Attached is a picture of the tom turkey I finally managed to bag this spring. He is likely a 2-year old. He weighed 18 pounds and had a 10-inch beard and 20mm spurs. I shot the tom at about 7:11 AM Thursday morning on my brother’s farm. Distance was right at 40 yards and I used my trusty Remington 870 express, 3-inch Magnum, with Winchester Extended Range High Density #5 shot (1-3/4 ounces).



I had originally set up to try an ambush very close to the base of the Cedar Ridge point where there is a fair amount of clear space in the creek bottom. (That is where a pair of toms had come to shortly after fly down Wednesday.) Thursday a couple toms were gobbling again at the crack of dawn well before sunup from a roost farther down the creek from the Cedar Ridge point. One went south and I did not hear much from him, but I was hoping he would make a circle back toward me, as one had done Wednesday. Unfortunately, he shortly went silent. Several minutes later another tom started sounding off as he slowly made his way along the crest of the Beech Ridge. He started gobbling just east of where a hunting friend got his bird last Sunday in the pouring rain. As the tom made his way farther east toward the Kentucky gate at the edge of a hayfield I thought about trying to get in front of him. But I realized that with him on the high open ground and my trying to quickly get ahead of him that tactic was doomed to failure. He would spot me too easily.

He continued to gobble, but from a relatively stationary position not far from the Kentucky gate. I concluded that my best bet was to stalk him by climbing up a relatively steep, wet, and partly wooded, partly pasture Beech Ridge with some spice bush and multiflora rose bushes thrown in for good measure. I started out just trying to quietly move with the cover of the spice bush. Then it got more open and I had to resort to considerable crawling on my hands and knees up a little draw coming down the Beech Ridge. In places it was so wet that at times my knees sunk in a couple inches. Also, I had to be careful of the occasional cow pile and multiflora rose bush. But hey, I was this far along, and the tom kept gobbling every minute or two. It seemed longer, but it was probably only 10 or 15 minutes after I had begun the stalk that I was within 60 or 70 yards of the crest of the Beech Ridge. So, running out of topographic and vegetative cover for additional stalking, I very carefully “stood” upright on my knees with my shotgun at the ready. A couple seconds later I spotted the tom as he turned and spotted me. I shot and he dropped from sight behind some grass and weeds. I stood up to get a better view while racking in another shell and started his way. Then I spotted a tom running away from close to where I had shot. Oh no, I thought, after all the effort had I muffed the shot?? Walking a little farther I got my answer. My tom had dropped like a rock at the shot. There was another tom near him which was the one now running away. I could not tell what size he was. Perhaps another 2-year old. Makes me wonder if only mine was gobbling or if they were taking turns gobbling??

I spent a lot of time turkey hunting this year. I think this was my 12th day of hunting. I saw lots of turkeys, mostly hens, and the toms were always too far away for a shot. (Maybe I need to learn how to call the toms instead of just ambushing or stalking them. But, how would the toms respond when so many seemed to be “henned up?”) Of course, most of the time I was hunting from a blind on the wooded edge of a soybean or corn field. Even though the toms did not get close enough for a shot, lots of hens did. (The toms seemed be much more wary of our hunting blinds that did the hens.) Also, because most of our hunting party did not generally go hunting very far into the woods, the turkeys were relatively undisturbed most of the day, especially late afternoon when they went to roost. Consequently, several times I was able to spot the same tom and hen groups at about the same place and time each of several mornings. Apparently, they had roosted in the same tree, or nearby, and followed the same feeding route the next morning at about the same time. So, it seems that some turkeys can be “patterned” sometimes when they are not significantly disturbed and a reliable food source is in the vicinity (not to mention an open “parade ground” for older toms courting the ladies, or younger toms just gobbling with their buddies).

I have hunted turkeys for several years, but do not consider myself an expert by any stretch. Comments from others on my observations would be welcomed.

Congrats on your bird. You worked for that one.

Good job bill... fun ain't it...

Thanks. Yes it is fun, work, patience, and plenty of good luck at the same time. All my stalks do not have a successful outcome, but it sure is nice when the plan all comes together!

Way to go Bill!