If You Want to Hunt Turkeys, You Have to Get Out of Bed!

I showed up at Doug's house at 5:45 AM as agreed. We had planned to hunt right behind his house, so getting in position for a gobbling Tom would not be a problem. I parked off to the side so that they still use the driveway. I didn't notice any lights on, but I figured that he would not want to wake anyone up. I walked up to the kitchen door and peered through the glass. It was as black as the night sky. There was no sign of life, not even a cat. I hung around outside and waited to see if my host was going to appear. No dice. I decided to head out back and get in position to run to the first tree gobble. There was enough foliage on the trees that I could enter the woods undetected. As luck would have it, I heard a gobble in the opposite direction that I walked from the vehicle. Again the bird called out to the early dawn, but still, no one joined him. I decided to wait. I was certain I would hear a bird near my location. It occurred to me that the scouting report came from a guy who couldn't get out of bed in the morning! Perhaps I should rethink my strategy.  I listened intently as the birds sang their early morning tunes and the sweet smell of honeysuckle filled my olfactory senses. Just as I was about to throw my former coaching rival completely "under the bus", I heard a gobble from in front of me. "Atta boy," Doug! The hunt was on!

 I closed the gap quickly and quietly on the gobbler. I looked for a place to sit. I chose a large oak tree to lean against. This tree put me one hundred yards from his roost. I did not dare get closer. The mature forest was wide open. He would see me approach. After settling in, I made a soft "purrrrr" with my easy yelper. He gobbled immediately! I waited a full minute and repeated the soft gentle purr. He came "unglued" with a resounding triple gobble. For several minutes we called back and forth. He flew down about 6:25 AM. In an attempt to illicit a response and identify his location, I purred. No response. "Oh no. He is coming in silent. He could be anywhere!" I thought as my eyes scanned the forest floor. I made one soft purr, but in response, I received the call of a raspy old hen. She began to "cluck," cut, and carry on, as she ran to the gobbler. He gobbled at her advances. I had one chance, and that was to imitate her. I started cutting and carrying on like a whole flock of hens. That Tom turkey went crazy, but he never wandered more than forty yards from his tree. Before long he had an entire harem at his disposal, and together they wandered off.

I sat at the base of the tree for a time as the gobbles got further and further down the hollow. It was about 8:30 when I decided to head back to see if "Sleeping Beauty" had awakened. I found my buddy all rested, bright eyed and bushy tailed. "I guess I have to get out of bed if I want to hunt turkeys, aye Bill?" We laughed. Doug said that he hears turkeys in the late morning hours, so we walked back down the hill. We stood in his field talking quietly for about thirty minutes. Every now and then I would "cluck" to check for interested gobblers. After one such "turkey check" we heard a loud gobble, and he was close! We scrambled to hide. Big mistake. We should have been seated in position, but I did not anticipate the bird coming to me. I figured we would be moving to him. I am not certain if he saw us scramble around to hide like two of the "Three Stooges" or what, but we never saw or heard him after that.

All in all, it was a good hunt. Anytime you get to set up on a bird, it is a good hunt. I got to set up on two in one morning. Spending time with good friends makes for a good hunt as well. That made this day very special. Remember though, if you want to hunt turkeys you have to get out of bed!