AggieHunter
Well-known member
Well after a lot of hard work I finally got my front range, Merriam. Covering almost 30 miles during scouting and turning up tracks in only two places I wasn't feeling very hopeful about the season. I picked what I thought was the best spot and headed out a 4:45 am opening morning. With gobbles as I stepped out of the truck, a raced through the dark to set up but found two other guys already set up, so I had to turn around and head to another area as I hear gobbles ring out behind me. At around 7:00 am I herd a bang and later found out that they had shot a pretty small jake. With the woods dying down I went back to the truck and drove up the road and hiked up the adjacent ridge from where they shot their bird. At this point, I was with a friend who was calling for me and got a gobble right as we got to the ridge. My friend had only hunted Easterns was thinking we would have time to set up as he sounded a good way off. After about 5 minutes of discussion we decided the tress to go sit and let out a few more yelps to get another location on him and to our surprise a gobble rang out right beside us probably only 40 yards away. Startled by how fast the tom made up the ground I just held up my gun hoping to see him come over the ridge, but he must have seen us and busted. The evening seemed to be uneventful until I relocated what I think was the tom the other two hunters missed after shooting the jake. Again they caught me off guard as he gobbled from under 60 yards giving me no option, but to sit at the nearest tree. I did some more yelps, but he was not interested due to the hens he already had with him. With light fading, I slipped back to the truck knowing they would be roosting nearby. The next morning was a different scene as it was 20 degrees and beginning to snow. I slipped in early after hearing him gobble on the roost hoping to lure him away from his harem. I let out some soft yelps when he flew off but got no response even though he was gobbling like crazy at crows and his hens. With my fingers freezing I left to warm up and drive down the road towards where I last heard him. I was definitely shocked when I looked out a window and saw him in full strut with his hens in a small pull-off where people where target shooting the day before. After backing up slightly to where a small rise blocked them from me I began to crawl through the snow towards them. I start letting out small yelps and had him fired up instantly. Knowing he was within 50 yards of me just out of sight and with hens I had doubts he would come. This gobble fest went on for another 15 minutes before I heard what I was looking for the lead hen starting to yelp and cluck at me. Trusting the videos I watched the night before with calling toms with hens I started to repeat back to the hen what I heard. After getting louder and cutting her off she got mad and headed towards me bring the tom behind. The heavy snowfall must have concealed me as I was kneeling in the open between two trees when I saw the toms red head and took my shot. Of course, history repeated its self with my last turkey back in Kansas and I missed a close shot. As the turned and started running away I took of in a sprint towards them in desperation. Closing a pretty good distance I stopped found the tom running right behind his hens, gave a little bit of lead in front of him, and BOOM. Finally, my Merriam that I worked so hard for was flopping on the ground! He was a beautiful bird with an almost 9 1/2 inch beard! Glad I let those other hunters go after the jake I heard.
