My 2010 KY turkey hunting experience.
I missed opening morning because I won a free stay at the Galt for Thunder. So the following weekend I was invited to hunt with a group down in Sacramento along the pond river. They have a 1200 area hunting lease. It is neat because they have a hunting cabin(shack) and the top of a hill and you can glass most of the property from there. I went up the night before. It was neat . Those guys sat around the camp fire and practiced calling all night. All the talk was about turkey. Not one word about politics, sports, wife’s or the outside world. One guy was so good he could make every sound a turkey does without a call. These guys were introducing me to a new form of hunting. They kept telling me to run after them. I couldn’t believe them. You can’t chase turkeys. They can spot a fly at 200 yards. They told me if I heard the turkey move I should get up and move. In the past I have always sat in a blind with decoys outside and PRAY one comes by. That morning I sat behind a blind with three decoys out. Across the field I watched as six guys formed a line with shot guns in hand. NO blinds or decoys. The master caller would make a owl call. When five Toms responded the hunters decided who was going to get which gobbler. The six hunter took off running into the woods. 30 minutes later I watched in disbelief as four of the hunter came walking out of the woods dragging four toms out. On my side the of field I heard four gobblers I waited in anticipation but not one came out of the woods. But I could hear them gobbling as they moved off in the woods in the opposite direction. I waited to long. I finally got up and moved. When I came out of the woods on the opposite side I flanked them in the mustard weed but got busted. I had waited to long and not did what they had told me to do all night. That afternoon I sat up on the bank of the pond river over looking an 800 yard corn field. Put a Tom and hen decoy out. sat behind a blind. A hen came within 9 yards of me but no Tom.
The next hunt I was by myself and I was going to try this new technique. I was at my secret hunting grounds 15 miles from my house. I arrived at about 4:45 It was a very foggy morning with a full moon at about 20 degs in the east sky. I was a blistering 38 degs on April 28. I got out of my car and got dressed. I stood there and listened. I hit the owl call but no response. I heard gobblers on the tall hill to the north and to the south both to far to chase. I would hit the owl call again but noting. I was starting to get disappointed. Then I heard it!!! 300-400 yards to my east a gobbler gobbling. I grabbed my 3” 12 gauge and took off running as fast as I could. At the 100 yard mark I had to enter the woods. From here it was up a hill for 100 yards. That was hard. I ran as fast as I could. When I got to the top of the hill there was a clearing. I waited for him to gobble again so I could get a location. Then he hammered. I had a fixed on his location. I ran 50 yards down the hill. Stopped and sat down gasping for air. I got my call out. I crawled over and put a hen decoy out ten yards to my right in a natural gas pipeline clear cut. I sat back down catching my breath. I did two soft purrs and laid the call down. I wanted him to know there was a hen here and that was it. I wasn’t happy with my position. I was sitting behind a tree. 15 yards in front of me there was a cluster of three trees. I got up and moved forward. I was worried I had busted him. Then he gobbled again. So I was safe. I had forgot my slate where I had first sat down. So I was without a call and could not move. The sun was raising now. Just then a hen flew down behid me not 20yards behind me. Then another 40 yards. I froze. I had hens all over behind me. I did not dare move an inch. The Tom was about 100 yards straight in front of me still in the tree just a hammering. I was sitting on the woods right beside a clear cut pipeline that goes down the hill. Just then I see a hen at the bottom of the hill walking under the tree where the tom was gobbling. All I could do is sit there frozen. Now I had 4 hens at the top of the hill behind me 40-50 yard behind me. They were all calling cackling. It was great I didn’t have to call. Then I saw him at the foot of the hill 100yard below me. He showed his fan and gobbled. My heart was pumping as the adrenaline started to flow. I had to calm down and take a deep breath. He continued up the hill right up the clear cut of the pipeline. It was perfect. He was coming right at my decoy. He stopped 40 yards from my decoy. Turned went to full strut turned around backwards and did a dance for my decoy. I remember thinking I can’t shoot it in the behind. Then he straightened up and continued toward my decoy. As soon as he walked behind a tree I raised my 500 with the holographic sight. I placed the red circle about one foot the other side of the tree. From this point I don’t remember pulling the trigger. I remember BANG and seeing the tom disappear. I stood up and there he laid. I was like WOW. I laid the 500 down and walked over to it 35 yards away. Every one said to stand on the neck to make sure you don’t lose it. It looked died. It wasn’t moving but As soon as I stepped on the neck it came alive. The legs started clawing me. I grabbed both legs and pulled up on it while standing on his neck. Feathers were flying. I thought this isn’t working so I let it go and stepped off of it and let it die. I thought about cutting its head off. After I got off of it it stopped moving. Waited about five minutes and picked it up. I got to looking at it and there was no beard. It had a blue head and spurs. I saw the fan and heard it gobbled but no beard! I thought what is this a hen or a beardless TOM. I went back to were it laid when I shot it and there laid the 9” beard. I had shot it off. A friend had told me to shoot the neck not the head. Well I had shot it in the chest. But the breast was undamaged. I am hooked on this form of hunting. 45 minutes from the time I stepped out of the car I had a tom on the ground. No more sitting in blinds praying for something to walk by.
