Turkey Nation

a day in May

2011-07-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Jared didn't have a bird yet, and I had both of mine, so I went out with him with my camera. We went out near Troy - where we have got into them before, in number.

I had only been with him to this place once before. The thing I remember from before is that it seemed so turkey-less, even though there was a lot of sign, until ... (a lot of birds showed up ... but that's a different story).

This time there wasn't even much sign.

Once we cleared the trees, however, we did see some elk afar. Yum.

Nor were other indicators encouraging. The only winter wheat was to the west, were we didn't really have good access.

But we hiked all around where we could - at least being glad to see the elk, and the nice weather, and headed back. But before ending the hunt we did decide to look west.

Nearing the top of a hill I had the feeling we would see something on the other side.

AND I DID!

Two toms were out in the field ... hundred and twenty or so yards distant.

Jared hadn't seen them yet ... they were exactly behind a bush from where he was standing.

Once he spotted them we came up with a plan. I would crawl a bit forward and watch. Jared was carrying archery equipment - he would have to take a standing shot (he standing up to shoot, and tom standing still).

... we decided Jared would head north into the timber and try and get near to the edge of the timber adjacent to the birds. Eventually they would retreat to the timber - and he would be waiting.

I watched.

On several occasions the birds looked right at me - as though they could see me - but there was `no possible way' ... or at least there was no possible way they could detect me as human related.

I watched.

WT!!! Something spooked them! It wasn't me! (Besides, they were now running toward me!)

Hunt busted.

I asked Jared later what happened! Jared is usually quite stealthy, but apparently on his walk down through the timber he stepped on some very loud downfall. (And away the toms went.)

...

Jared's Bird !

2011-06-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Jared holds out for the bigger creature, whereas I `whack and stack' ... thus I generally fill my tags early and move on ... Jared lingers. But he generally does fill his tags, and he fills them with bigger creatures. To that I tip my hat. Here's his 2011 Spring Gobbler - which he killed, and then mounted (himself). Good job, Jared!!!

...

text messaging

2011-05-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

...

Sometimes you (or at least I) know at a deep level that it is going to end good. I headed out after an already fabulous afternoon doing other stuff ... to hunt wild turkey. It was a glorious day – warmer, more beautiful, sunny, than all the other days this year all added together. On the drive in I pull over several times to answer text messages and do some texting. Dang, wasting precious time on the hill. I come over a hill with the dirt road turnoff to my spot a half mile in the distance – and it appears another vehicle is turning off onto it – beating me by half mile. Dang. I pull over to text. The other vehicle heads on up the road. I follow, and pull over to glass them (what the heck are they doing, anyway?) ... and look for birds. Over in the main draw on the east there is a farmer on a 4-wheeler. Dang. I glass the other vehicle ... it appears they are target practicing.

Normally I would say, “Dang!, someone is in my spot and the farmer has spooked the other.” But I have learned, especially in this place, that I can hunt successfully right under other people, even other hunters.

“All good things come to me.”

As I head on foot up the main draw, it appears the farmer has left – that is fine – I have watched wildlife magically appear just after a farmer leaves – no doubt observing, concealed, and waiting ... for the distraction, or threat, or whatever, to leave.

I do some more texting.

And the guys in the other vehicle have now started shooting (target practice) full tilt.

I text to the party at the other end (my date from yesterday) ... "I need to sign off - I am in pursuit of wild turkey."

And so I let it unfold.

Actually it is good – I now have some spots I can cross off my list for the trek, and concentrate on others (where the birds will likely be, instead).

The weather is glorious. I head up the main draw – try a hen call – just to see. I get no response. That’s fine. I tried. Now I’ll be quiet – I prefer it that way.

The sun, colors, day, even the shadows, are so glorious. I am not wearing the normal multiple layers plus down vest – just a tee and long sleeve camo shirt over. I have camo paint, and a hat in my pant pockets, which I will wait to put on, or maybe even not.

I cross to the north side. Something about the day – the colors, the depth, the beauty, multiple more intense than earlier hunts, maybe more than ever, ... or at least for a long time. And the ground has finally started getting green. The snow is gone.

