Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Hard Work...

Let me begin by telling you I don't know a thing about turkey hunting...This is only my second season where I have "semi" seriously hunted, and I have never been humbled by any other game animal as I have been by a wild turkey..grins

It started with pure silence. The echo of spring peepers rang through the swamp edge I was on, as I did the dip and nod move waiting to hear the first roar of a gobble..you know what I mean- the one where you nod off, as your head drops, you awaken like someone slapped your face..This began Sunday, May 1st, after a miniscule 3 1/2 hours of sleep...

It was a bust...I had been watching birds roost in this same spot several times a week, for a month, and not a single gobble.....I hunted hard until 12:00 PM(have to be out of the woods by then in VT)without even a glimpse of a turkey.

Well, day two was a Monday. Although the spot I hunt is private, weekend warriors like to wreck the woods around me, however being that day two was a weekday, I had the woods to myself.

Right at first light, I had a couple gobbles right on the roost where they had been previously. They were hitting everything I could throw at them, light purrs and super super light clucks(only about 75-100 yards on a ridge). They are just over this slight rise where I can't see them, but I knew...it was too good to be true.

The birds talked to me for quite a while, until I heard them fly down. I stopped the calling as much in hopes they would be "curious"...Needless to say, not a single gobble or the glimpse of a turkey, for a good 20 minutes. I finally yelped and had one respond, this time a LONG ways away. I continued to talk with him, and I could hear him coming closer and closer, and boom. Nothing no sound, no gobbles, not even birds chirping...just dead quiet. I sat for 2 hours like this, and finally had enough and had to get over the ridge to check out the clearing(rookie move??).

I packed up, and very slowly/quietly walked over the ridge. I made it to a logging road, and planked myself next to a downed tree. I purred with my mouth call, and boom right in front of me(or so I thought). He was in the thicket, but close...so close to where I could probably shoot if it was cleared. I couldn't see him yet, but heard him breaking sticks, and coming through the whips and downed trees(edge of a clear cut).

Now I'm pumped. Deep, loud, complete gobbles, every single time I even THOUGHT about call..should have know it wouldn't have been this easy. Then I heard this god awful racket. The ABSOLUTE worst yelp I had ever heard...I'm talking a three pack a day hen here...

Now I'm hot. I have this bird almost at finger length, and I have some yahoo trying to call the bird away from me...talk about low...This went on, yelp after yelp, after yelp for a good 3-4 solid minutes, and without fail the gobbler answered. UPDATE--now I'm REALLY wild. Gun's not even at the ready position, and bang, out pops this hen--talk about dumb founded!!!

Here I have been worried about not calling well enough, and I had mother time talking to this gobbler right in front of me...Perfect, she will draw him out for sure..PSHHHH, I wish..

Now the hen stops, and I lightly purr...no gobbles. I don't hear anything anymore, not sticks now gobbles, no yelps or anything from the hen. She was just standing 20 yards from me looking stupid...neck stretched way out with one of her beady little eyes stairing at me...kind of neat even to study a hen..I think the calls she was making, and the stuff she as doing broke every rule in the turkey calling hand book, and here is a live turkey doing soo..

All of a sudden, the tom blows up again. But RIGHT behind me. So close I could hear him walking on fairly firm ground. I didn't move, sat perfectly still(as I could--grins ;)), and out of the corner of my eye, literally 4 or 5 feet from me, I could see him coming. I caught a slight glimpse of a beard(has to have one--not sure if you're allowed to kill toms/jakes without a beard in other states)..but had NO idea how long it really was.

THEN there he was, kind of off to my right but making his way in front of me...5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards(still couldn't move has the hen had me pegged(I think), 25 yards, 30 yards...now or never..if he hits the thicket he's gone...full fan(to me atleast), I was pumped.

I pulled up as quick and precise as I could, BANG. My benelli, shooting 3 1/2" magnums, recoiled. Immediately he was flopping around with a jelly like head(That's where the saying comes from!).

As I saw him first kick, the hen flew TOWARDS me about 3 feet off the ground. If I was far more nimble then I am, I probably could have kicked her out of the air(she was that close..).

I walked up not even caring how long the beard was, I checked the spurs...not even half inch hooks on the bird--HUH?!...I was under the impression, that a full fan usually meant a mature bird, guess not...no problem though.

Checked the beard--a thin skinney 5 inch clump of black dental floss...interesting....

I honestly could care less. It was on of the most interesting hunts I have experienced. Hunting turkeys is a challenge only experience by those who try it...it really is easy(grins).



So my questions to the boys who know turkey. How are turkeys aged?? Does the fan have no relevance as to the age of the bird(does my turkey not have a fully grown fan--I was comparing it to jakes I had seen in the past)?? How do the spurs/beard reflect a turkeys age??

Thanks for your time, and sorry for rambling for so long.

Have a good day,

Matt

BTW sorry for the cellphone pic...I need a camera some year..

Also, went out this AM...no gobbles, but had 3 yotes' come running by, right from the roost...not a good sign.

Matt

Nice post - Good story! Yea those birds can be frustrating. Good time though!

I had a similar question about aging birds by the spurs. If memory is clear, (it is often foggy), from what I remember jakes up to about 1 to 1.5 years old can have spurs from nothing to about 7/16. A bird from 1.5 to 2 can have spurs from just over 1/2 to 7/8. Birds 3 and up will usually have spurs longer than 1 inch. Article mentioned some birds will grow spurs up to 2 + inches, I have never seen such a bird though.

2+ inch are back scratchers my friend...or finish nails (grins)..

Wouldn't that be a sight??

Matt

IIRC a jake has that incomplete fan for the first two years of it's life. By year 3 they grow the complete round fan. A full fan does indicate an adult bird, but not all adult birds are going to have long spurs or beards.

Pretty cool..

Thanks for the info!

A gobbler has a full fan by the age of 2. A jake is a 1.5 yr old bird. a jake has nubs for spurs, a 2yr old has less than an inch spurs. 3 yr old up to 1.25 and after that they are real trophys. 2 yr old birds are typically the norm. All this is dependent of area too. Some areas are better for spur growth. Mountain birds sometimes break and wear off spurs on rocks and such.Whereas sandy areas produce birds with long sharp spurs but lighter weights typically. Hope this helps!

Thanks everyone,

I assumed it had relevance to where the birds grew as well, just curious.

So the bird I shot is likely a 2 year old bird. The spurs were nothing more then about 3/8" round balls..

Matt

Congrats...sounded exciting.

It was good stuff, thanks Tom.

Matt

Spurs will break off due too terrain or fighting. It is nothing more then a sheath covered bone structure. I have killed mature birds with nubs, no larger then jakes. There all trophies to me.

I agree--very hard to hunt, in my opinion which makes it all the more fun!

matt

Congrats!!

Good job Dude, great bird and story

Thanks guys--pretty quiet out there right now. Hopefully they'll be talkative the next couple of weeks!