard work put into the land, and all the management of the land worth while!!
God Bless,
David B.