I head down a logging road. The ground is soft, and quiet. I take it slow. Coming up on a good spot, Shit! THERE ARE THREE TOMS! I am in mingled shadows – they haven’t seen me – I hope they don’t – they are a hundred yards or so out, and feeding. They will likely feed uphill this time of day. I will stay where I am - and not try and get closer.

But they are feeding VERY ALERTLY. Double shit. I hope they don’t see me. (I haven’t painted up – and I’m somewhat in broken sunlight.) Of course I don’t move. They are slowly feeding my way. It is fascinating to watch the intensity of their alertness. Don’t hey ever let up? (Even for an afternoon feed?)

I think I know these toms - I have seen them before. As the afternoon fades they will make their way to the top of the hill, maybe skirt the open hilltop, and then fly down to roost. (Actually, they will fly a bit down but to the top of some gigantic tree.)

The colors are stunning ... the gold sunlight, the green of the vegetation coming to life, the bright red of the males’ heads and necks. The birds are huge.

I wait until direct line of sight is (hopefully) blocked (for all three birds) and slowly sink down to the ground, and slide back in sitting position into shadows at the road edge. Slowly I grab some mud and dead grass and cover my (bright bald) head. I point my shotgun down a lane of fire – should they keep coming. I hope they do; I think they will. I wait.

I change position slightly so I can comfortably wait longer. Should a tom come into the fire lane – all I have to do is press the Safety off – and let him have it. I wait.

Hmmmmm ... they should be here by now – extrapolating from their earlier rate of progress toward me. Maybe they went right, around me? It will be hard to follow.

I am giving up, but decide to wait a bit longer. I have relaxed a bit and am no longer in perfect position. A tom shows up at the end of the lane. Shit! I am worried he sees me – he’s certainly looking my way. Alert. With 2-1/4 oz. of #5 I can probably take him – but I know there are two other birds, and I think one might be closer, and bigger.

At two-thirds the distance another tom appears, and bigger, crossing through some cover toward the fire lane. The hard part now is getting the Safety off when I need to - without spooking them. (Do they make a Safety Silencer?) My shotgun is pointed straight down the lane. I have no choice but to take the Safety off – I wait till the red head of the tom crosses in front of the red bead at the barrel end, follow him just a bit, and FIRE.

The double-X magnum load kicks hard, sitting; though I don't physicllay watch it, the spent shell ejects to the center of road.

TOM DOWN!

I take out my knife to dispatch my tom, notch my tag, and go to the top of the hill with my bird. It's beautiful. I take out my cell phone and text "Got Him."

What a Great Day!!!

God is the Doer

2011-04-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today was opening day of Spring Turkey season. In earlier years I would have been out, before dawn, walking in to hopefully get one of these fabulous creatures at the first possible moment. This year I slept through the dawn hunt; weather called for more rain. I had little desire to sit soaking cold, hunt soaking wet and cold, and then come back into town, teach, and then head back out. I had a relaxed morning – had a blast teaching, and then headed into to town to do some banking (pick up a check from a client and deposit it). I hit more red lights than usual, in fact, almost all red lights. Normally lights are green for me. But I let it unfold as it willed, thinking perhaps there was providential timing in it all.

I drove out to the hill as the rain was letting up some. I decided to come in from the bottom. I wanted the exercise, and the solitude. It would be farther, and now quite muddy. I would have to park about 2 miles out, on the main road. I was wearing basically what I had been all day – blue jeans, nice polo shirt – but now had donned camo shirt, green vest, and camo raincoat. I would spot and stalk – and the way these things go – it really didn’t matter what I was wearing from the waist down – as it would be unseen due to the terrain. I had camo face paint with me, if I needed or wanted it.

The going was sloppy, and tiring. Walking made many times harder by our Palouse mud, or mud and grease.

The rain was indeed thinning, almost to a mist, and the clouds thinning enough for the sun to cast a slight shadow. I thought – `perfect’. The perfect time for wildlife to come out. Indeed, two whitetail deer came out of a small patch of trees and started feeding.

About 3000 yards up the draw I spotted a lone bird. It was big – either a lone hen on a mission, or a satellite tom with a bigger flock nearby. He/she was following a fold down into a winter wheat field. I started the approach.

