Memorial Day Memory

Memorial Day began at 4:12 for me as I woke up and practically chugged a cup of coffee and got in the truck. Making it to Sara’s house at 4:37, two minutes late. 

We made our way to a game land where we knew a turkey had been. We were going in as if he was roosted where we thought he would and after a half an hour long walk through what seemed like a blanket of sticks. We made it to a tree and sat down right in the wheelhouse of where he was going to pitch down. It was just what we needed to happen and our time was all but run out for the season.

When he began gobbling I felt relieved and fairly confident he was going to meet his demise soon after his feet touched the ground.

Light began to trickle through the dense leaf cover of the trees and I knew the wing in the back of my vest might be just what we needed. I pulled it out and beat it off my arm and then onto the ground. It was his move next. 

A snap of branches could be heard behind us and I knew all too well what it was. Just as the snapping had stopped the onslaught of clucking and yelping began on a slate call. 

I told Sara the perfect morning we were in for was over and I was more concerned for our safety. 

The turkey, decoy, us, and our new acquaintance were all in a straight line. I told Sara absolutely not to move. My stomach was in a knot as all that crossed my mind was the crack of a gun and one of us being hit. I knew we had to get out but were waiting for the turkey to fly down and gobble so the man knew that we were in fact not the bird. 

One of his hens soon cackled as she flew down and a couple minutes later, a heavy wing beat flew down straight away from us. He gobbled and Sara and I hurriedly got up and out as quickly as possible and thankfully safely. 

We left the game lands and began a search for a different turkey, we found a few different turkeys, none of which were huntable to us. So knowing that the turkeys were still alive where our day began we made our way back as it was nearing 8 o clock. 

After checking the other parking lots to ensure there was no one else. We pulled in and I rolled down the window and 30 seconds later, he gobbled right around where we originally had set up. 

We got out and ready and as we began to walk I thought I heard a gobble in the distance, and then again I thought I had heard one but still was unsure. I knew the one was near us so I set the decoy and upon turning around Sara said she did in fact hear one gobble where I thought I had.

 I knew we didn’t have time to waste and we started moving as quickly as we could, needing to close half a mile before he summoned a hen. 

It was getting hot rather quickly and about halfway across a field, I looked back at Sara who had two light jackets on and needed to shed one with the sun beating on us. Once we got her jacket off and tucked away in her vest, we continued on with a brush row to our left side covering us in case the turkeys happened to move towards us. 

We made it to the end of the field and stopped listening once again before making our next move. A gobble came from the same spot as before and we hopped onto an old road heading straight onto the ridge he was on. 

As we closed some distance, the turkey dropped into a small basin on the ridge putting us above him and straight across the ridgetop from him. The top was wide open only with the cover of ferns below the stand of oaks, which had me concerned about whether they would truly close the distance. 

I pointed at a white oak and stuck the decoy in the ground 20 yards away. Sara was sat down and ready and the turkey was double and triple gobbling likely from hearing us walking in the dry leaves as I scratched them while walking. 

He was about 150 yards out when I yelped. He gobbled and I left him to go for a minute then clucked and yelped again. He once again gobbled and I yelped and threw a jake yelp on the back end of it and began excitedly yelping after. 

He gobbled in the same spot and after a couple of minutes, the gobble was a little closer, and then closer yet. I scratched in the leaves over and over the entire time knowing he could hear it. I didn’t call after that but continued scratching, and he began gobbling at it. 

The ridge top we were on fell off into the little basin about 80 yards in front of us and he gobbled right on the bottom side. I told Sara to turn on the sight and I continued to scratch the leaves. 

Soon I could hear him walking in the leaves and I saw a bright red head coming around the side of the ridge. I told Sara I saw him and she said “Me too.”, I knew we weren’t looking at the same bird and I quickly saw the one she was watching slightly higher on the ridge. Then I caught a glimpse of another head trailing behind. 

I was beginning to become concerned we had found ourselves a group of jakes. They came up about 40 yards away standing and looking around. 

The front one began to walk and saw the decoy. He turned and began heading our way as the others followed, each about 15 yards behind the other.

 It wasn’t until the first bird was 20 yards away that I thought about the safety still being on. I told Sara to click it off once the first bird went behind the tree straight ahead of us. 

Thinking that if the other birds happened to see her she would still have a pretty good shot at the turkey that didn’t know what was happening. As she clicked the safety the second bird putted. The first one turned swiftly and I told Sara she needed to shoot one. 

I thought for certain that her best chance of the season was washed up.  As the closest turkey began a full sprint the gun cracked, and after a slight delay he dropped as if he ran into a concrete wall. 

I jumped up and gave her a fist bump quickly and the 33-yard run to the bird seemed like a mile.

I got my hands on him and I knew that the half-mile hike we made back into the game lands was gonna be a little sweeter on the way out.