Turkey time

Many Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever chapters do habitat work to benefit wild turkey. In fact, some eastern chapters, where there are few pheasants or quail, specifically target wild turkey and rabbits in their habitat projects.

          This is my tenth year turkey hunting. It took me three years to bag my first, a whopper 26-pounder in southeast Iowa thanks to Lee County Chapter volunteer Rick Tebbs – and on public land his chapter helped buy, no less. This year, I got to pass on the favor to a buddy, Jerry Brayton, who bagged his first, a 27-pound ground shaker, in northeast Nebraska. I helped call the bird on April 16 in an exciting morning hunt between snow storms.

          We hunted a forest in between a river and picked corn field. We saw 25 turkeys that morning in our kill zone. I sweet talked the first flock back after they started leaving when a hen repeatedly ‘putted’ after she approached within about seven feet of my position. The birds then circled and walked right past Jerry’s position.  Jerry showed great poise by waiting for the line of 10 jakes and hens to pass before taking the boss gobbler with one shot.    

          The next day, we all came close to bagging more, but it didn’t work out. It was in the 30s that morning, so chilled from sitting still several hours, we built a small fire to warm up as we ate lunch, talked turkey and thanked our lucky stars for being in the woods that day to enjoy it all.

          Later that day, the rain started. It turned to snow that night, and we headed home the next morning with this year’s Thanksgiving turkey resting securely in a bed of ice.    What turkey tales can you share from this year?