Post by Woody Williams on May 1, 2008 9:15:28 GMT -5
A few on here got their first turkey this year and it is always exciting to hear about how they did it. I thought it would be good if we all posted our "first turkey" experiences.
Here is mine....
30+ years ago in Missouri.
Back then if you really wanted to turkey hunt you had to go out of state. We had birds in Indiana but they were few and far between.
We were camped there and we were hunting the Mark Twain National Forest in south central Missouri.
John Trout Jr. and myself had driven pretty far back into an area to turkey hunt. He dropped me off at a logged out area at the end of a gravel road. He drove back out and went around to another dead end road that was four hills and three hollows due west of me. Hills and hollows in Missouri are BIG.
As day broke a couple birds opened up. I decided to go after the one that sounded closest by heading down into one of those big hollows. The trouble in going down into one of these big hollows is that you have to come up out of that same hollow. Unfortunately the bird I heard was not on the next ridge. He was on the ridge after that one. So, I had to go down into another hollow after climbing back up out of the first. Of course I had to climb back out of that hollow too.
I was finally on the same ridge as the gobbling bird and completely out of breath. I knew that I was close so I sat down and TRIED to call. Panting and wheezing a I got out a BRACK! Instead of my normal seductive YELP.
Most gawd awful sound that ever came out of a turkey caller’s mouth.
Much to my surprise he answered me…or maybe it was a coincidence or a shock gobble? Who knows but he was there.
Anyway, I look towards where the call came from and here comes two white heads heading down the ridge. They are a little behind the rise of the ridge and all I can see is their white heads. The route they are traveling would put them going by me at 40 yards or so. They go in behind a blow down and I’m waiting for them to come out to shoot one. When they do pop out they seem to be moving away from me increasing the distance. I give them another ugly “BRACK” and they turn to come a back to me. Great… first one over the ridge gets a face full of #5s.
Up pops a head and BOOM, down he goes. The other bird flushes and flies off. I do notice a nice long beard on him dangling as he flies off.
I get up and run to my bird and he is flopping all over the place. Being a novice turkey hunter I’m thinking ”He isn’t dead and trying to get away”. I’m wrestling that sucker with him beating me with his wings and finally get a hold of his neck and start twisting it. He is still flopping and I’m still twisting. After a minute or two he stops flopping.
I then look him over and saw that he was a jake. I was still thrilled to death to get my first.
I don’t wrestle them anymore… just run out and step on their neck…
The first one is the one to remember isn’t it?
Here is mine....
30+ years ago in Missouri.
Back then if you really wanted to turkey hunt you had to go out of state. We had birds in Indiana but they were few and far between.
We were camped there and we were hunting the Mark Twain National Forest in south central Missouri.
John Trout Jr. and myself had driven pretty far back into an area to turkey hunt. He dropped me off at a logged out area at the end of a gravel road. He drove back out and went around to another dead end road that was four hills and three hollows due west of me. Hills and hollows in Missouri are BIG.
As day broke a couple birds opened up. I decided to go after the one that sounded closest by heading down into one of those big hollows. The trouble in going down into one of these big hollows is that you have to come up out of that same hollow. Unfortunately the bird I heard was not on the next ridge. He was on the ridge after that one. So, I had to go down into another hollow after climbing back up out of the first. Of course I had to climb back out of that hollow too.
I was finally on the same ridge as the gobbling bird and completely out of breath. I knew that I was close so I sat down and TRIED to call. Panting and wheezing a I got out a BRACK! Instead of my normal seductive YELP.
Most gawd awful sound that ever came out of a turkey caller’s mouth.Much to my surprise he answered me…or maybe it was a coincidence or a shock gobble? Who knows but he was there.
Anyway, I look towards where the call came from and here comes two white heads heading down the ridge. They are a little behind the rise of the ridge and all I can see is their white heads. The route they are traveling would put them going by me at 40 yards or so. They go in behind a blow down and I’m waiting for them to come out to shoot one. When they do pop out they seem to be moving away from me increasing the distance. I give them another ugly “BRACK” and they turn to come a back to me. Great… first one over the ridge gets a face full of #5s.
Up pops a head and BOOM, down he goes. The other bird flushes and flies off. I do notice a nice long beard on him dangling as he flies off.
I get up and run to my bird and he is flopping all over the place. Being a novice turkey hunter I’m thinking ”He isn’t dead and trying to get away”. I’m wrestling that sucker with him beating me with his wings and finally get a hold of his neck and start twisting it. He is still flopping and I’m still twisting. After a minute or two he stops flopping.
I then look him over and saw that he was a jake. I was still thrilled to death to get my first.
I don’t wrestle them anymore… just run out and step on their neck…
The first one is the one to remember isn’t it?