The difficulty of the draw is that the birds can move out of a fold, not noticed, and then notice you (or me) coming up the `road’ from the bottom, and leave. Hunt over. I took my time. I could not see the bird. The rain was picking up; perhaps they had returned to the timber. My glasses were fogging. Either I wear all my clothes and get them soaked with sweat at the 100 percent humidity, or I shed some and get them wet from the rain. Either way – I would be finishing the day with wet clothes. I took it slow. Too often I have fumbled forward only to warn my prey of my coming – they flee – I get nothing.

I followed the road up into the timber, taking it slow. A gigantic owl watched from across a small ravine. Would have made for a tremendous photo – but I was on a different mission – with different equipment. There was fresh `sign’ – good. (`Sign' is a tame word for `crap'.)

My glasses are fogging constantly in the 100 percent humidity - and heat and perspiration emission from climbing - but I use the fogging as excuse to stop, and the perspiration as excuse to go slow.

I left the relative silence of walking up the road and started moving toward the timber to spot just over the crest from a likely location of the birds, especially now that the rain was lightening again, and they would be moving back into the open. I took it slow. Suddenly a gobble – quite close - `just over the crest’. I stood motionless. I was close – but I could see nothing. I wanted to head to the timber and over the crest – where I thought the gobble came from, but to my left I spotted a single bird walking my way. It/he/she appeared to be a jake (young male). It would be a legal bird – but I wanted the tom that was gobbling. I could not but stay perfectly still. These birds have incredible eyesight – he was coming right toward me – there would be no second chances.

I thought of moving forward anyway – busting the jake – hoping he would go left and not spook the others on the other side of the crest. I continued to wait it out. And good that I did. The flock appeared on my side of the crest to my right – had I moved I would have busted them. A tom and hens, moving out of the timber back into the winter wheat. The tom would gobble, fan, and they would move forward. I could take them with my gun – if I could get a clear shot. But no, they went quickly over the rise, and disappeared.

My attention went back to this other bird. Getting closer. A hen? … a jake? … the bird was silhouetted – it was difficult to make out – but all the while getting closer and closer. At one point the bird kind of dipped down left and showed a nice beard. `Whoa! – that’s a nice beard for a hen.” I realized I was dealing with a decent (satellite) tom – orbiting the hens and other tom. In fact – I would take him – if it comes together.

Now I could make out his distinct red head. Amazingly he continued to head straight toward me. And I was fully exposed – bright blue jeans, bright white-skin face. Apparently he was in such a `state’ not being able to get at those hens - that he didn’t realize he was walking toward a person, a human, a hunter, who could unleash his death.

Now the bird was entering some brush and low cover. It could come together, or not. It would be my only chance to move forward a couple steps to still be able to get a shot if he went farther left. I also had to somewhat raise my gun. The hard part was that now the bird was close enough that the click of the safety going off could very well betray me. I would have to take the gun off safe – and quickly put together a shot. But by now all I was getting was sporadic sightings of his head. It is precisely at this stage that things can go to shit. If he sees me before I send lead his way - he ducks his head and is invisible in the low cover as he runs off. And I never see him again. Been there done that - hunt over. I lined my sight picture up – straight rib on top the barrel – with red front sight lined with the red of the tom’s head, and fired. It could have all come apart at the end – but though I could see nothing after the blast – I knew it had not. The birds over the crest would now be fleeing. I moved forward to see my bird flapping his last. I raised a hand to heaven, in Thanks.

God is the Doer.

A tear of gratitude is in my eye as I write this.

...

Road Hunting ... for Merriams ...

2010-11-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

Companion to `Off Season Turkey Hunting' Article (Prev. Post)

By road hunting I mean driving various roads with the purpose of seeing birds crossing or alongside the road or spotting them from the road. Road hunting is, well, ... complicated. It is generally illegal to shoot from or across a public road. And states define `the road' differently: the physical roadway in some cases, to the Right-of-Way in others. (And the Right-of-Way may be hard to distinguish on the ground, and be some distance from the physical roadway.) Beyond the Right-of-Way may lay private property. So, unless you have permission to hunt the land adjacent to the road you are `hunting', road hunting may be flat out illegal. Another complication with road hunting is safety. Stopping or slowing down or turning around (or parking) on a road invites an accident, or at least may be annoying to others using the road. And if you are road hunting alone - that means your eyes are afield instead of on the road. As much as I love getting a bird - I prefer to shun ways that place my property and hunting partners in jeopardy, or that invite the idea of trespassing.

