Turkey Time

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OPENING DAY was a cold one. At least the rain had stopped, but the fields were muddy. Only the true lover of turkey hunting would even consider getting up to slide around in the mud as you trudge to your favorite spot—that is me in a nut shell.

I have often said that I enjoy hunting these birds more than hunting whitetail deer—and I will bet that I am not alone. There is something about hearing these majestic birds giving us their symphony of gobbles in the early dawn. It somehow seems to make it all worthwhile.

Although the number of turkey hunters has declined over the years, unfortunately, so have the number of turkeys. There are many reasons why that is, especially in a state as large as Texas. Severe drought in some parts of Texas as well as too much rain in other areas can cause the turkey numbers to diminish.

Add varmints to the mix, and one can see why it has been a bad year for those birds. However, I am confident that these numbers will pick up. Simply because the numbers are not there, should not deter you from still getting out in the great outdoors to pursue your favorite sport.

Chances are, if you have one area where you usually see turkeys, that particular spot will still produce. These birds like to roost in the same location night after night. Now that is not to say they will be in the exact same tree every night, but generally, they will not be too far away. They would certainly be in range to hear your calls.

Some grizzled veterans prefer to wait until mid -morning to hunt turkeys. Although I consider myself in the same category, I like to get there at pre-dawn to listen for the first gobbles.

If I do not hear any birds sounding off, then I have the option to move to another location and try again. On the other hand, if I do hear those gobbles, then I am absolutely sure I have birds around. If I can’t call them to me at first light, then I still have a good chance to take one later in the morning.

Most of my hunts have been successful later in the morning, but there have been times when I am lucky right off the roost. I recall one particular season where a certain tom would call every morning, then he would fly down in a different direction and leave me empty handed.

My wife thought I had lost my mind when I would get my weary bones up every morning in pursuit of that particular bird. I must admit, as I drank my morning coffee in an effort to wake up, I thought that she might be right.

After all, this bird with a brain the size of a pea had outsmarted me for days. Then one morning I snuck in the roosting area under the blanket of darkness and set up one hen decoy 20 yards from where I sat down.

I waited for sunrise when all of a sudden, the familiar gobble sounded off. This time, instead of yelping back to him, I just made a few soft clucks. I did not even know if he heard me because all was silent. But then in the dark dawn light, I saw a black figure heading to my decoy.

I never even heard him fly down, but there he was none the less. More important, there I was too. I came home early that morning and tapped lightly on our bedroom window. My wife looked out and saw a proud hunter with a nice tom turkey in his hands.

She told me later that the expression on my face looked like a mad man who had gone totally bonkers for this bird. I might have even stood close to the window and screamed at the top of my lungs for all the neighbors to hear, “I GOT HIM.”

But that is only hearsay, and I will never admit to it.

One important thing to remember: If the tom is with hens, it is extremely difficult to call him in to you. As a matter of fact, I have had times when the hen will purposely walk away from your call, dragging the tom along.

One trick that worked for me is almost comical. Once I knew the tom was “henned up,” I waited to hear the boss hen call. Then I would suddenly interrupt her call with a deep raspy hen call to simulate the biggest hen.

Every time she called; I purposely interrupted her. Again, and again and again. I could actually hear it in her voice that she was getting agitated at the intruder hen. But I kept my game going until she came looking for me.

When I spotted her, she had a few other hens and a nice big tom following her. I let most of them walk by me. They all flew in different directions after I shot the big boy.

Another technique is to just wait until mid-day to start your hunt. Most of the time, if a tom is with a hen, he will stay with her until she heads for her nest. It has been my experience that all is quiet until about 9:30.

That’s when the hen has already left the tom, and he is searching for another hen. Once, while hunting with my cousin, we were in a blind, and this exact scene happened.

I had my bow, and he had his shotgun. At around the golden hour, the tom came back looking for us. Except there were three of them all toms and all big.

I whispered to my cousin to shoot on the count of three. He picked one, and so did I. I drew my bow and softly counted down. All of a sudden, two birds had a bad morning.

I have to say I really do LOVE turkey hunting. I have had some great hunts, and I know you will too. It is just a fantastic time to be outdoors doing what you love.

Have fun and hunt safe.

 

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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