Ive been on come pretty cool hunts, My first bird was a double beard, I missed a gobbler with my bow on video that my brother ended up taking with his shotgun, And i filmed 2 pretty awesome hunts last year that my buddies took gobblers on... But my favorite hunt of all time was an unsuccessful one. It was opening day 2005. It had been exactly a year since i killed my double beard. I was hunting with my dad and my brother. My dad was using a box call about 20 yards behind the tree that me and my brother were up against. 2 Gobblers and some hens had flown down in a clearing about 40 yards in front of us. There was a gobbler strutting down the logging road that we were on. He came to within 15 yards, at full strut, but didnt clear some bushes that were in our line of sight. That was the first time i ever heard drumming. He ended strutting away in the opposite direction with the hens, and we went home empty handed. That hunt is the one that hooked me for life.
Without a doubt it was the first and only turkey I killed with my Pedersoli Double barrel BP shotgun on public land. I'm leaving in about 1/2 an hour to go try doing it again. I got draw for an eastern hunt on a Texas WMA. shotgun only so I broke out the percussion shotty again!
My favorite would have to be a hunt two springs ago with my brother. We had seen these turkeys on a wheat field the night before and went and set up on them the next morning. The wheat field is in a big L shape and we set up on what would be the inside corner of the L. The turkey's come out about 100 yards from us and there was a tom and about 5 hens. We had the tom slowly working towards us when a coyote came across the field right at my brother's calling. I had to move to scar him off and he made the tom pretty spooky. After the coyote left, my brother slowly started coaxing the tom our way and finally called him into range. How he called him off of those hens I will never know, but it was an awesome hunt. That would be my most favorite turkey hunt ever.
My favorite hunt has to be a hunt in the Hill Country with my dad when I was about 13 or 14. We were set up 10 yards apart and he was calling. The gobbler came from behind us and walked right between us to get to our decoys. That bird was spitting and drumming every ten seconds. I swear I could feel the ground vibrate every time he would drum. I didn't have a shot so dad ended up shooting him at about 10 yards. That was the first time I'd ever heard a bird spit and drum
Even though I'm not a real hard core turkey hunter, I seem to have been fortunate to be a part of some really cool hunts, in a fairly short amount of time. Probably my best was way back in college even though I didn't realize how cool a hunt that was for many years. A buddy took me out one morning and we had some gobbling pretty quickly. We were both up against the same big tree but at 90 degrees from each other. I was the "shooter" as the dekes were past me so the birds would have to come right by. Well, they didn't quite follow the script. I had a smaller tree kind of close in front of me preventing me to swing anywhere close to my left. He was right handed & couldn't swing to his right. 2 real nice gobblers come to under 10 yds right between us, full strut, spitting & drumming for several minutes. And as luck would have it, came straight in & straight back out, without giving either of us a shot. All this while, a couple more birds were gobbling & working thier way in. They were huge. They hung up a bit out & my buddy took a shot & missed the one. I have never seen someone so worked up like that. He was so excited for that experience. Oddly enough, I didn't set foot in the turkey woods again for about 8 -10 years later.
I have so many memorable turkey hunts, especially with my dad. My favorite though goes like this: I was 13, or 14..I'm pretty sure 14 and Dad and I had planned on getting up and go hunting in the morning. When we woke up, it was pouring, and by pouring I mean like standing water in the fields by morning. Dad says, we aren't going out in this [insert colorful word], I said Oh yeah we are!! Hell, I got to miss school, I didn't care about a little rain So we get to the field jump out of the truck, and instant soakage occurs as we walk accross the field and set up the decoys. We'd been roosting the birds all week, and we were literally right under their roost. Every morning they'd fly right out into the field in front of us, better for them, as they didn't have to fly into the swamp..and plus it was raining they were going to the field. So we wait until first light and the first bird flys down. Oh crap!! I'd never seen a turkey fly off the roost and soar through the air SO far, right up into the corner. +/- 200 yards away. As assumed all the turkeys followed. 4 in total. We called and called, but we couldn't compete with the hens they were with, who can? So I said, let's run and gun. We skirted into the woods, made a loop and came out about 60 yrds away. At the time I had my 12 ga. full choke. Pops and I BELLY crawled (literally) another 40 yrds or so. My dad had the binocs up, looking for birds, hard to see through the rain. I think he got to "I think the one in..." and I shot. I could see the 3" bird sticking out, he couldn't. BANG! Dead turkey! My dad then started freaking out. DID IT HAVE A BEARD!?? I said "I think so", knowing all along it did. I finally told him after we got the bird over my shoulder that I knew so all along. It was truly a great hunt, and especially becuase it was with my dad [That got long lol]
The thing I love most about Spring Turkey is it seems every year a different story is being written. I've had so many great turkey hunts. A couple years ago I had my B-Mobile and 2 hen decoys out in a pinch point that connects to winter wheat fields. We had many toms in the area but none seemed to want to come in and seal the deal. Well we saw this huge tom across a ditch about 150-200 yards away with a group of birds. They were walking on a "road" through the woods that his father in law uses to get cows out with. We made the decision to get out and try to run around the property and set up in front of them. Well as we were exiting the blind I peeked out and that huge tom had crossed the ditch and was coming hard into our setup. He strutted the first 100 yds or so and saw the B-Mobile and did the turkey trot the rest of the way. He runs up to the B-Mobile and starts beating the **** out of hit. I pull up with my Mossberg and click! What the heck? I kick out another shell and click! All the while this tom is just sitting on top of my decoy spurring and pecking. I'm not more than 10 yards away and I decide to kick out all my shells, push one in, aim and boom! We have it all on film and it was one of the funniest and most memorable turkey hunts. This year I'm hoping to tell a pretty good story with my fiancee' who just passed her Hunters Safety Course.
