I went on a hunt with my lifelong friend who never had the opportunity to turkey hunt. We lived in different states now, so we decided to meet up for a hunt. We went to some public land areas anyone can hunt on but didn’t hear anything that morning.
Prospecting for the Perfect Spot
We jumped in the truck and went prospecting around private property that joined up to public land. We hit several places before we found a spot with only two houses on a dirt road. It was between two ridges, and the road ran north and south. The hill to the west was tall with several benches on it at different elevations.
I slowed the truck after the last house and checked my map to see where the public land started. There was a creek running along the base of the hill, and it marked the property line. So, I pulled the truck over and told my friend that if we could get one to answer us twice, it would be worth walking in. If they only answer once, it was just a reaction gobble or what you would call a shock gobble.
The Call of the Wild
We climbed out of the truck, and I popped in a Knight and Hale mouth call I bought at a trade show from Harold Knight. I ran off some cuts followed by some loud yelps, and multiple gobblers responded. If they gobble again, we are going in. I hit a few cuts, and they cut me off with enthusiastic gobbles. We got in the truck, drove down to a place we could park on public property, and headed down to the creek bottom.
Into the Woods
We crossed through a swampy area and the creek, which had a steep bank that took some time to manage. Once we were on the ridge, I called to get a location on the birds. They had moved in the same direction as we had. They gobbled hard every time I called and started coming our way.
The Perfect Setup
I set my friend on my right side against a large tree, and those darn birds walked right past us on my left. He had no shot. We waited until the birds went over the creek bank to adjust our position, and I started calling aggressively, cutting and yelping while scratching in the leaves. They were at a fever pitch, gobbling with every breath and walking back to us.
The Moment of Truth
When the birds got to a log out in front of us, it stuck its head up to look around then ducked back down. We swung our guns into position, and when the turkey stuck its head up, my friend shot, and a bird flew up and back down, and he shot again. The bird went down, and a second bird ran out from behind the log, and I dropped him. Things happened so fast it was like a movie.
We did some high fives and walked over, only to discover three dead turkeys laying behind the log. Thank goodness we had four tags! My friend shot two turkeys his first time ever turkey hunting. That worked out well because it gave us more time to hang out and catch up on our lives. Good times!
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