Elkwhisper
Well-known member
Well the Spring hunting season is off to a great start! I managed to sneak out on Sunday very briefly to an area close by that I knew held some turkeys. I wasn’t wrong, as before the sun rose, I had 8-10 gobblers going crazy on the roost. I managed to get my decoys set up and got all settled in about 80 yards from all the commotion and started my sweet talking. Every squeak I made got an answer, and I was pretty sure that this was going to be my shortest turkey season ever. As the sun rose, the birds were so loud and vocal it was kind of unbelievable. They flew down about 90 yards from my set up, made a bunch of noise and then wandered off in the other direction. They weren’t wise to me, but really had no interest in coming my way. When they wandered off, they left the small piece of public ground I was hunting and it didn’t look like they were coming back soon so I got out of there. I snuck back into bed by 7:45 am and the girls didn’t even know I was gone.
When Cassidy woke up I told her about all of the morning’s excitement and she was upset I didn’t wake her up and take her with. So Tuesday after work, Cassidy and I snuck back in to the same area, hoping we could intercept the birds coming back to the roost. We had a bunch of fun, looking at tracks, feathers, droppings and finding a good walking stick, while trying to avoid the cactus and yucca plants, but didn’t hear or see a thing.
Flash forward to this morning and I snuck out quickly before work to see if I could find the birds again. The area I hunt is close by and not very big, so it usually only takes about an hour to get in there, take a look around and get back out, and today was no exception. I started near where I had gotten into all the birds on Sunday and there was no sign of them, so I climbed the ridge and dropped into the next valley. I hit my locator call and didn’t get any answers so I moved on about a hundred yards and scratched out a couple of loud yelps on my box call. I got a faint far off answer that sounded like it was coming from the very bottom of the valley about a half mile below me. I decided to head that direction as quickly as I could and try and find a place to get the decoys out and try and call the bird in. I dropped into the valley quickly and quietly and started closing the distance. Apparently once I got that bird started, he had made up his mind to find that hen and was coming my way gobbling about every 60 seconds or so. I made it to about halfway between where I was when I first heard him and where I thought he was, and got my face mask on and was planning on slipping in another 100 yards or so before setting up. Just then I heard him light up about 100 yards away and closing. He was on the opposite side of the deep gulley in the bottom of the valley, working his way toward the spot I had originally called from. I barely had time to dive into the gulley before he popped out into the open on the other side. He was about 90 yards out as I peeked over the lip of the washout…. No time for decoys, this was going to happen fast. I got my gun ready and as quietly as I could scratched out 3 soft yelps on the box call. There was some very light brush between the tom and I, but I was pretty much laying on a dirt bank with just my head and shoulders peeking over. He immediately puffed up and started strutting and VERY slowly coming my way. He would stop strutting occasionally and crane his neck all around trying to spot the hen that he knew must be near by. As he closed the distance I could here him spitting and drumming and my heart started pumping pretty good. With all the hunting I do, it is funny how excited a little ol’ turkey can still get me. He came as close as 23 yards ( I ranged later), but I didn’t dare move a muscle. Finally he went be hind a very sparse ponderosa sapling and I decided to try and raise my gun….. I hadn’t moved an inch when he started putting and turned to take off. I quickly through the gun up and let him have it with a 3 ½” load of Heavy Shot #5’s and he didn’t take another step.
He was a beast!!... which became painfully obvious on the mile long hike back to the truck. He ended up tearing out the pouch on the back of my turkey vest, and when I got home he tipped the scales at 21 pounds. He had an 8 ½” beard that was nice and thick and good spurs. All and all a great morning…. Just wish Cassidy had been with me. She will get her chance this weekend though… we are supposed to head down to Broadus and see if we can’t fill that second tag.
Wish us luck!
When Cassidy woke up I told her about all of the morning’s excitement and she was upset I didn’t wake her up and take her with. So Tuesday after work, Cassidy and I snuck back in to the same area, hoping we could intercept the birds coming back to the roost. We had a bunch of fun, looking at tracks, feathers, droppings and finding a good walking stick, while trying to avoid the cactus and yucca plants, but didn’t hear or see a thing.
Flash forward to this morning and I snuck out quickly before work to see if I could find the birds again. The area I hunt is close by and not very big, so it usually only takes about an hour to get in there, take a look around and get back out, and today was no exception. I started near where I had gotten into all the birds on Sunday and there was no sign of them, so I climbed the ridge and dropped into the next valley. I hit my locator call and didn’t get any answers so I moved on about a hundred yards and scratched out a couple of loud yelps on my box call. I got a faint far off answer that sounded like it was coming from the very bottom of the valley about a half mile below me. I decided to head that direction as quickly as I could and try and find a place to get the decoys out and try and call the bird in. I dropped into the valley quickly and quietly and started closing the distance. Apparently once I got that bird started, he had made up his mind to find that hen and was coming my way gobbling about every 60 seconds or so. I made it to about halfway between where I was when I first heard him and where I thought he was, and got my face mask on and was planning on slipping in another 100 yards or so before setting up. Just then I heard him light up about 100 yards away and closing. He was on the opposite side of the deep gulley in the bottom of the valley, working his way toward the spot I had originally called from. I barely had time to dive into the gulley before he popped out into the open on the other side. He was about 90 yards out as I peeked over the lip of the washout…. No time for decoys, this was going to happen fast. I got my gun ready and as quietly as I could scratched out 3 soft yelps on the box call. There was some very light brush between the tom and I, but I was pretty much laying on a dirt bank with just my head and shoulders peeking over. He immediately puffed up and started strutting and VERY slowly coming my way. He would stop strutting occasionally and crane his neck all around trying to spot the hen that he knew must be near by. As he closed the distance I could here him spitting and drumming and my heart started pumping pretty good. With all the hunting I do, it is funny how excited a little ol’ turkey can still get me. He came as close as 23 yards ( I ranged later), but I didn’t dare move a muscle. Finally he went be hind a very sparse ponderosa sapling and I decided to try and raise my gun….. I hadn’t moved an inch when he started putting and turned to take off. I quickly through the gun up and let him have it with a 3 ½” load of Heavy Shot #5’s and he didn’t take another step.
He was a beast!!... which became painfully obvious on the mile long hike back to the truck. He ended up tearing out the pouch on the back of my turkey vest, and when I got home he tipped the scales at 21 pounds. He had an 8 ½” beard that was nice and thick and good spurs. All and all a great morning…. Just wish Cassidy had been with me. She will get her chance this weekend though… we are supposed to head down to Broadus and see if we can’t fill that second tag.
Wish us luck!