My dad and I followed two toms around for a couple of hours one morning...we we're never able to call them in. It started raining pretty good, but we decided to stay with it. We ended up in a big bean field watching the two toms strut about 200 yards out. When they went into a low spot just out of sight we belly crawled through the muddy field to the top of a ridge and started calling again...I guess they decided since we were going to meet them halfway they would play along. Long story short...both birds met us on the ridge at 10 yards and we sycrinized the shots and harvested both birds simultaneuosly...it was the best hunt ever...and will likely never happen again!
My favoraite hunt was actually this opening weekend hunting with my dads friend. We went into this hammock on sun morning not knowing if ther was a gobbler in there or not. But we set up and about first light we heard a gobble a ways off so we knew then that there was atleast one turkey in there. Then we heard another turkey in the opposite direction a ways off. Then we heard one infront of us at about 200yrds!! We started clucking and doing some soft yelping and it sounded like the closer one was comming. My buddy was about 20 yrds away and he heard a bird land on a limb behind him and he didnt know if it was a turkey or not. So we kept calling and the close bird seemed to be comming. Then all of a sudden the bird that landed on the limb behind my buddy Gobbled!!! Scared me half to death! We instantly stoped calling and about a minute later the bird flew down 20 yrds from my buddy and he shot him. As we were admireing the bird another turkey gobbles prob 100 yrds from us in the oppostie way the one bird was comming. So we scramble to get setup and I remember that I dont have a permit for that WMA!! DANG!! We probably would have doubled if I had a permit!! Great hunt though!!! We had 5 birds gobbleing in that hammock that morning!!
My very 1st hunt which was last year. I heard a gobble at least 200 yards away and then I heard a different gobble from another tom. I then called back to them for the 1st time ever turkey hunting and they both answered right back. I thought to myself, this Is kinda like elk hunting!! They both got with In 60 yards very quickly of me but not sure what happened after that as they dissapeared. It was very exciting and I then told myself there's a good chance I'll be hooked to this.
The most memorable was 7 or 8 years ago while standing on the edge of the W Texas version of a logging road with thick trees/brush on each side of the road. While standing in thick cover, I peek down the road and see a gobbler about 125 yards down the road picking and pecking slowly down the road going away from me. As I was standing there trying to formulate a game plan, all of the sudden a bobcat comes out of the brush onto the grass between the tire ruts of the road and starts stalking the turkey. At this point, I knew I would just sit tight and see what transpired. The bobcat is oblivious of me and the turkey is oblivious to both the bobcat and me. I watched the bobcat get within 25-30 yards of the turkey where it then left the road and went back in the brush with the turkey all the while still unaware. Several minutes passed(at least it seemed that long) before I ever saw the bobcat again and when I did he came flying through the air somewhere between waist and shoulder high (at least he seemed that high) with front paws outstreched trying to grab the gobbler. He missed and the turkey was able to take off in flight but it was without a doubt still the coolest thing I've ever witnessed first hand while hunting.
I have had a lot of memorable turkey hunts, but the one I took my step-dad on was one I will never forget. It was his fist time ever turkey hunting and I had these birds routine pegged. We get setup in the blind on a cut cornfield and I told him where the birds would fly from and where they would go. At one time we had seven gobblers and three hens in the field in front of us. Finally one of them decided to venture a little too close and the ol' shotgun barked and put an end to that. I had to tell him that it usually doesn't happen that easily.
My favorite turkey hunt was one that I filmed for a good friend on his son's first hunt. It was a beautiful morning with a caramel colored sunrise peaking over the hill overlooking a dogwood tree in full bloom. It took a while for the action to heat up, but when it did it was nerve-racking. We had no less than 4 longbeards in the field at any given time with twice as many hens and there were likely 6 longbeards in the bunch. They came in went around the hillside, came back, went over the edge of hill, came back...they just wouldn't commit to the decoys because of all the hens. Finally one committed and came in to 25 yards. My friend's boy couldn't get a shot though because the bipod slid up the barrel and eventually fell to the ground. This cleared the field. After that his boy had to relieve his bladder, no surprise after more than a straight hour of non-stop action. As he did I saw a fan coming over the crest of the hill. I told them to hurry back into position and the big tom slowly strutted his way in. At long last he got to 22 yards and my buddy's son made no mistake this time and dropped the hammer on him. It was the best day of seeing birds I have ever had turkey hunting and was mentally exhausting. It was also great watching my buddy and his 9 year-old boy hugging and high-fiving over his bird. I have to admit while filming it it was hard not to choke up. This picture pretty much says it all:
That sounds like about 90% of my hunts. Birds hanging up 60-100 yards out. I have my best luck killing them hunting em more like whitetails. Setting up between where they are and where they want to be. But at least the turkeys let you know where they are (sometimes). My favorite was last years spring bird. My first with a bow and a good gobbler to boot. I set up between his roost and the picked corn filed they like to head to. I never made a call that morning and he showed up just at good shoting light. Then on my way back to get the 4 wheeler I found a sack full of 'shrooms. It don't get much better than that.
