The Thrill of Turkey Hunting

With turkey hunting, the idea is to plant ones concealed ass in the forest and then call in the gobblers, that would be a fat male turkey. In my case, the slate scratcher is the chosen call of choice and if I don't say, the performance is now taking on a very romantic tone. Once the big boy is in sight, at say 30 yards, the trick is to shoot him in the head and then get the brute out of the forest and into the freezer. Doing this is not as easy as it might seem.

First off, it might be cold, which it was earlier in the week, meaning my body temp dropped to what I suspect was about 85 degree which left me only inches from violent hypothermia and then a pleasant death. Part of the problem was that I got so excited when this jake (a younger male) came in close and wouldn't expose his beard--the woods was so thick I just couldn't get that one good look. I knew pretty sure that he was a male and fair game for my shot gun but even at fifteen yards, I couldn't be sure. As a result, he got the opportunity to give me the middle feather and ultimately split.

The big gobbler had himself some girls off about 100 yards and wasn't about to come to my call while he was surrounded by such feathered babes--I would have acted no different. So in the process of freezing my ass, I also got shivering from excitement and ultimately it took a hot shower to recover---and a nice drooling,open mouthed nap while flopped on the sofa.

While I have yet to secure my gobbler, or jake, the action has been hot and every day except tonight. I have been a player, not a contender but a player. I've had them all around me giving that turkey rush.

But there is a thing about turkey hunting that goes way beyond blasting a nice dinner. That is what goes on in the woods in the spring, and I don't mean just the ticks. This morning I saw a mink, a fox, multiple warblers, some thrush-like brown jobby, flickers, wood peckers of many stripes, bellowing Sandhills that really got my heart going this morning when they let loose 40 yards from me when I didn't know they were there. I think they were matting and the vocal blast was a post orgasmic response. I do the same thing. Off in the distance the Woodcocks were doing there woop-de-doo flights of love. Almost too much to take in.

To top it off, today the peepers and wood frogs emerged to begin there season of peeping and insentient high pitched gurgling. They can be so loud by the pond, one has to repair to higher ground for fear of ear damage. One day left this first season and it doesn't really seem like there are many turkeys, particularly gobblers, but at 70 degrees today and tomorrow, I am not sure I care. I have not fallen asleep in the woods once this year which is a first and have only found one tick to date. I am warm tonight in the new sweater Ann made me.