Hunting for Turkeys

Shooting a turkey gobbler from a deer blind during deer season is nice, but it's just a sidebar. But the spring gobblers’ season is a light year’s difference. The turkey is on center stage during the spring breeding season. The toms are gobbling trying to lure hens to them and hunters are making the seductive hen yelps to get a gobbler to move toward them .

Recently, Jason Nichols (friend, fellow Christian and avid turkey hunter) and I were on the way to my lease on Cibolo Creek near Panna Maria. We were running late. Jason accidentally set his alarm on p.m. instead of a.m. We were driving as fast as we could to make up time.

Arriving on the creek a few minutes before sunrise, we heard toms gobbling on the roost.

“I know right where they are,” I said. “I’ve hunted that roost for years.”

We parked the truck, grabbed our shotguns and gear and fast-paced towards the turkey sounds. We didn’t have time to set up a blind and nature covers were scarce. We were wearing camo from head to toe but would it be adequate?

After quickly setting up near a fence, Jason began to make soft yelps on his late call. Gobblers answered immediately. Thankfully, they were still on the roost. But not for long. Two birds flew down into a hollow just below us and two gobblers came from my side on the ground. Before we shot, they dropped off the hill toward the other two. Then about 25 yards away a big tom came up the hill, but before we could shoot he saw me move. Then they were gone. Four big gobblers and we didn’t get off a shot.

Now, nine days later we were back this time quite early. We set up Jason’s camo tent blind next to a fence. Now it was time to wait for the eastern sky to begin to lighten up.

A pack of coyotes across the creek began to howl. It sounded like they were killing a deer or a calf. The turkeys responded to the coyotes with loud gobbles. On the roost they will respond to an owl call, crow call, or a truck door slamming.

Jason began to call softly. No answer. He called again. No answer. But to a slightly louder yelp, they gobbled. We waited with high anticipation. Then we heard a hen, who was already on the ground, make soft clucks. Hens are bad news. If a gobbler finds a real hen, it’s impossible to to call him away from her.

Shortly after hearing the hen, two gobblers pitched out of the trees to the hollow below us. Then two more flew to the top of the bluff in front of us. We could see them behind the cluster of cactus about 50 yards away. Far out of range for me. I usually shoot a 12 gauge shotgun but on this day I had my little 410 gauge Remington auto-loader. For years, I wanted to shoot a turkey with the little .410. Knowing that Jason’s 12 gauge Benelli was loaded with heavy three inch loads, I knew he could back me up.

We now had four gobblers in front of us and we expected them to move to my hen decoy quickly. But they just puttered back and forth behind the cactus and some thick brush. Even with his heavy loads, they were out of range for Jason. They just kept on goofing around and not gobbling. They never answered our calls once they were on the ground. Eventually, they wandered away.

What a disappointment! We knew they could not see us in the blind. But I always say that turkeys have the edge.

Thinking that we were going home empty handed, I glanced out my side window. Wow! A big gobbler had come from our back across the dewwet field and was walking right beside the blind. He never gobbled. Just came in silent. I stuck the .410 out the front window and shot him in the back of the head at 15 yards. I think he was a grace gift from the Lord. He heard our calls and came from far down the creek. When we left, we could see his trail through the wet grass.

On the way home, we made plans for a return trip to try for the birds on the roost again.