Where do I start?! I could title this post "Bout damn time!", taking a page out of YEKRUT's book and call it "Meet #70", or "The slump is over!" Either way, it's a hunt for the ages and I am so grateful to get this monkey off my back! This is going be a little long but y'all gonna have to cut me a little slack as it's been almost 3 years since I've posted a turkey kill!
First off I need to thank fellow Aldeer member, Level5. He invited me for a hunt and since I was striking out at my places, I thought it would be a great way to meet another member and at least look at some new land. He texted me Friday night telling me not to be late as he had one roosted and he wanted to go over the game plan in plenty of time. So Saturday morning, I arrived at the camp house at 430 and met him and we hit it off right from the handshake!
After some story swapping and some history of the land was shared, we got down to business. He gave me a little direction on where he left the bird that afternoon and got me started in the right direction down a little fire break. When I got to a place where he said I should listen, I picked out a tree and begin my vigil. I was cautiously optimistic and as I was wondering how this was going to play out, he hammered right where Level5 said he'd be! I checked my watch and it was 530. Game on!
Well this bird must have loved the way he sounded because for the next 30 minutes he proceeded to gobble 2-3 times/minute. I called just a few times to let him know there I was there and he answered me right back. I decided to wait him out and about 6am things got quiet. Well I knew that meant he was coming or leaving and as fate would have it, the next time I heard him he was a quarter mile away in a pasture. Round 1 to Mr. Gobbler
Level5 was hunting in another area and I let him know what was going on. He told me to hang in there because he had driven by the pasture and could see the gobbler and his hen. I knew eventually that she would leave him and maybe he'd come back looking for love. In the meantime, I took the opportunity to do some walking around to check out the place. It was all old growth timber of mixed variety and looked awesome.
About 730 I had just crossed a big creek and was standing on the other side when I heard him gobble back in the pasture. So back across the creek and about the time I was making my way to where I should get a better bead on him, he fired off. The woods were open so I was worried he's see me slipping around so sat down right next to the closest big tree and got ready for round 2!
Well this bird wanted to play coy and he kept walking up this little finger of woods in the pasture which was off the property. I finally coaxed him into the woods but he was about 80 yards away and he put on a show. Through my binoculars I could get glimpses of him for the whole time and he strutted and drummed for the next 2 hours! But he had drawn a line in the sand and would not budge from his little zone. Finally, he got tired of waiting and rather than come my way, I watched him as he headed back toward where he roosted. As is so often the case, had I been sitting where I started out, I would have had a shot at him. Round 2 goes to Mr. Gobbler.
I decided to give him some time and after waiting about 30 minutes I decided to move up about 100 yards toward where I had started this morning. I called a few times with no response but I knew he was still around. Even so, after not hearing anything for about an hour, about 11 or so I was ready to call it a morning. As a final last ditch effort, I cut really aggressively at him and he hammered right back. Ok! Here we go again!
Well it wasn't too long until I heard him drumming again. Finally I saw him and man was he pretty! He came on into the woods and gobbled and put on one heck of a show! He started marching to me and for the first time this year, I flipped the safety off. I just knew it was about to happen! He came closer constantly going in and out of strut and half strut and drumming so much! It was freaking awesome! I'm telling you it was just unreal! It's been years since I've been on a turkey that acted like he did. It was breathtaking. He finally eased behind some bushes at about 40 yards and I had my killing tree picked out. When he came out by that tree, he was gonna die. He had been behind some bushed gobbling and drumming for about 15 minutes. He just needed to take about 10 yards to my right.
Freaking demon bird decided to go left and angle away from me and eased out of range and was about ready to leave. But the show wasn't over yet. I called him a little closer and had a wide open shot at 60 yards but that's beyond my range. I called him back closer but he wouldn't commit but he still drummed, strutted, and gobbled. Guys, this bird gobbled so hard that his head almost touched the ground when he'd roar out some of the loudest gobbling I've ever heard. One of the coolest things was he hopped up on a dead log and started strutting up and down the log. Being on that log gave him about another foot of elevation and he'd break strut and stretch that neck up trying to get a better view of the land as he looked for the hen he knew was in there.
After about an hour of this academy award worthy performance, he finally folded up and headed away from me, back to where I had sat and watched him for the previous 2 hours. I scratched in the leaves and he gobbled but did not come back. Round 3 also goes to Mr. Gobbler.
