Spurchaser
Active member
The Substitute
So I killed a turkey on April 27 and was completely satisfied with just one bird. I did go to a local WMA the Sunday and Monday after the bird was killed and after 13 miles and no turkeys or really any tracks I realized that my season was over.
I washed all my hunting clothes and cleaned out my turkey vest and have everything put away until archery season opens in September. The only things I kept in the truck are a range finder and a Thermacell.
Well, my oldest son was already limited out and after his work acquired some new property he’d been scouting for his wife and found a turkey. The only issue is they need a babysitter and that’s where “Papa” comes into play.
They decided today May 4th would be the day he’d take her. So I spent the night last night already dead tired from only 5 hours of sleep the night before, but it’s what Dads and Papa’s do, lol.
Before I left the house to head to theirs I’d thrown my pants and boots I use for trapping in my truck and figured I’d just leave straight from their house and check traps on the way home. I always keep a lightweight “camo” shirt in the truck anyways.
So it’s about 0545 and I’m dead to the world asleep and Brennan comes in to wake me up. I figured they were getting ready to leave and I was going to move to their room so I could hear Ellie Jane when she wakes up. Instead I hear, “Do you have any hunting clothes?” My mind hears it but doesn’t really register and all I say is No. He turns and walks away and I do what every man does when they wake up…go to the bathroom.
Now the entire time I’m still really not awake, but I’m thinking to myself, why doesn’t my daughter-in-law have any hunting clothes? I know she has some, but what’s wrong with hers? Are they in the wash and they didn’t dry them? Did she leave them somewhere? Again, I’m still half asleep.
Brennan walks back in and throws some camo on the bed and says see if you can wear those? My mind still isn’t registering and I’m thinking, why do I need those, I’m just moving rooms and going back to sleep!
He’s standing there looking at me like I’m crazy, then says, Kayla is sick. Tummy bug or something we ate last night and you’re up…The Substitute! It sorta clicked and I told him I keep a camo shirt in the truck and brought my pants and boots as well.
He disappears and comes back and throws my clothes on the bed and says hurry up, we’re already running late. I get dressed like a robot and he asks if my turkey vest is in the truck. The answer is no. He then produces a turkey vest and says let’s go.
We step outside and it’s raining. I did have enough sense to grab the Thermacell out of my truck and off we went.
We’re only a few miles down the road and he pulls into a pecan orchard. We get out, put on our vests, grab the gun and he leads the way with his “timed” march. If this kid had ever joined the military he would’ve been running point and everyone else would be trying to keep up.
We walk in the rain for what seems like 15-20 minutes or more. Now I’m still in a daze sorta because I’m thinking, “It’s raining. I’m walking. Why am I not mad or excited? It’s neither cool nor warm. It’s just neutral. Just for the record, no I don’t drink, but can’t explain the haze I was in.
We finally stop in what appears to be the middle of a pecan orchard. My son looks at a tree like it’s “the one” and says we’ll set up there. Now everyone knows I’m against decoys but my son sets one out.
We sit in silence. It’s still raining. It’s getting light. And, it’s still eerily silent. The mosquitoes are buzzing despite the Thermacell running. Nothing is making a sound. Daylight comes and still not a sound. For some reason I leaned over to my son and asked, “So this is where you’ve been hearing a turkey?” He replied, “Yes.” Another 5 minutes of silence I leaned over again and I asked, “Are you sure we’re in the right orchard?” Again he replied, “Yes.”
After a few more minutes the rain quit and he broke out a glass call and gave a few soft yelps which was met with silence. Another 5-10 minutes later he calls again, a little louder this time. Same result as before, silence.
Now my senses are waking up. I’m thinking, here I am in trapping clothes, a spare face mask that’s faded so much it looks purple, a borrowed vest, someone else’s gun and shells, sitting over a decoy, and with the possibility of a silent bird. This boy is making me go against everything I preach against. I’m thinking “IF” one comes in I’ll just slide the gun to him, except he’s tagged out.
My thoughts are interrupted when my son whispers he doesn’t understand why this bird isn’t gobbling? He’s heard him the last 3 mornings, but the more he whispers the more I’m understanding he didn’t exactly know “where” he roosted, only where he heard him gobbling from and marked a spot on OnX where he “thought” he was when he’d heard him.
I’m now realizing I’m wet, but that the Thermacell is working. There’s a plus to the morning. I also realize I’m not very comfortable trying to become “one” with the tree. My right arm is starting to fall asleep but I don’t want to move because we have no clue where this “pretend” gobbler is supposed to be.
My son puts his glass away and picks up the trumpet. After a few soft yelps, we listen again to the sound of silence. He doesn’t wait long and gets a little aggressive with some cutts and yells and lo and behold…we hear a gobble. It was a faint gobble, but still a gobble.
My son turned to me and asked where was that? As I pointed somewhere into the abyss of the orchard, I see a gobbler step out from behind a big pile of pecan limbs that direction. Now there’s no way this is what we heard, but it didn’t matter, it was a live turkey and a nice one at that…
So I killed a turkey on April 27 and was completely satisfied with just one bird. I did go to a local WMA the Sunday and Monday after the bird was killed and after 13 miles and no turkeys or really any tracks I realized that my season was over.
