I had several close encounters with gobblers on opening weekend, but I was calling for my buddy. They came in, but would not close the distance into shooting range. Twice I did call one into range and my buddy missed.....TWICE. While he was caught up with work, it was my turn.

I had seen birds in the middle finger of a large field earlier in the morning and I knew the birds drop off onto the series of hills and ravines below the field down to a creek bottom. I assumed they would be traveling along these hillsides at this point.

I moved along the edge of the left finger of the field to quickly get down on the creek so I could set up near the road along the creek, but still have visibility on the hillside. I picked the largest tree in this area to sit against to help disguise my profile.



Once I was set up, I made a few yelps on my box call. Nothing. I waited a few minutes and thought I heard a gobble. I made another call and was immediately answered with a gobble. I made a few excited clucks and yelps then put the box down. I put in my mouth call knowing I needed to be hands free. This bird has a muffled gobble, kind of like he was gobbling with his hands over his mouth (if he had hands).

In a minute or two I caught movement right in front of me. I could tell it was a hen and she never stopped. She walked straight down to the road and crossed the creek and kept going. I assumed the gobbler, who was still gobbling by the way, was going to follow her. I caught movement where I had seen the hen, and saw a gobbler with a long beard and another that looked like a jake. I was surprised to see that the bird we thought was a jake this whole time was in fact a gobbler with beard rot. They both started moving up the hill to my right. I watched the bird gobble and even though it as so close, it wasn't a thunderous gobble. Crazy.

I had shots that were in range several times, but I didn’t feel comfortable with the narrow windows between small trees and brush.



As the gobblers moved up the hill to my right, I started getting nervous that I had missed my opportunity. What if they keep moving up into the field? Should I call again? That sinking feeling of losing another chess match was creeping in. Still, I sat still and focused on the top edge of the hill above me. Often times I know that turkeys like to get the high ground and they will periscope their head up to look down for the hen they heard.



I called with my mouth call and he immediately answered with a gobble. It sounded like he was coming back down the hill to check for the hen. Before long, I saw his head and knew I needed to shoot. I had to stretch and shoot uphill and a little off balance to my far right, but I made the swing slowly, but deliberately. As soon as I shot, I saw wings flapping.

I jumped up and ran up the hill and saw a welcome sight.



As relieved as I was to finally get this bird, the end of the chess match is anticlimactic. The battle was over, and now the bird would simply be broken down into edible cuts of meat and the spurs and beard saved as hunt mementos. All I have left are those physical things and the memory of the hunt. It’s a strange feeling to be so fixated on taking the life, until you do, then you feel excited for the success, relieved that it all worked out, but also a little bit of remorse that tomorrow he’ll be absent from the landscape. He’ll no longer be gobbling from the tree tops as day breaks, strutting to attract his hens, and his elegant and purposeful steps through the hardwoods will be no more. I’ll remember him though, and thank the Lord there are plenty more out there to keep going!





After I took this bird, we have seen the other bird strut in the field and have had some close encounters with him. His day is coming.

Awesome story!! Glad you were able to make it happen!

nice congrats!

VERY NICE !!!! Congrats !!!

Congratulations! Nice pictures.

Great story, and loved the pics/breakdown of the hunt. Very cool

And I agree about the post-hunt feelings

Great story and pics! Congrats!

Congratulations

Yes great story. Congrats

Enjoyed you sharing the hunt with us.
Thank you and congrats on your check mate!!

God Bless,
David B.

Awesome story and hunt! Ben Rogers Lee is patting you on the back from the grave. He often said that about the kill being anticlimactic and wishing he could breathe life back into a gobbler so he could hunt him again. Well done!

Hell of a hunt and story as always!!

Great description of the hunt. Its all fun and games trying to kill them but it is work after its over.

Very good story - its a great feeling to finally win that chess match - happy for u and great pics

Good story! Enjoyed the post.

Great story and congrats on getting him!

Congrats! I always look forward to your post for the great description and great pics!

Great story and well put, there at the end. Its so very true.

That was a really good story

Great story. Congrats!