Well fellas, I finally did it. I bagged my first turkey, but that’s not what makes this turkey season epic. What makes it epic is my dad was there to share the moment with me. This will be a very long read. Microsoft Word tells me it’s over 1500 words so if you don’t care to read it all the pictures are at the bottom. Now as Paul Harvey would say it’s time for the rest of the story.
You see I’ve recently taken a new job and moved about 6 hours away from home. My dad’s health for the past few years hasn’t been that great, he’s not getting around like he used to but he still has the same passion for the outdoors that he instilled in me at a very young age. I remember stories of him bringing me hunting while I was still in diapers. (Momma wasn’t happy about that, from what I hear). I remember the trips to the deer lease, listening to Johnny Horton and Hank Williams Sr. but this story tops them all, except for maybe my first deer.
I’ve never been a turkey hunter. I can’t say I’ve ever really had the desire to turkey hunt, but I also didn’t live were there were more turkeys then people. So anyway, dad calls me up and says he wants us to go turkey hunting here. I say ok sure. Wasn’t exactly optimistic that we would see a turkey but I was excited to spend some time with my old man anyway. So, the long-anticipated day arrives, we wake up early and start to get dressed when we start to hear this god-awful howling outside. We realized pretty quick the winds were steady at almost 20 mph with gusts of wind reaching 30-35 mph, temps in the low 40’s. Dad looked at me and said,” We might as well go back to bed, ain’t no turkey gonna hear us today”. I would like to say I put up a fight but hey my warm bed sure sounded good.
We got out about noon and decided to check the game cameras and work my dog, Delta, for a bit on his retrieving, out at the lease. Decided last minute to put Dads shotgun in the truck so we could pattern it and make sure it was ready to go. Get to the lease, pulled the cards, get to the last stand and Dad decides to start playing with one of his new turkey calls while I’m checking everything. I’m standing on the platform of my stand when I thought I heard a very faint gobble…. tried to shake it off like naw it couldn’t have been…. just wasn’t quite convinced. We got back in the truck and I rolled the windows down to listen and started driving off. We’re headed to a pond on the property to work Delta and I heard it. A gobble. No doubt in my mind. I heard a gobble. I slammed on the brakes and looked at Dad, “Did you hear that,” I said. Dad looks at me like I’m a madman,” Hear what”. “That gobble, I can’t tell were its coming from but I know I heard it.” We waited and listened. And listened. And listened. At this point, I can’t help but wonder am I going crazy? I started to ease off and made it about ten feet before we heard it again. This time plain as day! I pulled the truck off the road and we got out. Dad made a call and got a gobble in response. We knew the turkey was getting closer. I got the shotgun then realized I had a problem. Neither of us had a stitch of camo on. Not even my lucky camo underwear. Thankfully I had some camo burlap in the bed of my truck, I grabbed a piece and quickly headed off into the creek bottom to find a spot.
Dads calling from about thirty yards behind me. I finally found a tree big enough to conceal me and covered up underneath that burlap, like a kid pretending to be asleep on Christmas Eve. Hearts racing, adrenaline’s pumping, I’m straining my eyes trying to see this bird. It sounds like a bomb going off every time he gobbles. He going to walk out into the opening any minute. Suddenly, I heard something that made my heart stop and my blood run cold.
My phone! Amber Alert is going off and my phones not on silent! Instant Panic! I drop dads gun and I’m franticly trying to dig my phone out of my pocket and shut it off… after what felt like an eternity I finally got it out and turned on silent. I covered back up and listened…. silence…. did he hear it, I wonder, I did he see me?
Suddenly, the woods explode with a thunderous gobble, and I see this Tom crossing a small meadow, working his way towards me. He enters the wood line and crosses right into the one opening I needed him to. BAM! Just like that my first turkey is flopping on the ground. I let out a good ole rebel yell and crossed that opening and jumped the creek faster than a running back at the NFL combine. Wouldn’t have made the Cowboys but I think the Cleveland Browns would’ve been interested, at that point. He ended up with a 9-inch beard and 1 ½ spurs and about 18 pounds or so. He wasn’t a world record but a trophy for me none the less. I couldn’t have been happier in that moment and to see the pride in my old man’s eyes made it that much better.
FAST FORWARD A WEEK.
After not seeing any more turkeys on the last trip, Dad decides to come back down for a couple of days and try again. We knew we had two toms on camera and we were going to try to do our best to get on one of them. We set up a stand where we knew they were passing though on a day to day basis and waited. And waited. And called. And waited. And called some more. It was so dead that morning we didn’t even hear a heifer moo and we’re hunting on a cattle ranch. Decided to break for lunch then back at the ranch by two, doubled up on the four-wheeler, driving around stopping and calling, trying to get mobile and hopefully locate a bird for dad. Instead we find a hog, which I’m ashamed to say I missed. Hey, it happens sometimes nobody’s perfect.
We decided on a game plan for the evening hunt. I was going to hunt for hogs in a stand close to where we hoped they were roosting and he was going to hunt a stand where we had seen them before. I take my bow this trip and climb into my tripod, and sent him a text to let him know I was safe and set up. He texts back that his phone is going to die before our agreed time to leave and not to worry if I can’t get ahold of him. So, the hunt begins. It’s just about prime time for a hog just before dark 7:30ish. Of course, I’ve just about given up on hearing a turkey but I’m still listening, kinda. Ok maybe I was just playing on my phone because the hogs don’t show up until 8:30, oh well it happens. So, I’m playing angry birds and I heard a boom coming from dad’s direction. I knew he had a rifle and a shotgun with him. I thought to myself that sure sounded like a shotgun…. tried calling him straight to voicemail…. phones dead…. crap…now I have a moral dilemma. Do I continue hunting? Or do I call it and go see what he got? (I knew I was going to find something on the ground over there, I just didn’t know what)
Well if curiosity killed the cat I’d be a dead cat. I couldn’t stand it so I climbed down and headed over there. I topped the hill and wouldn’t you know, He’s done got TWO toms with ONE shot! Yes, you read that right. I wish he was writing this part but I will try to tell the story the best I can.
He said his phone had died about an hour before hand and he was just about to get out of the stand and pull the decoy because he figured with it being so late, the birds would have already gone to roost. He said he looked out the window and the toms were just there, no gobbles no nothing, they didn’t make a peep he said. He put the shotgun out the window as one of the toms turned to leave. He said it almost looked like they were kissing when he pulled the trigger. Both his bird had about 9 inch beards and 1 inch spurs. Incredible hunt by any man's standard.
I can’t describe how this experience has affected me but I know I’ll be a turkey hunter for life now. And I’ll always have an amazing story to tell. Thanks for letting me share!
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