Redemption Turkey

[mr.smith]

In 2009 Felicia and I drew our first ever turkey tags in unit 5B. We hunted hard but despite our efforts we saw zero turkeys, we heard zero turkeys. The wind was terrible that season. I chose that unit because I have seen turkeys in there quite a few times and am fairly familiar with 5BN.

This year I put 5B as my first choice looking to redeem myself for my utter failure the last time I drew a tag. Sure enough, Felicia and I got tags number 2 and 3. This year the weather was more favorable, a lot less windy and we had a wetter winter so there is water in most tanks.

I was able to get out opening morning and found other hunters in just about every area I wanted to check out. Rather than encroach I just moved on and ended up in a less than great area. In other words, I had a nice walk in the woods. We had a wedding to attend Saturday so no hunting. We got out Sunday afternoon though and almost sealed the deal for Felicia.

We set up on a water source that had some sign around it. I put out the decoys and called every 20 minutes or so. At one point I thought I heard a distant gobble but couldn't get it to repeat. Eventually we got tired of sitting and decided to hit some high points to try to elicit a gobble. Around 4:30 that gobble came. We quickly got set up and called again. This time there were three gobbles. I called lightly, getting a response each time. Soon I saw three turkeys down the fence line from us about 100 yds True to form these guys did not cross the fence. They walked along the fence towards us. The plan was for Felicia to shoot the last bird in the line to make sure she didn't accidentally hit either of the others. As they approached I yelped and they all three gobbled right in front of us. The first bird had about a three inch beard, the second about two inches and the third bird, well I couldn't see his beard. By now the other two are side by side and not offering a shot and the one she was supposed to shoot didn't have a visible beard. The tag says bearded turkey. We had to let him walk. That night I roosted a bird but couldn't get him to talk the next morning.

Lot's of uneventful silent days and a week off...

Friday, the hunt reopens. I take the day off work but for some reason I just couldn't drag my butt out of bed at 3:00am. Didn't leave the house til 8:00. Odd how it works out but I always seem to have the best luck when I get a late start. Around 11:30 I got a bird to gobble at me. But he just would not come in and at times it seemed he would go away and then come back to where he was. I'd move closer and he would keep answering me. This went on for an hour. Finally I decided to make a big move. I called one more time, this time with a different call, he gobbled and I started moving. Well, I guess he liked the new call because he started coming my way. Unfortunately he saw me moving and I never heard or saw him again.

Around 4:30 I was about out of time. My parents planned to stop at my house on their way to Phoenix. I called them and they told me to keep hunting and I would see them next weekend. Well, I had already driven a good ways out so I stopped at the next hill I saw and climbed it. As soon as I left the Jeep I found a turkey feather. The hill was covered in turkey poop and scratchings. I'm thinking, this is a good sign. I worked my way all the way up and around that hill and didn't see or hear a single turkey.

On the back side of the hill was a large pond. I was checking it out for tracks and suddenly I hear a gobble. I move that direction and he keeps on gobbling. Eventually I get to a point where I am looking across a little canyon and I see a hen coming down the opposite hill. I set up against a tree and yelp. The tom gobbles and the hen starts purring at me. I purr back and soft yelp a bit. The hen runs up to me and is standing about 20 feet to my left. Then I see the tom slowly strutting his way down the opposite hillside. He takes forever to cross but eventually I see his big white head pop up right where my gun is pointed. He is looking around for the hot hen and sees the other hen. I knew if he went to her I would have to move to get the shot so I shot before he could go. Then nothing. I jumped up and ran over there worried I had missed. Nope! I hit him square in the neck and head. Never even flopped once. I couldn't believe it had just happened. I quickly took a few pics with my phone, tagged him and boogied out before it started to get dark. I took him over to the camp of a couple hunters I had spoken with earlier in the day. The problem with hunting alone is you want to show off and share your success. They were nice enough to take a couple field photos for me and offer a celebratory beer. I then boogied home to share my success with Felicia.

Good luck Ed and Jason, I look forward to seeing the pictures. Thanks to my friends for encouraging me to keep looking for that hot gobbler.

Felicia has about one more day to hunt between work and other obligations. I think I have a solid plan. We'll see what tomorrow turns up.


17 1/2 lbs 10 inch beard. 6:25 pm 5/10/13

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Way to stick with it....always nice to have a live decoy helping you out. Nice display too, congrats and good luck helping your wife find one.

[Willyhunts2]

Good job and glad it ended up working out. One more to go!

[mr.smith]

Well, the turkeys gave us the slip yesterday. Heard two gobbles in the morning and not a peep the rest of the day. Sat a water hole with lots of sign. Only water for a mile. I thought for sure they would come in. Must be some other obscure water I don't know about. Oh well. Still a much better experience than our previous effort.

 

Thanks all for the encouragement and accolades.

[Little Creek Calls]

In the spring Turkey get enough water from what they eat that they can go over a week without coming to water. Do they come in, yes occasionally but not as frequent as in the fall. For me water holes are a good place to look for sign to see if there is a flock in a general area and to get an idea of what type of birds are in a particular flock by looking at tracks and droppings.

 

Also turkeys are basically moving all day with the roost area as a common start and finish point. They easily cover a 5 or 6 mile loop in a day maybe more depending on available food.

[bonecollector]

Congrats on your turkey, way to stick with it. I enjoyed the read.

[trophyhnter]

Congrats on your turkey! I have yet to connect on a turkey in the spring!

[Don Martin]

Nice story and that is a GREAT gobbler! That is what I call a heavy beard! Bet he is 3 years or older.

 

When you fool one like that, you have really done something.

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters