SC gobblers

[tomgobbler]

i headed to SC on thursday, i got about 20 miles out of showlow and look over on the side of the road and there were 2 big strutters with about a dozen hens out in a field about 60 yards off the highway, so i pull over and start talking to them right from them truck and they went crazy! gobbled there heads off at me... i was thinking dang this is cool if they are going like this down south this will be a great hunt.... played with them for a minute or two and then left them to strut for there ladyies... well i got to globe were i was suppose to meet up with my buddy coming in from yuma, and just as i pulled into town my truck sputtered and quite me.... what the heck! so my buddy comes and finds me and we go to talk to a mechanic in town, he says sounds like a fuel pump and that he might could get it done the next day.... so we leave it there and we head to SC to try and rooste a bird..... got camp set up and head out for a an evening hunt, heard a few but not real great.... next morning about the same thing just not vocal at all. gobble once or twice and that was about it... kind of dissapointing as i was really ready to get into some gobbling action, went most of the day not seeing or hearing much of anything... dang after seeing those 2 birds on the way down here this is not real great..... that eveing my buddy wasnt feeling well so i take his truck and go down a road he says has been good in the past..... the raod leads me way down in elevation.... i'm now in bear grass, manzante and scrub oak and brush... going next to a little creek. i get out and call ever half mile for 6-8 miles or so with NOTHING!!! seeing a few trackes here and there but not a gobble one... getting about 45 minutes before dark i am thinking that they should come down next to the creek and mill around for a bit before heading to rooste.... i get out one more time to call and there are FREASH tracks in the road and FREASH crap... i step on it and it sticks to the bottom of my boot... they have to be right here some were!!! just as i thought they would be but the brush is thick.... i decide to take the 204 and that if i can follow the tracks down the road until i can find were they turned off and went up the hill, that i just might be able to go up the side hill and parrallell them. about 100 yards up off the bottom, the hill sides turn to just bare yellow grass / bear grass, and a little bit of brush, i am thinking if i can track them to what draw they turned and went up and if i can get through the wall of brush on the bottom i just might catch them across the draw/canyon and shoot one with my buddies 204... so i track them down the road for about 100 yards or so and then the tracks stop.... ok now did they go up the east side of the road or the wet side..... i decide to go up a little draw were i had run out of tracks and get throught all the brush and get up high enough to try and see them hopefully crossing the grass somewhere before they topped out and are gone.... so i make it through the brush and up a steep nasty side canyon and i get about 200 yards up were i can see good and look around and then sure enough there they are 250 yards going up the opposite canyon side at a pretty good walk, headed straight tothe rooste. or possible away from the little noise i made getting through the brush and rocks to climb up this steep side.... 5 hens a jake and a nice gobbler. but dang they will not stop, they are a mission to get to the top, not running, but there fast head bobbing walk.... i sit down as best i can on the steep slope pick out an opening just above them were the gobbler is going to come out and get as steady as i can and here he comes, cross hairs just above the wing joint, this angle should just shatter his spine between his wings i follow his head bobbing pase for a second and the 204 jumps in my hands and he splats against the ground never kicked fluttered or moved a muscle.... DANG that was cool as heck, actaully makeing a plan, and executing the plan and makeing it all work out. ( never wokrs out like you think it will, but finally got a plan to come together!) not the way i like to shoot gobblers, but i figured since i was on the rez, i'de do it the indjiun way and hunt them down, and then sniper shoot one, it worked out very nicely, 10" beard...... my buddies dad ended up with a nice bird that evening as well,.... so not quite the hunt i was hopeing for with a strutting gobbling bird 30 yards in front of me with a load of 4's out of my 3 1/2 mag headed his way, but i'll take it either way. first turkey hunt a success, hoping the next dozen will have similar results, with my sons youth hunt up next. stayed tuned for part 2 :)

good luck

tommy

[tjhunt2]

Congratulations on the birds and thanks for the story. I didn't know you could hunt them with a rifle on the rez. Thanks for sharing.

 

TJ

[Swivelhead]

Not trying to rain on your parade but I'm 99% sure you not supposed to take turkeys on the San Carlos with a rifle. Personally. I don't have a problem with it but rifles are thought to be a safety issue. Congrats on some real nice birds.

[bonecollector]

Congrats on the nice birds.

[SunDevil]

Not trying to rain on your parade but I'm 99% sure you not supposed to take turkeys on the San Carlos with a rifle. Personally. I don't have a problem with it but rifles are thought to be a safety issue. Congrats on some real nice birds.

 

it is legal to shoot turkeys on the SC rez with a rifle.

[Swivelhead]

Not trying to rain on your parade but I'm 99% sure you not supposed to take turkeys on the San Carlos with a rifle. Personally. I don't have a problem with it but rifles are thought to be a safety issue. Congrats on some real nice birds.

 

it is legal to shoot turkeys on the SC rez with a rifle.

Good to know.

[CouesWhitetail]

Congrats on the hunt! and yes, I believe it's legal to hunt SC turkeys with a rifle.