Turkey Down
Opening day of spring turkey season.
At 5:30am the alarm wakes me from a deep sleep. I jump out of bed with a fire under my feet. I sip on black coffee as I pack up my bag and lace up my boots.
The morning air is cool as the last few stars appear in the sky. I hope I can secure a spot from the three sections of state land I have scouted for this morning's hunt.
I hear many hunters come to this area to try and add a merriam turkey to their grand slam. I try to be optimistic as I hit the gravel road and see two trucks parked at one access point. Much to my surprise the parking area is empty when I pull up to the next small chunk of state land.
Jumping out of the truck I hear gobbles firing off up high on the ridge. I hastily get my gear together and my heart is racing with excitement as I head towards the direction of the gobbles.
Reaching a ridgeline I call and get an instant response. I look out past the valley below me scanning for movement. I can’t see them, but I can hear them. I worry I am going to be exposed if I drop off the ridge and move towards them. Without any other option I do exactly what I’m hesitant to do. The timber is sparse and I hope I can move through without being noticed. When I reach the area the toms were at all is quiet. I assume they have moved off the ridge to the private fields and decided to sit for a while with my decoys set up. I hope I can pull in a curious and eager tom and with it being early in the morning still I figure the best bet is to be patient.
As I sit all is quiet, my shotgun pulled up and ready. I let out a few soft clucks sounding like a hen feeding about and instantly hear the sound of a big bird flying down from a tree. I’m hopeful it’s a tom wanting to check things out and is just being quiet. The air remains quiet and the only movement I see if the grass blowing in the morning breeze. I decide to pack up and head to the ridge the toms were gobbling at earlier in the morning. As I slowly sidehill I hear a call and realize there is a hunter just 50 yards from me. I give them the wave and turn around and head towards the direction I just came from.
As I cross the valley I hear another gobble in the distance, and I make my way towards it but am soon stopped in my tracks. Another gobble fires off just behind me and since it’s closer I move in the direction towards it.
I slowly work my way up a drainage, calling, listening and scanning the landscape in front of me. I stop only briefly and when I don’t hear anything I keep moving. I reach a high point close to the private fence line and wonder if the turkeys are feeding in the fields. I sit down for a moment to call and see if I can pull one in. More silence, and so I keep moving.
This time I am using a tight drainage to move up the mountain and upon reaching a bench (a flat area of ground) my gut tells me, this looks good. Before exposing myself I settle next to a tree and let out a few hen calls. Instantly I get a response, which sounds like a hen. To be honest, I thought it was a hunter at first. I call back and instantly get another response. Taking a couple steps closer to the top of the bench I see a turkey walking and I drop down to sit against a tree. I pull up my shotgun tight to my shoulder and keep calling, a little softer this time.
The clucks from the turkey are getting closer, and I assume it is a hen based on the calls. I get ready and don't move a muscle. A hen turkey appears, and using the highest point of elevation to look out (just like an elk would) for the hen it hears. It moves about and I find myself recording it on my phone. The hen disappears and I keep softly calling hoping there is a tom with her. As I’m recording I see a head moving through the grass and notice the head is bright red! Dropping my phone to the ground I raise my shotgun and let out four soft clucks. I can only see the bright red head through the grass and after a gobble escapes its beak I squeeze the trigger and drop the tom in its tracks.
What I enjoyed most about this hunt was being active and working the landscape until I found a turkey that wanted to play. It wasn't your stereotypical scene of setting up decoys and calling in a gobbling tom from its roosting tree, or how you usually see it on tv. Hunting mountain turkeys can look a lot different then field fed turkeys along a river bottom. Another take away from the hunt is just because you run into other hunters doesn’t mean the hunt is over for you. Of course you want to be mindful of the space they are hunting but - they may have a different hunting style than you. Turns out running and gunning was the way to get it done on the opening morning of turkey season.
Tip for displaying the bird for photographs. Prop the turkey up against a pack that’s laying on the ground. Take each leg and place between the first and second wing feather from the outside of the wingspan. This will hold the wings out to the side for a beautiful display. P.S. this shotgun cost me $250 - you don’t need to spend a fortune on a shotgun in order to have success in the field.
The Turkey Man slate call sounds so realistic, is easy to use and reaches out to far distances. OnX always has my back on the hunt. Subscribe to my YouTube channel, What’s Your Wild Creative and be entered into winning a FREE Elite Membership [deadline May 1st]I love my new Muddy pack for when I don’t need to carry a lot of gear, and to be honest it’s the camo pattern I love most about it. Decoys- I rarely use them to be honest. I tend to run and gun most of my turkey hunts because they are on public land and public land turkeys move around alot. Yet, I carry them just in case.
Memories fade. Photograph the hunt. Book the photographer.