Old Frosty Toes

I took my first trip up to one of my favorite turkey hunting areas by Tuttle Cr. Reservoir to try my luck hunting along a wooded ridge there. I got there fairly early but I probably should have been there even earlier since it takes awhile to stumble across the creek and through all of the underbrush and make it up on the opposite ridge.

I made my way across the creek and up the ridge to try and set up in in one of the many draws leading to the pasture up above. There is a nice open area in the mouth of the draw that should draw some birds as they wander up into the pastures. It seemed like a good idea but after I had gotten set up and the birds started gobbling, I noticed none of them were very close to me but there were quite a few gobbling back to the west where I had stumbled through earlier. I also heard another one back to the east, which probably the old hermit gobbler I had unsuccessfully tried for last year.

Eventually, I decided I was not in the right place so I picked up my decoys and gear and headed back to the west up and down a couple of ridges to try and get set up on the gobbling birds. (Note to self: try to get in better shape. It's hard to climb up steep ridges when you keep tripping over your tongue.) Luckily, it was really cold out this morning with a frost and the birds were staying on the roost longer than normal. They really didn't start flying down until late; probably 5 to 10 minutes after sunrise which allowed me to make another set-up in the mouth of the far west draw which turned out to be perfect.

I got set up with 2 hen decoys and a jake and began calling a little. I sat up against the huge old oak in the bottom that has a cable running up it to an old deer stand. Amazingly enough, the birds were still on the roost and at least one of the gobblers was within 100 yards of me around the ridge. I started off subtle with the slate and then really got aggressive with the glass slate and my old Lynch when I heard some competing hens.

I had seen the birds fly down and one seemed to pitch right out of his tree and land in the weeds about 80 yards out or so along the flat bottom ground along the creek. I saw some of the rest of the flock pitch down from the ridge and glide out to a gravel bar along the creek. (The same bar where I stumbled across the creek about an hour earlier.) Some went to the ground and others landed in the huge oak which stands next to the gravel bar. I've always thought that would be a great place to set up and now I'm sure of it.

I kept calling off and on and I was getting some gobble responses from a gobbler out by the creek. He didn't seem real excited and I though he was probably just shock gobbling. The one close to me wasn't gobbling at all but I had a feeling he was coming in. I stopped calling and just started listening. I could hear him coming through the weeds which was pretty easy since this whole area is covered by dead, brittle weed stalks.

I started to hear him spitting and drumming but could not see anything yet. I decided to get my gun up and stop calling which was the right thing to do. I heard him spitting and drumming for 2 or 3 minutes (maybe, it seemed like longer). Then I heard him climbing the slope opposite me to get a better look into the bottom of the draw. He appeared about 35 to 40 yards out strutting and drumming for all he was worth. He was doing the typical thing a mature bird does by circling the caller before committing to coming in. He was strutting and drumming and eventually he stepped behind a tree so I got my gun on him. He then eyed the decoys and started down the hill towards me. I let him keep coming in, waiting for a close, clean shot. He was half-strutting and spitting and drumming on his way down. My decoys were really close, about 12 to 15 yards out, so I decided to take him before he got any closer and possible spooked. I lined him up and pulled the trigger and he dropped at 23 yards without ever taking a wing beat.

The 2 oz. load of #5's really does a trick on birds that close. I took a few pictures and then started walking out. While I was taking pictures the other gobbler was still going at it. I thought about trying for him also since he was only 150 yards out or so. But I decided to wait for another day. I ended up walking right into him and his hens on the way out. I could have shot him on the wing since I got within about 5 yards of him, but I decided against it.

There is still plenty of time left for turkey hunting this spring and I love watching them strut!!!