Turkey Hunting 2008

What a great hunt ! My son and I drew Utah southern region turkey tags and he came over to hunt with me the first week of May. He had harvested a turkey before, but this was my first time. I bought some turkey loads for my 12 gauge. I patterned the shotgun at 30 and 40 yards and knew it shot a bit to the right. I needed to hold one bead to the left for a center hit on the head region of the gobbler head/neck target. I already had a camo jacket and hat and could wear my camo facemask from coyote hunting. I bought a boxcall and my son showed me how to use it more or less. I am not much of a caller – yet. I want to practice and get a real "sexy" turkey voice for the gobblers in the future.

You have to hunt turkeys to know the thrill of the calling, the replys, and the anticipation of harvesting a turkey. We spotted a flock of maybe 10 turkeys near the lake shore eating and scratching about 6:30 p.m. We tried to make a plan to get close enough to get a shot at one. I went into the ponderosa pine trees north and west maybe 400 yards from the turkeys and my son went to the south and west about 350 yards among some real big rocks also in the ponderosa pines. The turkeys were gradually feed toward me into the roosting trees. My son was calling a soft call to encourage the turkeys to come into the trees and an ambush. I was hiding in some fairly dense pinion pines and sagebrush when the turkeys came within range. I was kneeling down and holding perfectly still. I was even holding my breath as the turkeys fed to within 25 yards +/- of me. I waited until they were eating or had their heads down to raise my shotgun. I held on the jake’s head but couldn’t shoot as there were too many other turkeys bunched together and way too near. Finally, the flock moved off a little to the south and left the lone jake staring at me. He would move his head up and down trying to change the angle of his sight on me. He would move his head all around to see me, I just kept perfectly still and hoped my camo would work as it was supposed to. The jake would look at my shape knowing only I was a rather odd shaped and ugly pinion pine tree. I waited until all the other turkeys were clear and shot one bead to the left. He went flop-flop-flop just like on the hunting channel shows. Ya - hoo! I just harvested my first turkey.

With the report of my shot the flock of turkeys ran off to the south and my son called with is boxcall some to encourage them to come to him. I waited for a 3 or 4 minutes which seemed like forever. I thought I should not pursue the turkeys too fast to push them into my son’s position as they might scatter. I figured he would get a shot or come see what I had going on verses my shot. I just stood there waiting for what seemed like an extra long time and finally I heard a shot. With the tall trees and the rain just starting the shot sounded far away or even as if it were indoors. I walked slowly toward the shot watching in the direction of the sound and saw a turkey fly through a little clearing in the ponderosa pines onto a large rock, maybe the size of a pickup truck, and land rather unsteadily. Another shotgun blast echoed through the forest canopy and the tipsy turkey rolled off the rock and flop-flop-flop feathers floated up in the wind from west to east.

BOTH MY SON AND I HARVESTED TURKEYS FROM THE SAME FLOCK ! This had been a wonderful day. We scouted around in various areas, hiked and looked for sign and likely spots to hunt. We called and listen all day together. We had a picnic lunch and had a great time together as fathers and sons can only do. When your son has a wife, 3 kids, and a full time job it is a rare occasion when he can spend so much time with his good old dad. Turkey or no turkey we had a great time together all day and when we both got to harvest our birds it was the ending of really a perfect day. I won’t ever forget my first turkey hunt.