I consider killing a rather private matter. I often pass up opportunities that would put my killing on public display, particularly where guns are oft thought of as evil. So if I get into birds just as a van with mom and kids passes by, I'll often just `wave', and save the (turkey) dying for another day.

That said, there are circumstances where road hunting can work; using lesser traveled or private roads along or through properties that are either public or for which I have permission to hunt. Road hunting can sometimes be a nice addendum to a hunt. In addition to looking for birds, be also looking for places to safely exit the roadway, should you see some.

...

Off Season Turkey Hunting ...

2010-11-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

What is the best way to hunt turkey? ... THE WAY YOU WANT TO.

ARTICLE ... HERE.

...

Toms, Summary ...

2010-09-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

... with Toms I have never had a `better shot'. All the times I have hesitated, waited, got up and ran, tried to get around, ducked, hid, whatever ... I have never had a better shot than the one presented, in the moment.. With Toms, more than any other creature, you must take the shot you get!

...

... more vocal ...

2010-05-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

... took Jaci on the hill. Saw three birds on top about 2000 yards out - they were along the trees and went back in.

I called the people on top, parked at their house, and came in from the east. Jaci took an ambush spot and I tried to work some birds to her. Only deer. By this time it was getting toward evening, and we ended up low on the north side. Whoa - the game trails! Anyway, Jaci heard a gobble and asked me to call. I reached for my slate call, but had lost my striker. I looked around for a stick and used it. And got a return gobble, and then another.

We tried to move around on the bird ... pretty soon I was getting two gobbles (one near and one far). I think we spooked the near bird trying to move in. But it sounded like they were moving uphill (to roost). We tried to get around on them, but alas, nothing.

Jaci finally caught up with one tom - but it was high up in a tree and flew.

This is the most vocal I have heard the toms up there.

Dad, can you send me an extra striker at your earlier convenience?

I'll keep this stick in the mean time.

Jaci - Paradise

2010-05-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Jaci, Paradise ...

Took Jaci out ... we parked on top. The (diminished) eastern clan saw us before we saw them, and exited. We got into three BIG toms of the western clan, but Jaci couldn't get a shot. Plus we saw some hens, and some deer, a moose, and beautiful scenery. I remined Jaci ...

… with toms, I have never had a `better shot’. All the times I have hesitated, waited, got up and ran, tried to get around, hid, whatever, … I have never got a better shot than the one presented, however fleeting, and however unprepared. With toms, more than any other creature, you must be able to take the shot you get.

S.H.

Endnote (Warning - Language!)

2010-05-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

... that little draw has some nasty shit brush! It looks clear enough, but there is one brush patch that is terrible. It is almost impossible to ascend (as the brush is oriented downhill). I find it has taken my rifle off safe, and now the rubber eye guard to my binos is gone. (Dang!) Last year I was stripped of a pair of sunglasses in the same spot. Dare I go back to look? I knew I shouldn't fight the stuff.

Checking the Clans ...

2010-05-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

... near day end I went up to [Deleted]'s. Beautiful evening. [Deleted] blocked the road so walked up from the main. Found remnants of the 'eastern clan': 2 hens and a tom. (Jared left them pretty `beat up'.) They definitely did not like seeing me.

And after serious more hiking - and somewhat snooping around for black bear - found a nice enclave of deer. At the west end I ran into the `western clan'. They were out enjoying the sun and the grain. Bigger group - to be sure. And `flourishing'.

I came home and told Jaci that she could still get a tom - but it is going to take some work.

No bears - that I could find.

JRF

Damage Continues ...

2010-04-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

"[Deleted] - that worked out perfect ... "

The only thing that would have made the evening more perfect - would to have had a better camera. But there was a chance for bear, so I carried my rifle instead.

Driving in Jared spotted some birds about a mile distant. They were moving fast. We tried to get a bit closer by rig - and the birds really didn't like that. At about 1200 yards we parked. One lone big tom stood at the edge of the field. Jared took off across the field to go around - while I watched. The tom took notice, ... and disappeared.

