Thought I’d share my turkey hunt from Saturday. I went back to the same field I had hunted during third season. This time I set my blind up 200yards into the field at the very edge of the public property line. I know for sure because my blind is only 10 feet away from the marked surveyors stake.
I’m 15 minutes before legal shooting time but it is already getting light out. The scattered clouds are dissipating as the sun creeps up over the tree line. I’ve heard several gobbles from all around me and I have high hopes for the morning. I give a few yelps and clucks every few minutes but nothing has directly responded to my calling. Suddenly a loud boom rings out off to the west. Not to worry, that hunter apparently got his bird and was set up far enough away to not disturb the area that I am working.
The minutes drag by and I am hearing fewer gobbles as the minutes pass away. I look at my watch (every 3 minutes,, ha!), it is only 7:00am and there is plenty of the morning left for something to happen and then it does. I hear a weak gobble, not loud yet not far away. I look out and see three birds (a gobbler and two hens) walking in the alfalfa field 600 yards to the west. They are heading along a path which will put a deep ravine between us. I grab my call and let loose with a few calm clucks. They look up for a second and then go back to feeding and scratching their way across the field. Soon they are shielded by the trees and I fear that I may not be able to pull them my way.
I get on my call and give a series of aggressive yelps. This is answered with a gobble. I am encouraged and sit silently to see what they will do. Using my binoculars, I can catch glimpses of them thru the trees so I know they are still there. I decide to go for broke and really get on my call now. I raise quite a ruckus and much to my delight I see the gobbler rounding the trees and headed my way. He disappears into a depression in the field for what seems like forever and I still can’t see him. My mind begins to wonder if he turned and headed towards the woods. Just then the two hens come round the corner and are on a fast trot directly towards me. I can only assume the gobbler is straight ahead of them and headed here also.
At just that moment I see the top of his blue and white head cresting the rise in the field. He stops every few step to puff himself up and do a bit of strutting. So this is why it took him so long. He is just so proud of himself and puts on quite a show. Back and forth he struts zig-zagging his way in ever closer, 50 yrds, 40 yrds, now 30, now 25 and I pull the trigger. He is down and flopping and I couldn’t be happier. What a show, I need to get this on my GoPro sometime.
That is the end for my hunting this spring. A successful two hunts on back to back weekends. I wish to those still hunting or looking forward to their season, as much fun as I had.
