Saturday the 4 am alarm didn't get a chance to go off, as I was awake at 3:55. Less than an hour later I was crossing into the newly planted corn field, as I was headed to the roost area where the birds were heard last weekend. With almost all Kansas lakes being quite low (this lake of over 6 feet lower than normal) these birds were more flexible in their travel plans than in a normal year.
In drought years past, kansasson and I have found birds traveling areas that would normally be a mud flat of 3-4 feet depth, and they were using these areas for dusting and resting, as well as nice open strutting areas. As I reached my destination area, the first birds of the morning were waking up. A hen and jake decoy were deployed with care, making sure that if anyone was going to shoot at my jake, I would not be in danger of being in the background. As the turkeys started gobbling up and down the treeline, I spotted multiple birds on roost directly in front of me, only 120 yards across the dry lake flat.
As these birds flew down, there was the the usual morning squabbling, and then I saw birds coming through the willows, heading across the flat, but angling away from me and my decoys. Hens, jakes and several rope draggers all swaggered into the flat, and took to showing off for each other how pretty they thought they were.
Fading further away, they disappeared into the woods. Sporadic gobbling from several areas let me know that they hadn't fully left the area, and every so often small groups would head back to the roost area, tantalizing close.
As the morning rolled on, turkeys headed down the flat, towards the lake. They made sure to hug the opposite edge, over 80 yards away. Some turkey sense was telling them to stay away from the non moving hen and jake on my side of the open area.
Later still in the morning, two jakes were heard doing their best to sound like big boy gobblers, and horribly missing the mark. Heading my way, they looked a little bit like bike racers, each taking turns drafting off the other bird, and generally headed my way. As they approached my location, they slowed down, and kept nervously looking over at my decoys. Angling closer, it seemed like they would end up coming all the way in. I had told myself that I wasn't going to shoot a jake this day, but i did practice muzzle control, and cheek weld on my 12 gauge. There were several moments when had it been legal for me to do, I am convinced that I could have had a two-fer.
I pulled the jake decoy, and moved the hen decoy into the shade. Birds continued to trade back and forth from the treeline bordering the ag fields to the east, and the woodlot directly across the flat from me. On the few occasions that I called, the sounds would stop the traveling birds and they would crane their necks to look in my direction, but fully failed to move in my direction. I had thoughts of moving locations, but doing so would probably end up spooking the birds, and perhaps pushing them away from the lake flat.
Watching all of this movement, I hatched a plan to be put into effect on Sunday.
Once again the alarm didn't get a chance to go off, as I rolled out of bed early. I find that this earns significant kitchen pass points, as it doesn't wake Mrs. kansasdad. Heading into the backwater area where the turkeys had been hanging out, I decided to not walk in on the lake flat, but do an end run and set up where the birds had been traveling into the ag fields adjacent to the lake flat. Gobbling started a few minutes before sunrise. It seemed that there were more birds up river than yesterday.
I patted myself on the back on my ninja skills when a doe came down the riverbank, and found some tasty morsels to munch on for breakfast about 10 yards from me.
She pushed off, and as I fought dozing off, I was snapped back into hunting mode when two hens strode into view in the middle of the lake flat. Heading towards the lake, they had a tom in tow, and had a purpose in their steps. I breathed on the mouth call, causing the trio of turkeys to pause momentarily, and then off they continued.
Time continued to roll, and a feeling came over me that I needed to switch locations. I wanted to move as close as I could to the lake flat edge, and picked up my gear ready to head out. Over a half mile away I could see a strutter working his magic, and he started gobbling and double gobbling. In my binoculars I could see that he had a full fan, and he was heading in my direction. Moving, I decided that using a large cottonwood trunk as my backdrop, and a couple of horizontally growing willows as a screen to hide behind from his advance, I put my gun on the monopod and waited for the gobbling lovesick tom to walk into the lethal zone. I could keep track of his approach, as he was gobbling every 20-30 seconds. As he uttered his last gobble, he strode into view and turned his head and appeared to look at me directly. Knowing that he was in range, I made sure to sight down the rib , centered the bead, and ended my spring turkey season.
All that was left was the tagging, photos and a walk back to the car. I message the family group text of the good news of a birthday turkey, and I texted Mrs. kansasdad asking her to bring a brush to church so that I could spruce up the camo hat head. And then I realized that I must have left the turkey sling I have used for the last several years back at home. This was a big bird, and I decided that I was not going to walk out with him flopping on my shoulder, allowing his bloody head to stain my pants. Using the batwing and the compression straps of the pack, I secured the bird and started walking out. Making good time as I was determined to not be late for church, I headed down the lake flat, through the woods, across the ag fields and back to the car. Keeping my head down and concentrating on not stumbling on crop stubble, I noticed my shadow on the field.
Dropping the heavy pack, I felt the expected sensation of walking-on-air-steps for the next few steps, caused by dropping the pack, harkening back to the high adventure packtrips of scouting years. (Can I even say
BOY Scout years now???)
Thanks Kansas
