YES!  Finally time to go after a tom turkey!

Yesterday was the first day of the Utah youth turkey hunt.  They have three days to hunt turkeys before the general turkey season opens up.  Of course yesterday was a school day and they chose to get “sum learnin” rather than hunt, so this morning, being Saturday, we are all excited to get into the woods and find them a bird.  Everything is right for this mornings hunt.  A full moon (tomorrow) according to the calendar, but looking outside right now, I don’t think we will need flashlights to get to our setup areas.  No chance of rain and absolutely wind still.  Temps will be approaching 80 degrees.  Couple all of that with a chance to go hunting with two of my Grandkids, my oldest son and a brother in law, who by the way will be video taping todays activities and one would be hard pressed to say anything else but that… “it just don’t”….get no better than this!

This morning it is Conner and Kenzies time to try their hands at filling tags!  We have a plan, but will the turkeys follow through on their side of the deal?

Weasel has been tracking them with his trail camera and we have a pretty good idea about their whereabouts but there have been a couple of glitches in the system we might have to take out before the turkeys cooperate.  The only way to find out is to be on the site before first light.

In preparation for this hunt, which has been nothing but fun, I have come to the realization that I need a helicopter.  My pack weighs about 50 pounds and then toss in a portable blind with another 20 pounds, two decoys which add bulk plus 5 pounds and this old man is going to have quite a time maneuvering the hills we have to traverse.  I should have been working out like I did for my elk hunt two years ago.  I have to say this….should I perish on the hillside it will have been worth it!

Over the few years I have been turkey hunting, which isn’t many, it’s been turkeys 100 and me zero….at least here in Utah.  My buddy in Missouri found me one in less than 20 minutes and I was able to put him on the table, but since trying it on my own they are kicking my butt.  I’ve had them within 20 feet several times.   I’ve thrown lead at them twice, both on the wing.  I’ve watched them walk away from me.  I’ve watched them walk toward me.  I’ve had them fighting right behind my blind and picked up the feathers after the battle.  I’ve had them fly right over my head.  I’ve watched as other hunters had them jump from under their feet and fly away.

It comes down to just plain luck as far as I’m concerned.  You pattern them until you just know deep down in your heart they will do nothing less than what you have been witnessing for a month and the day you try to intercept that pattern….they aren’t there.  And yet, go on the internet and see some guy hiding behind a decoy walking right up on a big old tom and shooting it from 5 feet as it is coming toward him!

Well, today I hope Conner and Kenzie both get a chance to at least aim at a tom turkey.  If they can seal the deal all the better, but let’s get real, the chance to be with them in the field will be more than worth this 2 a.m. awakening, the hours drive and half hour walk in the dark woods!  Let’s giterdun!

Bears Butt

May 2, 2015

LATER:

What a beautiful day!  Warm, dry and very much spring like!  We arrived at our destination in perfect time!  Still very much dark and with our hike ahead everyone was pretty excited to be getting on the hill.

There is a whole lot that can be said about a good bright headlamp!  I’d like to have one of those 1000 lumen ones (we all know you have to turn it on before you put it on your head or you will get whiplash from the light beam blasting forward), but with the ones we have we made it safely down to our hiding spots.

I had on my hydration pack filled with goodies on my back and Trackers folding blind on my front.  I felt like a turtle!  Turtle Butt!

Conner and I had our blind put up in record time and were settled in for the long wait until daylight!

Conner don’t like the flash!

So we sat waiting patiently and listening to the world awaken.  It was a very fine morning to be out and about.  Conner and I had both of the decoys out in front of us and in a pretty good spot for the birds on the roost to be able to see them.  Why I didn’t take a picture of them out in the grass is beyond me, but here is what they looked like back at home.

Weasel reminded me to place the hen facing our position and the gobbler with his butt toward where we expected the birds to be roosting.  I guess from what he has been told or read about, the real birds won’t be intimidated by the gobbler if it is facing away.  What do I know?  So, with us waiting and the decoys out, we began seeing animals moving even in the wee bit of light we had.  The morning sun comes up way to quickly when you are on the side of the mountain and today was no different.  As the light got brighter and brighter our hopes for a gobbler were boosted when we heard the first gobble from the roost!  Perfect!

We were in a great spot and Weasel and Kenzie were on the X!  This was going to be a remarkable day of turkey hunting.  The light continued to brighten and when things were just right I told Conner to get his gun ready as the birds were going to fly down any minute.  The gobblers were sounding off all over the mountain.  Some close, some in the distance and then the hens began to speak up.  We thought we could hear 3 different toms gobbling.  And then all went silent!  We did not hear them fly down, but in my mind they had to be on the ground because they shut right up.

We waited and watched for any sign of a turkey walking in the grass.  I saw a lot of deer, but the only turkeys I saw were going up and over a distant rise, walking away from us.  6 hens and one big old gobbler.  It sure is fun to see them strutting like they do.  We didn’t give up as there were more birds somewhere on the mountain.  We held our spot until about 8 and then called it a day.

One can not go out hunting without the all famous Kipper Snack breakfast.

We know that there is still a lot of good hunting between 10 and 2, but with 5 of us we figured that would be too many to go spot and stalking and so we called it a day!  Back at the truck I reminded everyone that we could possibly see a gobbler as we were driving out of the mountain and to keep an eye out.  Sure enough we spotted a bunch of hens and one big old tom!  The kids put a good sneak effort on him, but the hens spotted them and took off for the deepest forest they could find.  Mr. Tom was the last to leave but he went sprinting off to join the hens.  I’m not sure he even knew there was any danger around.

So, all in all it was a successful day.  Sure we didn’t kill anything, but the kids got to hear several toms sounding off and it was Kenzies first time to hear them.  She was almost under the roost of one and to her it was very loud!  A fun day for sure!

Bears Butt