Sitting in Seattle Airport, guess I can tell part of the Iowa trip.
Got a red eye out off SFO on Tuesday,April 18, 0008 hrs. Flights went good thru Chicago. Met up with a good friends brother that is an avid turkey hunter near Moline Illinois. Arrived in the north part of Iowa turkey woods, Wednesday afternoon. Set up camp, and had a bit of time to look around. Thursday scouting. We did about 9 miles checking different areas. Had a number of gobblers located, but not exact, didn't want to push too close, it was guys last day of the first season. Didn't want to booger anyone.
Friday morning set up on one that we had seen strutting near some cypress off a fairly well traveled parking area. About the time most guys were getting there we had been set up for 45 minutes. Coyotes started to go off, turkeys followed , and everyone stayed to bust the birds off the roost. Too much gobbling. That was opening morning. Made a move to chase the birds that we had found the day before.
Everything was silent by the time we made the moves. Scott went to an area we had heard birds, I went to a different field. Made a setup on a cut corn field, not expecting much. Sat for twenty minutes after setting up just to listen. Made one set of quiet calls, just sitting back. About ten minutes goes by, I'm impressed with the decoy, it was moving in the breeze. Back and forth, stopped from doing circles with a corn stalk. Still not a peep, and I look down into a corner, 80 yards away, and a Tom is strutting. Thinking...jeeeze this is going to be easy. I waited about five minutes watching him strut. He wasn't moving. I clucked a couple of times, he'd bow up. Obviously he was waiting for her to come to him....and she didn't. Twenty minutes goes by and he walks back into the woods. He never made a sound. He may have been spitting and drumming, but I couldn't hear him.
About this time two GeoCachers came walking between me and my decoy. Game over for this setup.
Around the time they cleared out, Scott shoots a nice tom. 25.8 pounds, 1 1/16. 10" beard. He said he'd heard him gobbling, and the bird wouldn't come. He made an end around and called the hen to him. Killed the gobbler following.
Stayed out til dark, saw one other tom, but he wasn't interested. Just feeding in a clover field.
Got in on birds again Saturday morning. Another bird with hens. Waited til around 830 before we made the move. He was gobbling about every fifteen minutes. Worked into about 60 yards and set up... He was just over a rise. Made a few soft clucks. Had the gun up when he started through the brush. At about twelve steps the cover opened and he stopped. Not sure where I shot, but he was up and away with the shot. At about 15 yards, flying slanted away I busted him out the air. Feathers and a ball of turkey hit the ground, just over the rise. As I was getting up, all I see is a turkey head up and gone into the bush. Heart sick. Missed him at point blank. Obviously wing broke and body shot. Looked for an hour. Followed feathers, but the only blood was before the brush where he hit the ground.
My last day hunting was Sunday. Had a bird standing his ground again. He went quiet. We stayed for an hour waiting, only to have him gobble from his original location. So we made a move. Located ourselves about 50-75 yards from our guess of his location. 180 degrees. Everything was set again.
Scott was about twenty yards behind me, calling. He does good at quiet calling. After about twenty minutes I had to adjust, my butt was killing me. And guess who walked out from behind the bushes. He was a toad. Looked to be standing 4' tall. He knew I was there. Didn't know what at the base of that tree, but he didn't like it. Flipped his wing and started to move. I slow moved my gun into position, but he had moved over the rise with another male turkey. Gig was up, the other bird raised his head and he got rolled. I had shot a jake.
I took pictures, so he can be team scored if necessary. I'm already planning to go back next year. I've got a score to settle.
