It is now the second to the last weekend of turkey season, and even tought I haven't killed a bird, it has been a good season so far. In have seen and heard many turkeys, and I called in a hen to 10 yards. It's always a cool deal when you call in any animal to into a very close proximity to yourself.
As I walked away from my truck early saturday morning, the woods were very quiet. There were gobbles everywhere I went the previous weekend. I was headed to the spot I called in the hen, and I was planning on setting up my decoys and calling for a couple of hours. There was a perfect little spot in the trees for me to sit, and the decoys would be 30 yards away in a clear strip that covered over a hundred yards.
As I walked out to the clearing and approached the spot for my decoys, some movement to the left caught my eye. I put my binoculars up and saw a flock of turkeys waddling off into the trees some 75 yards away. I'd been seen by their razor sharp eyes, and in an instant they were gone.
This changed my plans. I went back to the road I walked in on and went down it another quarter mile to set up again, and hopefully call one of the birds back into me. I set up one decoy, Gladys, and starting yelping. I gobbled once or twice and the woods remained quiet.
Suddenly, I heard a clucking noise directly behind me. I turned my head and saw a bird coming into me through the brush and trees. It looked weird to me and I couldn't tell if it was a male or female. I thought it was a hen because of the clucking, but their was a little bump in the chest where the beard should be. The head wasn't very red, so I didn't shoot at it. It eventually went away and I kept wondering if it was a jake. (the name for a young tom). Still not sure today about it.
Many questions were left in my mind. How much different from the toms do jakes look? Do toms cluck like a hen? Does a very young beard look like a bump on the chest when it first begins growing? I have to talked to some of my friends who are turkey experts...something I would never claim myself. If any of you out there know any of these answers, please tell me.
After the bird left, I went on with my hunt. I climbed to the top of a knob that would give me a view of the surrounding country. This plan worked out beautifully as I spotted a strutting tom with his tail fanned out. He was strutting around 3 or 4 hens, but he was way below me about a half a mile. To go down there would me a long walk back uphill to my truck, but I figured that's what I was up there for, so I dropped off the hill to sneek up on him.
A half an hour later I was withing 50 yards of him after crawling the last 75 yards on my belly. He was still fanned out and strutting. It was then I realized I had forgotten my range finder...it was still in my golf bag. I guesstimated the yardage and slowly raised up to shoot. It was then I got "turkey fever". I completely forgot about the distance and aimed right at his head. When I shot, he was too far away and the lead hit right underneath him. Ever seen a turkey jump 6 feet straight up in the air? I have. He ran like an Olympic sprinter off into the trees and was gone.
The rest of the weekend produced no more birds, but it was still one of the best weekends I have had turkey hunting. You see, what many people don't understand about hunting is that you don't have to fill your tag to enjoy yourself. Getting out there in Mother Nature and seeing some wildlife, even the ones you are not hunting, is what it is all about.
So here's some pictures from the hunt:
Council Valley
Here's a turkey egg I found right in the road. The next day I returned and there were 3 more there. Some predator had found a nest and eaten the eggs. Not all turkeys get a chance to hatch.
Here's a close-up.
Look carefully and you'll see some elk.
Zoomed in on them.
Here's a bull just starting his horns.
Here's a Robin. I remember a story from long ago of a hiker who got lost for over a week in the wilderness. When he finally got out they asked him what he had eaten. He said, "Toothpaste and Robins." Do they taste like chicken?
The ever curious chipmunk.
Here's the classic track of a nice buck. His toes go deep into the ground and spread out, and his dew claws show up in his track, as well.
One more weekend to bag a tom. Check back next week to see if the 2009 season brings a filled turkey tag.