For the past several years I normally shoot the first mature turkey I see, because my guiding schedule is full of turkey hunters and anglers. I usually want to get my bird out of the way, so that when a nice one comes in for a client I don't wish I was the one pulling the trigger. Plus, when I'm guiding turkey hunters every day I'll take any opportunity I can get to sleep past 3am. I've found over the years that it has kept me much more focused. This year I decided not to take any new turkey hunting clients, partially so that I could get back to hunting for a nice bird and being more selective.
I knew of three mature toms that have remained elusive for the past couple of years. They have a system down that has protected them from hunters. They roost in a small patch of pines, too small to legally hunt, located in the middle of a housing development. When they fly down, they make their way between the houses to a small field located behind a couple of houses, feed for most of the morning, and eventually make their way back to their roost trees.
Over the last couple of years I have noticed a weak spot in their routine. They occasionally make a brief appearance, usually following a hen, into another field that I have permission to hunt, only to duck back into the houses at the first sign of danger. Many hunters see them and attempt to sneak up on them or call to them, but so far they have all remained unsuccessful for one reason or another. I knew that my chances of getting one of those birds to within shooting range was slim, mostly due to their habits and the fact that they never seem to split up or leave their lone hen, but I was willing to do something no one else has tried.
My plan was to do something that has soured the face of many turkey hunting clients in the past...sit in the same spot all morning. I have killed many turkeys after having sat in the same place for hours with zero action. On the other hand, I lost count of how many times I have left an area after getting impatient, only to check it an hour or two later and see a mature tom strutting...obviously looking for me. Lone toms or curious hens will often investigate once they have satisfied their hunger after flying down. The trouble is, they don't come running. They take their time, usually feeding along the way. When they appear, it is seemingly out of nowhere and almost always silently.
Since the pressure was off, I was looking forward to this year's opener more than most. The alarm went of at 3AM, and by 4AM I was sitting in my (prepare for shameless product plug) Elite Hunter Ground Blind from Clam Outdoors. I sat as the sun rose and listened as the three toms gobbled from a distant roost tree. I heard a few more gobbles from the ground, followed by silence. The wait was on and I was determined to match their smarts with my patience.
My strategy was to sit tight, make a few hen yelps every 20-30 minutes, and hope to get the attention of at least one of those three toms. Just before 9am, as boredom was setting in, I began to think about leaving. I decided to take a look out the back windows of the blind. As I turned back around I noticed a hen sneaking along the far edge of the field, but heading in my general direction. Then I spotted a tom, in full strut, about 60 yards behind the hen. It was the three toms and they were following the hen. I was positioned about 120 yards away from the tree line the birds were walking. I began calling with a series of some purrs and a few soft yelps, which seemed to be working. All of a sudden the wind picked up and the blind started moving a bit. Then the wind picked up even more and the window flaps began moving as well. Before I knew it the three toms were spooked by my moving blind and hiding just inside the tree line.
I figured that the toms would likely follow the hen, who was unfazed and feeding, back through the woods and into the housing development. I knew my last chance was to change tactics and call to the hen. Hens don't like competition. Knowing this I ramped up the amount of purrs and yelps I made in an attempt to annoy her. I watched as the three toms made their way further back inside the tree line. The one dominant male who seemed to strut all the time was no longer strutting, but looking nervously in my direction. I thought it was over when all of a sudden the hen broke loose and started walking straight toward my decoys. When she was about halfway the three toms followed as if nothing had happened.
As the toms got to within my comfortable shooting distance a new problem presented itself. They were so close together I couldn't shoot without hitting more than one of them. I waited, hoping they wouldn't figure out that my decoys were well, decoys and spook. Every time the dominant tom was just far enough away from the others for me to shoot, they would regroup. The only one that would separate from the group was the smallest of the three, but I was only there for one of them and it wasn't him. It was a few minutes that felt like a few hours. Then, the hen figured out that the decoys were in fact decoys and began loudly clucking, which caused two of the three toms to begin walking away, leaving the dominant one all alone at 46 yards. I squeezed the trigger and the big tom never heard the gun go off. He turned out to be my biggest to date weighing 22 pounds with a 10 1/2" beard and 1" spurs.
The call I use is a custom made pot call made by Glen Marrer of Finger Lakes Custom Calls in NY. It is a special call named "Henri #3" and is #3 of only 4 in existence. Glen's calls are a work of are, but sound even better than they look. There is something special about these calls. I have used them to call in all of my biggest birds when no other calls would work. Just like fishing, confidence is key. These calls are worth every penny.