Jared continued around while I went straight up the hill. What a beautiful evening. As many times as I have climbed this hill in later afternoon, thinking the last time it was the most beautiful - I thought it again this time. Worth a thousand pictures. I wanted to take one more - but didn't have my camera.

I got on top and snooped here and there, looking for turkey, and black bear, but only seeing a couple deer. At about the place where I last saw the big tom - I thought I could smell birds - and perhaps I could - but the harder I tried more - I couldn't.

I called Jared. He had somehow walked past some birds (hearing a gobble behind him), and was working back to them. We met up at the "rusty post" near the northwest corner of the field. Getting to the post first I could see the birds Jared was working. It was a tough deal. Jared was below me, and between him and the birds - one hundred and fifty yards of ... dirt field.

I got to the post and pulled out binos and spotting scope. It was a beautiful show - mature tom Merriams turkey - alternately strutting to his hens, and feeding. Five hens, and a satellite tom on up the hill. I watched as I waited for Jared.

It was nearing evening - the birds were working up the opposite hill - probably soon they would be going to roost in the safety of the timber on top.

The only option would be to go around to the north, and get to the top of the hill before they did. Jared wanted to know if I wanted to join him in the jaunt - I wanted to stay and watch the action from where I was. Plus, I could update him if needed, on the location of the birds.

Not long after Jared left - the birds stopped their uphill movement, and started milling my way, and back down.

Dang - I could see Jared, and I could see the birds - and if the birds could see Jared - it'd be over. But apparently Jared was out of (their) sight.

By now Jared was in position - but a position no longer relevant. The birds were working down - and may indeed work to an entirely different location. They might even come up by me. I called Jared. "The birds are located 100 yards straight west of the last big pine tree coming down the draw, about 20 yards over the rise." Jared chose to try and surprise them over the rise. I waited, and watched.

I waited some more.

Jared didn't show.

The birds kept working down hill to where the `surprise over the rise' would no longer work - too long of a shot.

"Stay put - I'll stand and work them your way."

It was `Man from Snowy River' ... I got up, and the birds saw me, and all became alert. They were in the bottom of a draw in the field - they could go any direction. I worked fast straight down the edge of the field - intending to dissuade the choice of going into the timber on my side, and below. I had Jared on the line. "Okay - they see me. They are stopped. I don't know which way they will go. I will try and block them. They are coming your way ... and now running ... and the tom is in the rear." I hung up.

Shortly after hanging up - the tom caught the rest of the group - and was no longer last - but I figured Jared would figure it out.

The birds passed the last tree Jared was supposed to be behind, and nothing.

Ughhhh. And, ... the birds found a shallow swale, and were perhaps now out of Jared's sight. Would this not come together? Where was Jared?

Maybe Jared has the wrong tree.

I see Jared ... a flapping bird ... and hear a muffled muzzle blast.

PERFECT! Tom down!

"[Deleted] - that worked out perfect ... "

*****

Later I emailed Jared - " ... God's blessing is on our lives."

Article in Argonaut ...

2010-04-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

I don't normally read the local Argonaut, but this article caught my attention ...

"Gobble Glee" ... http://www.uiargonaut.com/content/view/10164/50/

SH

Turkey Nation 2

2010-04-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Jaci wanted to go to Turkey Nation. It was understandable. She had killed a bird there. So we went. The place had turned GREEN since we were there last. Some things seemed much the same. The River hadn't really come up much; cows still around. Missing was the din of wild turkey. And as we walked about - missing was their sign, also.

I suspected we would find the birds well chased out - being the fourth day of the general season - and likely they had been hunted hard there all four days. But I didn't expect to also see so little sign. The only thing I can think of was that the pounding rain from the night before `washed it away'. But, no, it hadn't been hard enough to erase the multitude of deer tracks.

We did manage to spot one bird at a mile-and-a-quarter-or-so, or plus, distance, and got a bird to gobble to a hen call from about a half-mile away - but he wouldn't come our way.

Beautiful afternoon, but Jaci and Jared came home with their tags.

As I thought later ... yes, that's it! ... while the general season was only 4 days old, the youth season started a week earlier ... AND NO DOUBT THAT IS ONE OF THE PLACES IT STARTED!

