Epic Turkey Hunt With a Suppressed Shotgun!

During my first two years of turkey hunting I have learned a ton, but one of the best parts of it all is the incredible people I’ve met along the way. Chasing thunder chickens is daylight and dark from hunting whitetail in the Pineywoods of East Texas, where I’m from. The landscape, terrain, flora and fauna, and hunting methods, are notably different. I’m blessed in having the opportunity to travel around our great state seeing and experiencing what each region has to offer.

Not to mention the first-class people I’ve met along the way who have taught me so much about the sport.

After striking out last Spring on public land in San Angelo, Texas, my husband and I decided the best way to learn was to hire a guide. Going with a guide is a great way for a beginner to learn about how to hunt turkeys. Ideally, the guide will be a veteran turkey hunter, able to answer questions and explain hunting methods. Starting with several searches in Facebook hunting groups my husband tracked down a young man from San Saba, Texas who offered guided hunts, his name is Ty Mann. Between hunting last year and this Spring, we’ve built a relationship with Ty, and I’m proud to call him a friend. No matter what the great outdoors decides to throw at us during our hunts we are constantly joking throughout the day and strategizing on the best plan of attack to bag a big gobbler. Our hunts in San Saba are always a good time and a new learning experience. This Spring season we trekked all across different tracts of land in San Saba chasing longbeards, totaling around 15 miles in one weekend alone. During the day, occasionally the birds will go silent, which proves to be both a frustrating yet humbling experience. Thankfully, hearing the echo of gobbles as the sun starts to peek out each morning is usually enough to light a fire inside you that will drive you through the day. From hearing gobbles and actually feeling the drumming to seeing a tom start strutting merely feet in front of you, turkey hunting is a one of a kind adventure.

 

On my last hunt of this Spring season I traveled back to San Angelo, Texas to hunt a large private ranch with some new friends of mine, the McCrea family. The McCrea’s have three daughters, Kylie, Taryn, and Caitlin, ages 16, 14, and 12. Let me tell you right now, I have no doubt about the fact that any one of those girls could out-hunt any man given the chance. They’re amazing young hunters, but more importantly, sweet kids, full of joy and a true passion for the outdoors. I loved spending time with them and their parents.

The second day of my trip Kylie and I sat in a ground blind near the base of a beautiful giant oak tree. Probably one of the coolest blinds I’ve hunted from, you could see through the material 360 degrees around you. (I’m going to have to buy a Primos blind now after hunting from one.) Kylie and I sat for what seemed like forever, talking hunting for the larger part of an hour, as she periodically called like a pro. Kylie is a very accomplished turkey hunter. She’s only 16 years old and has 7 grand slams and a whopping 54 turkeys under her belt. I was stunned at the stories she has to tell, along with her wealth of turkey hunting wisdom. Much to our surprise three massive gobblers came trotting from behind us and through the branches of that large oak down a game trail to our right. They ran so close to the blind we could have reached out of the window and touched them. At this point, we were both so excited to finally see turkeys you could probably hear our hearts racing and beating aloud. I had previously positioned my shotgun at the ready with the barrel and suppressor resting on the edge of the blind’s front window.

After the birds finally made their arrival, we didn’t waste any time. I readied my shotgun against my shoulder, and Kylie grabbed hers in case she was able to get a second shot in on a different bird. The three birds were all bigger than any I had ever seen, so I tried to see which had the longest beard before pulling the trigger. They all looked around the same size, so I picked out a tom which began walking to our right with his neck stretched out. Before allowing him to look around any longer I pulled the trigger, boom! Dropped him. Sadly, neither of the other two Toms wanted to stick around to see what would happen next. Kylie and I jumped out of the blind to check out my bird, which was still flopping around. Can’t stop the flop. My first big mature Tom, I was ecstatic! Over the weekend, all three girls as well as myself managed to each bag a bird from the ranch. It’s hard to beat spending time with people who share a love for the outdoors. I’m thankful for top-notch people like the McCreas who welcome others with open arms to enjoy the outdoor experience. They are raising the next generation of hunters and conservationists, and I assure you, the future is bright!

Brooklee Grant