I washed all my hunting clothes and cleaned out my turkey vest and have everything put away until archery season opens in September. The only things I kept in the truck are a range finder and a Thermacell.
Well, my oldest son was already limited out and after his work acquired some new property he’d been scouting for his wife and found a turkey. The only issue is they need a babysitter and that’s where “Papa” comes into play.
They decided today May 4th would be the day he’d take her. So I spent the night last night already dead tired from only 5 hours of sleep the night before, but it’s what Dads and Papa’s do, lol.
Before I left the house to head to theirs I’d thrown my pants and boots I use for trapping in my truck and figured I’d just leave straight from their house and check traps on the way home. I always keep a lightweight “camo” shirt in the truck anyways.
So it’s about 0545 and I’m dead to the world asleep and Brennan comes in to wake me up. I figured they were getting ready to leave and I was going to move to their room so I could hear Ellie Jane when she wakes up. Instead I hear, “Do you have any hunting clothes?” My mind hears it but doesn’t really register and all I say is No. He turns and walks away and I do what every man does when they wake up…go to the bathroom.
Now the entire time I’m still really not awake, but I’m thinking to myself, why doesn’t my daughter-in-law have any hunting clothes? I know she has some, but what’s wrong with hers? Are they in the wash and they didn’t dry them? Did she leave them somewhere? Again, I’m still half asleep.
Brennan walks back in and throws some camo on the bed and says see if you can wear those? My mind still isn’t registering and I’m thinking, why do I need those, I’m just moving rooms and going back to sleep!
He’s standing there looking at me like I’m crazy, then says, Kayla is sick. Tummy bug or something we ate last night and you’re up…The Substitute! It sorta clicked and I told him I keep a camo shirt in the truck and brought my pants and boots as well.
He disappears and comes back and throws my clothes on the bed and says hurry up, we’re already running late. I get dressed like a robot and he asks if my turkey vest is in the truck. The answer is no. He then produces a turkey vest and says let’s go.
We step outside and it’s raining. I did have enough sense to grab the Thermacell out of my truck and off we went.
We’re only a few miles down the road and he pulls into a pecan orchard. We get out, put on our vests, grab the gun and he leads the way with his “timed” march. If this kid had ever joined the military he would’ve been running point and everyone else would be trying to keep up.
We walk in the rain for what seems like 15-20 minutes or more. Now I’m still in a daze sorta because I’m thinking, “It’s raining. I’m walking. Why am I not mad or excited? It’s neither cool nor warm. It’s just neutral. Just for the record, no I don’t drink, but can’t explain the haze I was in.
We finally stop in what appears to be the middle of a pecan orchard. My son looks at a tree like it’s “the one” and says we’ll set up there. Now everyone knows I’m against decoys but my son sets one out.
We sit in silence. It’s still raining. It’s getting light. And, it’s still eerily silent. The mosquitoes are buzzing despite the Thermacell running. Nothing is making a sound. Daylight comes and still not a sound. For some reason I leaned over to my son and asked, “So this is where you’ve been hearing a turkey?” He replied, “Yes.” Another 5 minutes of silence I leaned over again and I asked, “Are you sure we’re in the right orchard?” Again he replied, “Yes.”
After a few more minutes the rain quit and he broke out a glass call and gave a few soft yelps which was met with silence. Another 5-10 minutes later he calls again, a little louder this time. Same result as before, silence.
Now my senses are waking up. I’m thinking, here I am in trapping clothes, a spare face mask that’s faded so much it looks purple, a borrowed vest, someone else’s gun and shells, sitting over a decoy, and with the possibility of a silent bird. This boy is making me go against everything I preach against. I’m thinking “IF” one comes in I’ll just slide the gun to him, except he’s tagged out.
My thoughts are interrupted when my son whispers he doesn’t understand why this bird isn’t gobbling? He’s heard him the last 3 mornings, but the more he whispers the more I’m understanding he didn’t exactly know “where” he roosted, only where he heard him gobbling from and marked a spot on OnX where he “thought” he was when he’d heard him.
I’m now realizing I’m wet, but that the Thermacell is working. There’s a plus to the morning. I also realize I’m not very comfortable trying to become “one” with the tree. My right arm is starting to fall asleep but I don’t want to move because we have no clue where this “pretend” gobbler is supposed to be.
My son puts his glass away and picks up the trumpet. After a few soft yelps, we listen again to the sound of silence. He doesn’t wait long and gets a little aggressive with some cutts and yells and lo and behold…we hear a gobble. It was a faint gobble, but still a gobble.
My son turned to me and asked where was that? As I pointed somewhere into the abyss of the orchard, I see a gobbler step out from behind a big pile of pecan limbs that direction. Now there’s no way this is what we heard, but it didn’t matter, it was a live turkey and a nice one at that…
