THA4
A Few Steps Ahead Of You
Nate and I have been close friends since college. Having attended a liberal arts college, us redneck-type needed to stick together so we instantly became friends! Nate helped me track several deer, package meat, and often consume that meat…. But we never had an opportunity to share the woods or turkey blind.
After college we went our separate ways, but kept in touch as best as we could. This past September, my family and I made a move and around the same time, I hear from Nate and learn that he is moving just a mere 20 minutes away. I was elated and we immediately conspired to make a hunt at some point work out.
He called me last week with his license and tag purchased so he could attempt to kill his very first turkey during Iowa’s second season. He was unavailable Friday, so I took my wife out and unfortunately a 15 yard, silver platter shot was harder than I thought and we called it a day with no turkey.
Nate showed up at 4:30 Saturday morning and we headed out looking for a love sick gobby, jake or tom, either would suffice for his first bird. We had a great gobbling morning and watched a couple strutters, but they had what they wanted. Finally, one broke free, crossed a crick, and headed in our direction. Some other hunter who we didn’t know about shot a great bird thanks to my calling…. Isn’t that the way it goes?
We ran around and checked out some other spots with no success, but heard that a friend’s wife had shot her first, so we headed out to take a look. This happened to be on a place where we also had permission and learned there was a lot of birds responding that morning.
There was a “knuckle” on an open field between several pieces of timber, and every time I drove by in the after noon there was at least 2 strutters on top of it. Over 80+ yards from any tree, these birds were VERY safe and they knew it, yet no one had attempted to kill one of them.
At about 10 AM, I hauled the DB out there and set it up, dead center of the knuckle with plans to return by noon with snacks and sit until dark. We did just that and it wasn’t 20 minutes after we sat down when I thought I heard a gobble, Nate didn’t hear it so I waited to respond.
It wasn’t a few minutes later and I heard one for sure, but Nate still didn’t catch it. I picked up the call and scratched out a few yelps and two birds fired back, still out several hundred yards, but we were started. They proceed to gobble their fool faces off for over an hour, as they spent the whole time on a logging road going back and forth, but not moving.
They began to lose interest and the gobbling stated to subside, so I have them one last intense burst of calling they fired off a few more times and I put the calls down and said to Nate, “Now we wait”.
They couldn’t handle the silence, and began gobbling on their own for a brief time and shut up. I wasn’t 20 minutes later a white head appeared 60 yards from the blind, followed by another. I had Pretty Boy out and they seemed hesitant, but still cautiously approached as Nate readied my Remington 870, loaded down with 3 inch Heavy Shot. Once the closest one got within comfortable range, I coached Nate through squeezing the trigger and he put that birds beak through the back of its head, and gave a perfect demonstration of the upside down bicycle.
It was an honor to call in Nate’s first bird and I couldn’t be happier to see him put the hammer down with a perfectly placed, 40 yard shot.
Thanks for the day Brother, and congrats on your first long bearded gobby!
Bird stats, 19 pounds, 1 inch spurs, 9 inch beard.
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