Just finished cleaning up from what has become the hunt I look forward to more than any other, each year. Unfortunately this year my buddy and his son who we always hunt with had to cancel last minute – not a huge deal but the 20 gauge pump my 10 year old son Liam was to borrow was now being replaced with a single shot .410 at the last minute…
So April 14 we made the drive to the east Koots, set up our camp quickly and headed out scouting for a gobbler to hunt opening morning. We heard a couple gobbles and managed to view a love sick jake feeding solo in an open field, gobbling every so often. Eventually he made his way into the timber, and we followed the sounds from a safe distance, up 2 ridges from where we had spotted him. Just as we sat down to watch over a likely strutting area the bird walked out and put on a show for us, strutting, gobbling, and feeding about 400 meters away. We took the opportunity to get some video, and as it was getting late expected we may actually get to watch him roost.
Then suddenly, as if he’d spotted other turkeys (or thought we were turkeys), he started RUNNING straight at us across the opening! When he dropped in a bit of a depression behind some brush, we frantically belly crawled backwards off the ridge, then ran downhill about 30 meters and hid in silence – while the bird gobbled his way across the ridge above us. Phew! He didn’t see us!
He continued gobbling and seemed to be roosted on the corner of another opening one ridge down as darkness fell – so we pulled out and got our gear ready for the morning.
4:30 am the alarm went off, by 5:00 I was parking the truck. Up through the bush we climbed, in complete darkness, hauling my ground blind, decoys, guns and gear. By 5:30 the decoys were out, and we were ready in the blind across from where I figured the gobbler was roosted. It was still pitch black out. Perfect.
Around 6:00 as the sky began to light up, he started gobbling from the roost on his own, and our adrenaline got going again. We let him carry on by himself for a while. Then, about 6:30, unsure of his exact location, I let out a couple really subtle yelps in case he couldn’t see the decoys from his roost. This really got him going. I noticed right away the gobbles sounded differently. I told Liam “Get your gun ready, he’s out of his roost and headed our way.”
Maybe 1-2 minutes later I spotted him as he worked along the ridge above, parallel to us. Another soft yelp and he turned on a dime straight down the hill at us. He exited the timber, fanned out and strutted the entire 100 metres across the opening straight into my decoys at 15 meters (.410, remember…), but seemed to be facing the blind the entire time.
Finally after what seemed like eternity, he turned away from us to face the decoys, and as Liam was lining up to shoot a hen yelped from down the ridge. Instantly he turned and burned. Oh no! Now he was too far for the .410, but Liam did not want the bird getting away. I let out a couple putts with my mouth call, he stopped, turned and looked back. Up came my 12 gauge and down went the turkey at about 35 meters.
Cheers, hi fives and hugs as we had a gobbler down before sunrise on opening day! We spent the rest of our trip enjoying time outdoors, exploring for new areas to hunt next year, and lounging around camp - free from the stresses of every day life.
Can’t wait for next year!
Here are a couple photos to finish things off.
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