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Game:
Eastern Wild Turkey
Conditions: 58 Degrees, Partly cloudy I awoke opening morning at 5:20 AM to clear skies and no winds. This was a complete 180 from the relentless wind and rain from the day before. I was expecting to have cloudy skies when I woke, as it caught me a little off guard as the sun was just beginning to brighten the clear eastern sky. I initially set up in a blind in a small field surrounded by hardwoods and cedars that has done very well for me in the past. It didn't take long before a few toms sounded off. One was particularly close as he gobbled on a ridge below me. I answered back with some yelps to catch his attention. As the morning grew brighter, I kept his interest with some calling from my Tru-Tone slate call. He soon went silent which was a good sign he was close and closing the gap. I stopped calling at this point to let him search me out. After several moments, he shook my nerves as he gobbled in close range. I new he was in the field with me now and less than 75 yards, but he was below a terrace and I was unable to see him. After waiting, and with no site of him, I broke down and let out some yelps. He soon gobbled and was still in close range. Problem was he now knew I was close by and he wasn't going to take a step further towards my set up. He wanted me to go to him. He was hung up, and I was pinned in my blind with no way to get out without spooking him. Eventually he worked is way out of the field, never to be scene. I quickly remembered why, spring turkey season is a love/hate kind of thing. The remainder of the morning was quiet and at 10:00 I decided to take a proactive approach and head to a different area that I knew held a lot of turkeys. When I arrived, I walked a little ways and belted out some yelps with my mouth call. A few minutes later, I was answered by a tom a little ways off in the pasture ahead of me. I closed the gap about 100 yards and called again. This time he answered fairly quickly and was closing the gap. I moved down the fence line to a grove of trees to get into position. I called a few more times with no answer. I had hoped he was on his way in, but after a little more than an hour, there was no sign of him. Strike two I thought, I must have either bumped him or he had other ideas. I moved down the hill towards the dry creek bed below that cut through the pasture. It was now after 11:30. I found a fallen cedar to sit by that was 15 yards or so in a broken up cedar patch that looked out into the field. A good place to make my last stand before the morning hunt ended at 1:00. I had just got settled when I heard a turkey cluck. I looked to my right to see two jakes making their way down the hill in my direction, just 70 yards away. I sounded off some yelps and they quickly looked my way and crossed the creek bed. Problem was they were skirting in front of me know at 50 yards and moving to my left. This was an issue since I am left-handed. I continued to yelp and keep their attention the entire time they moved around me. They were now to my left, but they were closing the gap. They were at 30 yards, with plenty of cedars to block my shooting lane. I would have to twist around to get a shot off now; if I was able to find a window to shoot. When their heads disappeared from behind a ridge for a moment, I shifted as best I could for a shot. The lead Jake disappeared, so I focused on the second one waiting for a clear shot. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the lead Jake stick his head up from behind a large fallen tree. I slowly shifted and took aim. As soon as his neck and head disappeared from behind my site, I pulled the trigger. After the blast from my Browning, I wasn’t sure if I connected or not. If he was down, he was behind the fallen tree, and I couldn’t hear any flapping or commotion from where I last saw him. I saw a Jake in the field running in circles trying to figure out what just happened. I couldn't be sure if it was the 2 nd Jake or the one I just shot at. After the Jake flew off, I walked over to see the result. As I stepped over the fallen tree, there laid my turkey. I was more than happy to turn a frustrating morning into a successful opening day hunt. Happy to have a turkey ready for the fryer, I spent the rest of the afternoon in search of morels and was rewarded with over 40 of them to go along nicely with my turkey dinner. Turkey Stats: Eastern
Wild Turkey NWTF Score: 32.00 |
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