Running and gunning is the only way to go!!!
I missed opening morning because I won a free stay at the Galt for Thunder. So the following weekend I was invited to hunt with a group down in Sacramento along the pond river. They have a 1200 area hunting lease. It is neat because they have a hunting cabin(shack) and the top of a hill and you can glass most of the property from there. I went up the night before. It was neat . Those guys sat around the camp fire and practiced calling all night. All the talk was about turkey. Not one word about politics, sports, wife’s or the outside world. One guy was so good he could make every sound a turkey does without a call. These guys were introducing me to a new form of hunting. They kept telling me to run after them. I couldn’t believe them. You can’t chase turkeys. They can spot a fly at 200 yards. They told me if I heard the turkey move I should get up and move. In the past I have always sat in a blind with decoys outside and PRAY one comes by. That morning I sat behind a blind with three decoys out. Across the field I watched as six guys formed a line with shot guns in hand. NO blinds or decoys. The master caller would make a owl call. When five Toms responded the hunters decided who was going to get which gobbler. The six hunter took off running into the woods. 30 minutes later I watched in disbelief as four of the hunter came walking out of the woods dragging four toms out. On my side the of field I heard four gobblers I waited in anticipation but not one came out of the woods. But I could hear them gobbling as they moved off in the woods in the opposite direction. I waited to long. I finally got up and moved. When I came out of the woods on the opposite side I flanked them in the mustard weed but got busted. I had waited to long and not did what they had told me to do all night. That afternoon I sat up on the bank of the pond river over looking an 800 yard corn field. Put a Tom and hen decoy out. sat behind a blind. A hen came within 9 yards of me but no Tom.
The next hunt I was by myself and I was going to try this new technique. I was at my secret hunting grounds 15 miles from my house. I arrived at about 4:45 It was a very foggy morning with a full moon at about 20 degs in the east sky. I was a blistering 38 degs on April 28. I got out of my car and got dressed. I stood there and listened. I hit the owl call but no response. I heard gobblers on the tall hill to the north and to the south both to far to chase. I would hit the owl call again but noting. I was starting to get disappointed. Then I heard it!!! 300-400 yards to my east a gobbler gobbling. I grabbed my 3” 12 gauge and took off running as fast as I could. At the 100 yard mark I had to enter the woods. From here it was up a hill for 100 yards. That was hard. I ran as fast as I could. When I got to the top of the hill there was a clearing. I waited for him to gobble again so I could get a location. Then he hammered. I had a fixed on his location. I ran 50 yards down the hill. Stopped and sat down gasping for air. I got my call out. I crawled over and put a hen decoy out ten yards to my right in a natural gas pipeline clear cut. I sat back down catching my breath. I did two soft purrs and laid the call down. I wanted him to know there was a hen here and that was it. I wasn’t happy with my position. I was sitting behind a tree. 15 yards in front of me there was a cluster of three trees. I got up and moved forward. I was worried I had busted him. Then he gobbled again. So I was safe. I had forgot my slate where I had first sat down. So I was without a call and could not move. The sun was raising now. Just then a hen flew down behid me not 20yards behind me. Then another 40 yards. I froze. I had hens all over behind me. I did not dare move an inch. The Tom was about 100 yards straight in front of me still in the tree just a hammering. I was sitting on the woods right beside a clear cut pipeline that goes down the hill. Just then I see a hen at the bottom of the hill walking under the tree where the tom was gobbling. All I could do is sit there frozen. Now I had 4 hens at the top of the hill behind me 40-50 yard behind me. They were all calling cackling. It was great I didn’t have to call. Then I saw him at the foot of the hill 100yard below me. He showed his fan and gobbled. My heart was pumping as the adrenaline started to flow. I had to calm down and take a deep breath. He continued up the hill right up the clear cut of the pipeline. It was perfect. He was coming right at my decoy. He stopped 40 yards from my decoy. Turned went to full strut turned around backwards and did a dance for my decoy. I remember thinking I can’t shoot it in the behind. Then he straightened up and continued toward my decoy. As soon as he walked behind a tree I raised my 500 with the holographic sight. I placed the red circle about one foot the other side of the tree. From this point I don’t remember pulling the trigger. I remember BANG and seeing the tom disappear. I stood up and there he laid. I was like WOW. I laid the 500 down and walked over to it 35 yards away. Every one said to stand on the neck to make sure you don’t lose it. It looked died. It wasn’t moving but As soon as I stepped on the neck it came alive. The legs started clawing me. I grabbed both legs and pulled up on it while standing on his neck. Feathers were flying. I thought this isn’t working so I let it go and stepped off of it and let it die. I thought about cutting its head off. After I got off of it it stopped moving. Waited about five minutes and picked it up. I got to looking at it and there was no beard. It had a blue head and spurs. I saw the fan and heard it gobbled but no beard! I thought what is this a hen or a beardless TOM. I went back to were it laid when I shot it and there laid the 9” beard. I had shot it off. A friend had told me to shoot the neck not the head. Well I had shot it in the chest. But the breast was undamaged. I am hooked on this form of hunting. 45 minutes from the time I stepped out of the car I had a tom on the ground. No more sitting in blinds praying for something to walk by.
Running and gunning is the only way to go!!!
