This Spring has had it's ups and downs but I kept fighting til the end and was able to kill a nice one. I had a lot of close calls and a lot of excitement with the gobblers but dang if SC WMA gobblers aren't the hardest birds to kill that I've ever hunted.
I prefer not to use decoys, so several times I had them in the early season come in looking for a hen, didn't see one from afar, and leave. That problem goes away as more growth in the creek bottoms (my favorite habitat to hunt) impedes their line of sight.
Spring started out with me finally figuring out morel mushrooms. For a few years now I'd been trying to find them only to occasionally find the really skinny "tulip morels" as they're often called. They're really small and I never found enough of them to get much out of. This Spring I found more stretches of bottom growing large yellow morels than I know what to do with.
Morels.jpg
And this particular creek bottom also had a lot of turkey sign. Last Saturday I took a redeye flight back from a week in MN (work travel) so that I'd have time to hunt the evening. A gobbler made an absolute fool out of me after making me think several times that he was coming.
I gave it another shot on Saturday, entered the bottom at about 11:45. Got him to gobble a few times and was worried I was on the wrong side of the creek but didn't want to risk getting busted if I'd switched sides. He was too close to take the chance.
The gobbles got louder then I spotted his white head probably 100 yds away, full strut, working his way through the bottom. He was on my side. I only called one more time after that point and figured it's best to just let him keep coming.
He very cautiously made his way towards me, looking for a hen he never saw. During the whole approach he was putting on quite a display and gobbling so hard I could feel it. I just prayed I could keep calm and take a good shot. At 35 yds I let him have it and was in disbelief as well as overcome with gratitude as I watched him fall over and flop a few times.
Judging by the spur length, he's a few years old and been through this battle before. I'm honored to have won. Based on the location I'd have to guess it's the same gobbler that fooled me the prior Saturday.
Took the photo of the spurs at 12:21. Mid day turkey hunting is my absolute favorite. Fewer hunters in the woods and lonely gobblers.
Gobbler.jpgSpurs.jpg
All I wanted was to kill one early enough in the day that I could get a picture with both of our daughters. Our oldest daughter is still a bit upset because she had just gotten her foot lit up by fire ants while we were trying to get the photo haha.
PicWithGirls.jpg
Bookmarks