How does that old adage go? “Curiosity killed the Cat.” Well, after the last two weeks, I can safely say that a person could easily replace the word Cat with Wild Turkey for the saying above when it comes to hunting gobblers in the spring.
My turkey season began at the office this past week while talking with the guy I work with “Brian” and asked if he would like to chase some Toms during Season D? Surprisingly, Brian was a little indecisive on whether or not to go. So, I looked at the 5 day forecast and gave him my best persuasion speech. I basically said the weather looked promising over the weekend, there are hardly any bugs out right now, and added that the next season where we could take advantage of a Sat / Sun would be well into May for Season G or H. Plus, I was going to be hunting the last 5 seasons with my bow anyhow. So, it really didn’t matter to me what Brian decided.
Fast forward to Friday May 2nd:
Brian did buy his gun license for Season D and we decide to meet after work to do some scouting and set-up. We started by glassing a property that Brian shot a very nice bird 2 years prior. As we were scanning the field, we see two Toms standing exactly in the center of this square mile section. The funny thing is that they are in the exact same spot that Brian killed his Tom two years prior and we both knew the game of spot and stalk was on. To make a long story short, we got within 250 yards before losing sight of the birds and decided to leave them alone. We didn’t want to educate them (in case we had to come back) and also needed to check out a different property before dark.
Property #2:
We park the truck and immediately head out on our quarter mile walk. Brian has his gun with but I left my bow in the truck because my hands were full with a Hub Blind, two chairs, and a decoy we call “Widow Maker”. The goal during the last hour of light was to catch a Tom or two heading to roost and hopefully get the blind set-up for the morning hunt.
As luck would have it, we see two Toms and one hen on the opposite side of the field. It was very obvious that they were heading to bed so; we waited for them to clear the field and quickly set up the blind as the sun was setting. We chose a specific location in the tree line that offered the greatest vantage point of the fields without sacrificing some cover.
On our walk back to the truck we discussed different strategies for the morning hunt. It was decided that Brian would bring two of his decoys (one Jake / one hen) and we would put those two on one side of our blind and my lone hen on the other side of the blind. The reasoning was simple; we wanted to maximize the slightest bit of elevation we had to get the attention of any Tom that may hit the field in a 270 degree area.
Saturday Morning May 3rd:
We meet at 4:45 and arrive to the blind 15 minutes later. It’s an hour before sunrise as we set up two decoys on the east and one decoy on the west side of the blind. It didn’t take long before we started to hear the first yelps of the morning and within minutes; we spotted a lone hen on the ground working her way across the field. As she was milling around, there was another roosted hen that was sounding off over and over and over. After 5-10 minutes, she flew down and headed directly into our set-up. She continued to stay vocal the entire time while on the ground. With her only yards away I had to take advantage of how close she was and took some great pictures as she walked around the blind. After she left, the action came to a standstill. It was the typical lull that so many of us spring turkey hunter’s face time and time again. In fact, we didn’t hear one gobble all morning and even started discussing where all the birds must be?
We decided (based on experience) it was better to wait it out rather than “run & gun”. At approximately 8:30 a.m. our patience paid off as we were greeted by our first birds in almost two hours. It was two Toms and they were roughly 400 yards away when Brian first spotted them. Since it was very calm I let out a small series of yelps and clucks. We could tell it caught their attention but it wasn’t enough to change their course of direction so, we waited about 7-8 minutes and I let out another series of yelps and clucks. Again that caught their attention but they didn’t do much other than lift their heads.
As we continue to watch the Toms, they walk on a straight path that cuts at a 35-40 degree angle in front of us from left to right (basically 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock). This goes on for about 20 minutes until they get behind a different tree line and walk out of view. Once they are out of sight, I look over at Brian and say; “For some reason, it always seems like the Turkey Gods play a mean trick when Toms come out onto the field. There’s probably a hen over there somewhere that we can’t see.” Sure as sheet, five minutes pass, I look to the right and there’s a lone hen about 150 yards out heading toward our decoys. Funny….
Another Ten minutes goes by since we’ve seen the Toms and it’s been at least 35 minutes since they first appeared on the field. With the hen closing the distance, I look behind the blind on the other field and see two Toms emerge through the same tree line. I tap Brian on the shoulder and say; “Game On!” It didn’t take long for both of them to notice “Widow Maker” and flex into full strut.
The Toms were now 100 yards away and moving at a snail’s pace. It was if they were purposely walking on their tip-toes and daring one another to make the first move in our direction. I’m still not sure if it was the live hen or the lure of getting lucky with Widow Maker but, the bigger of the two finally made his decision to get a closer look. Another 20 minutes pass and they are roughly 50 yards away. I’m letting Brian shoot first (that’s what good guides do) and hoping he drops one of the Toms on the spot so I can get an opportunity with my bow. As the Toms close the distance Brian whispers to me several times; “I can shoot them, I have a shot, and I know I can get them.” I’m videotaping and telling him to be patient because I needed the bird as close as possible for a follow up shot with my bow. Plus, it was a great opportunity to get the hunt on film.
The Moment of Truth:
Brian was shaking a little from holding his gun up and kneeling down in the blind. I keep telling him; “be patient and wait for the birds pass some small brush.” The first Tom barely clears the brush when I begin to say; “You can shoot at any time.” Before I can get the words out of my mouth Brian’s Browning Silver 12 gauge barks and the Tom is piled up. Talk about a face-full-of-fives. I quickly put down the video camera and Brian puts down his gun. I knock an arrow and Brian holds up the screen so I can get a clean shot. The other Tom wasn’t sure what was going on and starts running around in circles. I’m following him around and around waiting for him to stop. He finally does, I settle my 20 yard pin on him and let my arrow fly, SMACK!!! I drilled him and he’s down too.
The hunt couldn’t have been scripted any better as we ended up getting the “Double Whammy” almost an hour after they first hit the field.
Brian’s bird weighed 23 lbs 7 oz and had 1” spurs with a 10.25” beard.
My bird weighed 22 lbs 2 oz and had 1.25” spurs with a 10.25” beard.
Thank you Widow Maker!!!
