Turkey Time 2024
Turkey season is one of those things that I’m very conflicted about. With one turkey tag a successful hunt means the season is over. Great because then I can focus on fishing and bad because there’s no more turkey hunting. Each successful hunt brings a little bit of sadness that I can’t go again. I will say this year was a test of my patience to keep turkey hunting but wild turkey being my favorite spring meal kept me at it.
One thing that was fun about this year is that the whole family got involved. Opening weekend 2 of the girls went with me and if I thought taking them fishing or duck hunting was a lot to manage…I hadn’t seen anything yet. We definitely hopped in a blind for that trip but keeping them from goofing off with each other too loudly was hard work. That is why duck hunting is so much fun with them and they also really like it. They can wiggle around and talk a bunch until those short action-packed moments that they have to be quiet. Much different than turkey hunting and without much gobbling or action it was easy for them to lose focus. They did however have a good time other that one whiny moment right at daylight. Chocolate milk and some chips from Wesco on the ride home sweetened the deal for them.
It was my first season hunting this property and I was still learning it so I followed up with some afternoon trips. I really thought I’d be able to make something happen but it was all hens for a while. I mixed in a hunt an another property thanks to a couple good friends and despite 2 close encounters no shots were fired. It was much appreciated and tempting to go back there. But I didn’t want to use up anyone’s time again and I knew I wouldn’t learn as much for the future. The whole crew got involved in setting up a blind in a “hot” location next but that also ended up as a disappointment.
The huts are interesting and I’m not really a big fan. It leads to less paying attention, less sitting still, and overall less awareness of what is going on. I’d rather find a sneaky spot and settle in next to the tree or bush. There are some drawbacks to that though as it just isn’t possible in some places and it is more likely you are going to pick up a few ticks. Few things weird me out more than ticks so got some of the Sitka Equinox Guard stuff this year. Pants, hoody, and gloves. Not only is the fabric woven tight enough that insects can’t bite through it but it has been treated with Insect Shield to repel those nasty parasites. Not only did I never find a tick on me despite crawling around in the stuff but the facemask built into the hoody was a nice touch.
Now to the hunt that ended all the struggles. I actually hadn’t even planned on being in the location. But the night before, some time opened up for a buddy and his son to go and the obvious choice was to put Cam in the location we thought had the best chance. I was off for an explore mission on a different farm and also had a soccer game followed by a family trip to the east side planned. It was a bit of a time crunch but I knew I had a chance. Of course it was really windy…again. All quiet on both farms and it wasn’t looking good. After some hunters on the neighboring property came through around 8, I bailed on my original location. I headed to a place where some birds had been killed in the past. I got set up but it just didn’t feel right and I also realized I had left my mouth call at location number 1. I had an interesting encounter with a hummingbird hovering over me and almost landing on my gun barrel. That must have been a good sign and pretty quickly I was off to retrieve my call and set up at a different location to the north.
On the return trip from grabbing the call I spotted the tippy top of a fan out in the blueberries. Put the binos up and spotted another fan next to it. It was about time things got exciting and I didn’t have a whole lot of time to develop a great plan. I did have some terrain I could use to my advantage in the form of a pond and berm. I got to the berm in the form of some sneaking and belly crawling. Once I peaked over I could tell they were coming my way but I still had to close some distance to get to the far northeast corner of it. At this point I wish I would have really aggressively closed the distance because more birds kept popping up with them. The angle of the berm kept me hidden but was also a challenge as I spent time both on it and with my boots in the actual pond. The other birds definitely slowed my progress and also worried me that I might alert them to my presence. It also didn’t help that the group was moving pretty quickly. I wasn’t able to get as close as I wanted but I was within range. The biggest problem now was that the 2 toms that were strutting wouldn’t separate. There were actually other toms in the group but I was fixated on these 2. As they kept traveling south they were going to have me pinned down and blocked for a shot. I could no longer take a nice relaxed shot and instead it was going to be a stand up and think fast.
My first shot missed its mark somehow but shot number 2 started the flop. The rest of the birds scattered (they are fast) and I was audibly and visibly pumped. It felt good to have acquired some turkey nuggets and with the struggles from the rest of the season it felt extra good. It all came down to the lucky timing of being in the right place at the right time and having some terrain to make a move. That hunt was a lot of boring followed by one short period of intense activity. I don’t really know which one I like better birds coming into the decoys or making moves to take a shot. It’s all fun and I’ll take it whichever way I get it. Most of all I just really appreciate the opportunities I have to turkey hunt and all the buddies that make that possible! Time to fish!