Cooking Turkey ...

2010-04-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

So, I am at the sporting goods store, and the guy behind the gun counter asks me how to cook turkey. I said, `like turkey'. I should supply some pics, but basically ...

1. Cut off wings at elbows; cut off legs at knees.

2. Pluck, pull feathers off of breast and back, at least somewhat, and perhaps this step can be skipped.

3. Pull skin off breast; down and off legs; over and off shoulders and what's left of wings. Continue pulling off skin-feathers; cut off tail as needed. Remove skin from back.

NOTES:

1) ... at no time cut into the internal organs area. The idea here is to keep the meat clean.

2) Removing as many feathers as possible before removing skin helps keep the feathers from (sticking to) the meat.

3) Clean meat = good tasting meat.

4. Now decide if you are going to keep the bird relatively whole, or breast and legs separate.

If legs are to be separate, pop them out of the hips and cut along where they contact the lower back. Then, about mid-back, cut the backbone. Then pull head and internal organs back and away from breast. You might have to cut a bit more muscle and/or other stuff to free the breast. This way is awesome because you don't get any of the internal organ stuff on the meat.

If you are to keep a whole bird, so to speak, then, keeping the meat as clean as possible, now remove internal organs and remove head and neck. The problem with keeping the legs-back-breast all attached is that removing the internal organs is not as easy.

5. If not already obvious, the above method leaves a skinless bird. I suppose the above method could be modified to leave the skin on - but that means more thorough plucking.

... now cook it as a turkey - since that's what it is.

Fabulous eating!!!

Seems to me my wife cooks it covered, in the oven, for the number of hours depending on the bird's weight. I think she bastes(?) it.

Survivors

2010-04-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Jaci and I went up the hill this afternoon-evening. Came up the draw on the east. Nothin. Nothin on top. Jaci spotted 3 nice toms down in the bottom on the north - so we took pursuit. They were serious about getting away - perhaps survivors of the melee yesterday. We got around on them a couple more times - but no shots. They live ...

Storm to the west as we came down - hitting town now.

Jakeville

2010-04-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

After class I climbed the hill to look around, and to search for my lost call (lost in the melee yesterday). I contemplated checking out [Deleted]'s, but he was working his fields over that way, so I aborted. Coming up through the trees I thought I could hear gobbles - probably gobbling at the machinery noise - so I worked my way in that direction. Nothing. But did come onto some moose, and got some pics, and video.

Then I went over to the place from yesterday. I came into a bunch of toms and jakes. Panic! (Their panic, not mine ... perhaps they had been sleeping.) Interestingly they were BRIGHT RED headed (unlike the blue of yesterday). I picked a small bird and dumped him - leaving the larger(s) for another day, or maybe Jared.

Oh a third tag would have been nice!

I got my bird, fastened him to a tree (he was still flapping around a bit) - and descended for my call. AND I FOUND IT! YAY! LIFE IS GOOD! Two birds in as many days!

Note(s):

1. Maybe there are `blue' in the morning before they get the blood flowing. After all, I'm not sure my blood is flowing all that well until I get my first several cups of coffee.

2. My once-was-lost-but-now-is-found call is in the pic.

3. A small head-shot bird is sure a lot easier to dress (clean, prep) than a full-body-blasted big bird.

hmmmm ... solving the puzzle

2010-04-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Afternoon Opening Day Jared and I went out. He took me to a place that from his description was a mini-`turkey-nation'. Saw some elk and deer driving up, and more in the woods. And it was a beautiful late afternoon and evening ... but no turkey. In fact, nearly zero `sign'. Jared had encountered a `hillside' covered with turkey in the fall - but nothin now. Hmmmmmm. What could be the difference? The farther we went - the farther from `agriculture' ... maybe that was it? The trees were shorter and given to firs ... and it seemed to me that turkey prefer the beefy limbs of the P-Pines. We couldn't figure it out. Finally Jared exclaimed, "Cows!". I didn't follow. Cows don't seem to frighten turkeys. But I missed his point. No, last fall there were cows ... and it's not that turkey like cows ... it's that the cows were probably being fed, and the turkeys got some pretty easy meals.

