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LINCOLN COUNTY, KANSAS |
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Game:
Rio Grande Wild Turkey
The First week of the Kansas Archery Turkey season I found myself chasing Rio Grande Turkeys in Western Kansas. I was met with an unseasonal snow storm and some tuff breaks and I was unable to fill my tag. I had the opportunity to head back May 1 st and I jumped at the chance. This time I decided to take my shotgun to increase my odds of taggin' my first Rio. The weather forecast that weekend was not looking good, but, I have learned not to trust a weather forecast and this was not going to keep me out of the woods. Daybreak met us with wind, cold and overcast as if the skies could let loose at any minute with a downpour. My good Friend Donovan who had invited me out to his place was doing the calling for me. We covered a lot of ground that morning without any good prospects for success. We decided to head in have a little Breakfast and re-evaluate our plan of attack. While driving back to town, we were scouting the fields and spotted a group of toms strutting in a field on the east side of town next to a creek bottom full of cotton wood trees. We decided to set up on a wood line on the edge of the creek thinking we could call the toms into our set up or at the very least the rafter would return to the wood line to roost for the evening. When we returned, not only had the weather cleared up some and the wind had laid down. But, the birds had moved to the exact spot where we had wanted to set up. We decided to sneak into a spot a couple of hundred yards south along the wood line and attempt an ambush there. A couple of yelps from the Tru-Tone double slate and a gobbler immediately answered our calls. It was looking to be a promising afternoon. Suddenly, an amazing sight of the Rio that came over the hill, strutting down the field edge, it looked as if this hunt would be over quickly. The cautious Tom decided he did not like what he had to see and hung up at about 80 yards. He had some hens in the woods and after about an hour of cat and mouse the old bird skirted around our set up chasing the hens gobbling all the way out of our hunting area. We then moved up the hill on a point on the field edge, the spot we had originally wanted to set up on. After a couple of hours with nothing happening and thinking the birds had all moved south, we decided to give one last call on the Tru-Tone Slate before heading to another roost spot, when I heard a yelp close behind me. There were 4 Jakes that snuck into our set up. I would have happily filled my tag with any one of these birds, but I was out of position and they had come in on my weak side. Another call to try and lure them into better position triggered a thundering gobble from behind the Jakes. When suddenly in full strut I saw a huge Rio Strutting up the creek bed. He got to the field edge and I was hoping he would come running into our set up. But, this old bird was cautious and decided something was just not right and turned to walk back to the cover that the creek had to offer. Donovan made a quick call to stop the bird, he puffed up and I made the adjustment to get into position for a shot. The large Rio still was on his retreat toward the creek and was one step away from disappearing over the hill when I took aim and made the shot. At 25 yards the Tom disappeared down the hill toward the creek. I knew my shot was true, but without seeing a bird lying there, I had a moment of concern, when I noticed the wing of the tom fluttering near the creek. We jumped up and celebrated with some high fives, a hug and a handshake. We ran down to retrieve not only my first Rio Grande Turkey, but the largest bird I had ever harvested. The size of the birds head was the first thing that caught my eye, but the spurs and the beard were also just as impressive to me, and when I picked up my trophy to carry it up the hill the weight was noticeably heavy. Even walking back to the truck Donovan asked me several times if I wanted him to carry the bird for a while. I gladly declined as I was proud to bear the weight of my first Rio Grande Turkey all the way back to the truck. Western Kansas with its wide open terrain and rolling hills was a different hunt than hunting the woodlots for the Eastern Wild Turkeys here in Missouri that I am accustom to. Spending time in the outdoors is such a pleasure, it is always a learning experience every time I get in the woods no matter where I am hunting and I cannot wait to return next year to Donovan's place for a crack at the Rio Grande Turkey with my bow. Turkey Stats: Rio Grande
Wild Turkey NWTF Score: 73.00 |
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