Spring turkey.
We got a late start on turkey season because of too much rain. Finally one day the whole family went out to look and listen for some birds. We had found some tracks in the road the day before, so we came back to that area to glass and listen. Me and Dad went to one side of the road and Ben and Mom went the other way. All of a sudden, Mom came running over the hill, whispering that Ben had made a few mouth yelps and a Tom was gobbling up a storm at him!
We got our gun and calls and set up then managed to call him in to about 40 yards. Dad said he was too far because I was using an original side by side percussion muzzleloader, and Ben had his .62 cal. Fusil flintlock. We had patterned both guns and decided that 25 yards should be our farthest range.
We spent several hours working that bird and he got almost close enough two more times but not good enough. Mom got a bunch of him on video from up the hill above us. Finally after his hens led him away we decided where we would put up our blind for the next day.
We hunted the blind two more mornings, and saw turkeys, but no shots. The third morning Ben, Dad and me got in the blind and were not hearing a thing. After about an hour we walked down the ridge to call out over a big hollow. A Tom gobbled back at everything we did! Dad had me and Ben hurry back to the blind while he slowly snuck and called his way back. The Tom was right on Dad's heels by the time he got to the blind.
Ben and I had the video camera ready and were ready for action by the time Dad got into the blind.
The Tom was just over a little hill about 30 yards in front of the blind and gobbling his head off! Our hen decoy was at 15 yards and Dad had set up a strutting fan decoy beside it.
The Tom got to almost 25 yards and would not come on over to the hen! Dad thinks he was scared of the fan decoy. Up till now I had been watching him down the barrels of that muzzleloader. When the bird moved behind a big log, Dad had me un-cap the gun and I switched over to Ben's full choked 870 that we had brought along for backup. As it worked out, I would have been ok with the muzzleloader because when he came around the log he was only 21 steps away. Ben and Dad were going nuts, Ben was filming the whole time and Dad was trying to keep everything out of my way as I got the 870 in position out the side window. As his head came out from around the log, BOOM!!!
My first turkey was down.
P.S. turkey sandwichs all round!
Nash