By this time it's after noon and I'm sore from all the sitting, aggravated but still grateful for the experience, and ready for something to eat and a cold drink. I made the quarter mile walk back to the cabin and met back up with Level5. We grabbed some grub, rode around the property, worked on his tractor, saw a 5 foot rat snake, called my awesome wife to let her know how things were going, and I took a little while to just regroup. Level5 told me to go back and kill that bird that afternoon because 1) "he needs to die" and 2) "so I don't have to get up in the morning and kill him myself!" Well I had my orders and I aimed to carry them out!
I left the camp at 3pm and eased my way back to where I started out that morning. I figured at some point he would make his way back to his roosting site so I was willing to wait him out. Now, I've never killed an Eastern in the afternoon. I've killed birds in Texas, SD, and Nebraska in the afternoon but never in Alabama. I figured I would just start about 315 and call very conservatively every 15 minutes and hope for the best.
As quietly as I could, I eased back into my place and picked out a tree that had some cover around it. I got myself situated and pointed my gun in the direction that I last saw him headed which was to my left. I took a few sips of water and got settled in. It didn't take long for all that sitting to finally catch up with me and my butt was sore and it was not comfortable in the least. My back was killing me. My legs kept falling asleep and even cramping some. I was hot as hell. I was mentally and physically exhausted and I caught myself halfway dozing. You know, where you close your eyes and are drifting into a faint sleep but still aware of what's going on. I was so freaking tired as I had been up since 230am. At this point, it now had become a battle of wills. I had come this far today and there was no way I was gonna give in! If I somehow didn't kill this bird, no one was going to say it wasn't from lack of effort!
After several series of calls with no response other than a lonely raccoon walking by on his way to forage for dinner, I was beginning to lose a little faith. Then, about 450pm, I heard it. Drumming! Or at least that's what I thought. I cleared the fog from my head and there it was again! No doubt about it. It was him. He was back for another round! I couldn't tell where he was so I was jerking my eyes around, about to hyperventilate, and felt my heart pounding in my throat. Where was he????!!!
Now I was situated thinking he would come from my left. As my eyes darted around, frantically scanning the woods, I saw him! He was standing in a strut, and of course he was up and to my right at about 60 yards. He let out a thunderous gobble and it was game on...again!
Well, it was same song different verse. That ole boy put on another show with strutting and drumming. He'd gobble some and take a few steps closer and then pause and look around. He'd been schooled twice already in this area today so he was really eyeballing everything. He was so cautious but he'd take 3 or 4 steps and strut and drum and then periscope that neck up and strain to see that hen he heard. I'm telling you, my nerves were frayed and just about shot.
Well I again picked out my killing tree at about 40 yards and if he got on my side of that tree, I knew he was within my confident killing range. He only gobbled only 4 or 5 times but boy did he like to strut and drum! He went behind my killing tree and went behind some brush out of sight for about 5 minutes. Finally, slowly, methodically, he stepped out. Still hidden but getting more in the open. He'd take a step and stretch that neck. Take 1 more step and stretch that neck. C'mon...gimme 3 more steps (insert Lynyrd Skynyrd joke here!).
Finally, he did. He stepped out. He ran that neck up for the last time and I touched the trigger! BOOM!! After the recoil I saw was his tail fanned out rolling around on the ground and Flash Gordon couldn't have beaten me to that bird! I ran up to him and went to put that boot on his neck but he was bouncing and my adrenalin was pumping and I hit his tail instead! I finally got my boot on him and career bird #70 was in the books! What a battle. No, wait. This was a war!
I picked up my hard-earned gobbler and made it back to my tree. By that time my system was in overload and I was coughing and dry heaving like I always do after a turkey kill! After I recovered, I took a few minutes to savor the moment and relive how this entire day transpired. I first heard him at 530am and killed him a few minutes before 5pm! What an amazing encounter and to culminate with a milestone kill was a memory I will never forget! He's a good 3-year-old with 1 inch spurs, weighed 19.25lbs, and sported an 11 inch beard. I stepped it off and it was 43 steps from tree to kill spot. The Long Beard XR's did the job!
Many thanks to Level5 for putting me on him and sharing in my excitement back at the cabin afterwards! You have made a friend for life and you sir, are a true outdoorsman one heck of a good guy!
This is for you BamaGuitarDude!
I know this post is long, but I had some time to make up for!
Dr. B
