With not getting paid I have been busy when not at work doing odds and ends to make some money and have been staying up late, so when this past Saturday rolled around I couldn't bring myself to wake up at 0430 to go hunting. Plus didn't have time to scout so would have been blind anywhere I went.
Decided to try for an afternoon hunt after helping the wife out around the house. Took Garland, the oldest with me and we rode around looking for a bird. Didn't take long to spot one about 80 yards from where Jonah, and I set up at the previous Saturday.
This is also the same spot that I stalked through the woods last year and wounded a turkey that cause a spiral of emotions for me. But with that aside I went with good spirits this year with the oldest tagging along for the .66 mile walk across canals, ditches, thick undergrowth, and way too many spider webs. Decided not to bring the cumbersome decoys and was going to just hope they walk by going to roost.
We get going and about 300 yards in, I see 2 hens out in the field headed to the woods where we needed to go. So I made a mental note and tell Garland, what I think they will do and what we might have to do to deviate.
So cross a canal without falling in and get going through the spider webs, kid doesn't know how lucky he is to follow behind me.
By the time we get a ways in I slow down and listen and sure enough I hear turkeys scratching. I asked Garland, If he knows what it is and it takes him a minute to realize that it's the hens we saw earlier and now are about 50 yards away. We make a big circle around them and continue on to the inside corner of the next field.
As we get there and slow our pace I try to locate the birds and can't find them. Move around some and finally spot them about 120 yards from us and the are about 50 yards from the wood line.
We get down behind a mound of dirt where they dug the ditch out decades ago and crawl down closer getting the where I feel like they will follow the field ditch towards the woods. After a bit they start working their way back to the woods before we could get exactly where I wanted but it was going to have to be good enough.
Got him all situated and we waited and just like with Jonah, the hens come by within range but the tom stops short. He is in range and Garland is trying to adjust to get a clear shot but couldn't get moved far enough over to clear the brush before the bird turned back around and walked into the field again. All the while the hens stayed put scratching in front of us.
So he moved out across the field and goes about 80 yards and the hens finally move on to our left and head to back corner. The tom comes back but only gets to about 45-50 yards, too far even for my gun with the turkey choke. Now is when the turkey is clear for a shot for Garland and he asks "is he in range?" "No, bud. Sorry he is too far"
He continues on and follows the hens down to the woods and goes in to roost.
We get up and Garland's legs are shaking with adrenaline. Good times and then back through the webs to get to the truck to head home.