Well that sure lines up with what we saw at Turkey Nation ... where the food is easy - the turkeys show up. Both birds we got down there were full of `cow food'.

It was cool seeing all the elk ... and just a few miles from town.

Opening Day Success

2010-04-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

In pre-dawn light I climbed the hill. I wanted to see what happens at the west end. The seems to always be at least some sign there, and we have seen birds there in the afternoons of earlier seasons. I would lay under one of a few short pine trees, and watch. My thinking was any birds might come out of the timber, hit the open on top, and work east toward the sun.

I carried a foam pad, normally used under a sleeping bag, backpacking - this time to shield my body from the cold, as I lay in wait.

Star-filled night sky gave way to a windy and cloudy un-sunrise. It was nice to lay prone and still be warm, ... and think, and pray, and maybe even dream. But by about sunrise (proper) ... nothing.

I broke my prone position and got my water bottle out of my pack.

Something dark moving out in the plowed field caught my attention. A deer? Pretty dark deer. No, a single turkey. I watched, and waited. Was it the last of a group, most of which I missed? ... or truly a lone bird?

I couldn't pick out color (bright red), so assumed it to be a hen ... (but) a big hen.

It worked its way out of sight in the terrain in front of me.

I crawled for a look - to see if it was with others.

No, all alone, out in a big plowed and planted field. Dirt, nothing to eat; but the bird wasn't there to eat. Interesting, strange. But deliberately moving west.

The bird got into a draw, out of the field, and then somewhat started feeding, but still moving east.

I went back to my stuff.

With the wind I assumed the birds were hanging in the timber. I went out to the end (of the west end) ... and a couple coyotes were coming my way from the [deleted] line. Running - having a gay time this way and that.

I hunted the timber about halfway between top and bottom. Coming into one draw I started hearing birds, but couldn't make out position or direction. I pulled out my locator call. Gun in one hand and call in the other - I waited - and moved a bit about to try and figure out what was going on.

A few yards away ... the cluck of an alerted bird. The bird was apparently moving up my way and bumped into me. I couldn't put the call away so fumbled it to the top of a pocket and moved toward the disappearing bird. A tom errupted into fligh - I blasted him on the fly - he fell hard into the bottom of the ravine below. As I made my way toward him - the rest of the group was leaving the scene, climbing out and up to my right. I had two tags.

I got to my bird - a beautiful (Merriams) tom - blue head. Yay! I have always wanted to get one in the blue. Heretofore all the toms have been red (headed).

And then I got to thinking - I wonder if that first bird was a tom - and in the grey light of the cloudy dawn - just didn't see it. He sure acted like a tom.

I got my bird and climbed to try and encounter the group again. But realized I had lost my call. I set my pack and bird down - I would go look - and lose precious time (to catch the rest of the birds). I couldn't find my call - it was a certain `offering' to the hunt. Maybe I'll find it another day - or maybe not. But it's okay - a cost of action, success.

I didn't catch the birds - as I then knew I would not. I considered hunting out east and around ... but a pack (with pad), and now a heavy bird - it would be cumbersome and exhausting hunting. So I came on out.

Opening Day Success!

Endnotes:

1) Jared asked, so I measured:

Beard: full, and 8-1/2 in.
Spurs: about 1.0 in.

2) Tammy commented on what a beautiful bird it ... Whoa! Yeah, far better than killing and eating something that is `ugly'!

3) Going back to look for that call gives me good reason for going back!

4) Crawling is easier now that I am doing these `BeachBody' workouts.

5) This bird is the first tom I have taken on the fly.

Idaho General Spring Season

2010-04-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

The regs have changed. This year you may commence the general season with both your regular and extra turkey tags. I just bought my extra tag. Season around here commences one week from today! (Oh, Yeah!)

... http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/hunt/rules/ug/Turkey10.pdf

Opening Post ... TURKEY NATION

2010-03-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, my daughter and I were the glad recipients of Special Turkey Tags last month. I had heard there were a lot of turkeys down by Kendrick (Idaho) in the winter ... we would find out for ourselves.

Story is ... here.

Older Blog ...

2010-02-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

... here are some older posts ... http://merriams-turkey.blogspot.com/