Made the trip down to my farm in central Kansas on Thursday last week...went out Thursday afternoon and saw a gobbler in 8" tall wheat about 75 yards from the northwest corner of a 15 acre wood. I slipped in thru the woods as near to the corner as I dared, set up and let out a couple of yelps...he had moved off to about 120 yards but responded with a gobble. Much to my surprise I had a chorus of thundering gobbles come from my left...looked down thru trees and could see 4-5 strutters with several hens about 150 yards south in an adjoining wheat field.
I switched my focus to them , moved about 10 yards and called again. Was able to get one tom and one hen to come in to about 80 yards before they decided to head back to the flock. I watched them wander back south and split up. I was able to back track to the east side of the wood and set up in trees on the edge of a third wheat field.
I waited about 30 minutes and called again...two gobbles! Worked two toms in and took the biggest one at 27 yards with my 935, Star Dot, 3 1/2" No. 6 Win Longbeards. He was 21 lbs, 9 1/2" beard and two nice sharp 1 1/4" hooks. By this time it was after 6:00 PM so I loaded up my bird and drove to a high point on the property to see if I could roost anything. Sure enough two longbeards were strutting in the middle of the largest field and eventually made their way towards cottonwoods on a creek. About that time my 14 year old grandson Kolbi texts me...I don't have school Friday can I come down and go turkey hunting with you? Good timing Kolbi...you sure can!
I rousted Kolbi out at 5:00am and we drove 15 miles to the farm...set up on the west side of the woods looking over a 200 yard wide strip of wheat...pretty sure the 2 gobblers were in cottonwoods on a leg of the creek across to west from us. we set up a jake and a hen decoy about 25 yards out and found two trees about 5 yards apart to get set up in. So far everything perfect...clear morning about 58 degrees, little wind. As it got lighter I could see turkeys in two cottonwoods across the wheat...we started hearing them gobble and were excited to hear there were more than two...maybe 5-6 tearing it up in the clear morning air. The first bunch flew down, some hens and a couple of gobblers about 6:30 and the toms started gobbling and they hens sounding off too. I let out a couple of soft yelps to let them know where we were and I was rewarded with responding gobbles. The rest of the birds flew down and I called again a couple of times on my box calls and again gobbles...coming closer. Pretty soon we see two heads (birds were down a slope from us so we couldn't see them after flydown). It's tow of the toms coming in directly to our decoys strutting side by side. My gun is on the ground beside me as I had decided not to take a bird today...this was Kolbi's hunt. As the birds closed to about 30 yards I see Kolbi's gun is up...then 25 yds , then BANG! Kolbi's 835 booms...Toms just stand there a second, then hurry back to the west...poor Kolbi didn't draw a feather. I was dumbfounded...this is the boy who has dropped every turkey I've put him on since he was 9 years old. I was too far away from him to ask what happened so I motioned for him to sit tight. I waited about 15 minutes , hit my crow call and sure enough, still gobblers there over the hill. The boss hen started some cutting and loud yelping so I started cutting her off every time she called. By this time the flock if 12-15 birds has started moving north along the far creek edge and we can see them...I keep irritating the boss hen and finally she has had enough...her she comes and drags the whole flock with her. The first four hens are in the decoys at 25 yards and the biggest bodied gobbler is at the rear about 45 yards out...his head turns white and he runs up to the front of the flock right in the decoys when Kolbi's 835 , Ballistic Specialties Angle Port choke and 3 1/2" of Win Super XX 6's booms again....this time his aim is true. As we gathered up his bird I asked him what happened on the first shot...he said he was almost ready to fire, just getting his gun up to final position and it caught on his leafy suit jacket and he fired before he meant too...said he felt like he was going to throw up when it happened. He redeemed himself and we had one of the best hunts we ever had and could have easily doubled if we wanted to.
I was pleased to leave 4-5 gobblers out there for the next trip! That's Kolbi's bird which ended up being 22 lbs, 7 1/2" beard, 3/4" spurs and a shot of mine's spurs with my Lonny Sneed Green Glass call.
