Spring Turkey Season

By Al Coblentz, SE Iowa Area Rep.

April 21st found me headed south on Highway 1 for a week on Turkey Hunting and camping. I had camp set up at Lacy Keosauqua State Park and then headed out to the woods about 11am. I set my blind up in an area where I had seen birds strut in previous years. I sat for several hours and didn’t see or hear anything. I finally got out of the blind and did so scouting and located some birds but didn’t get close to anything. I finally went back to camp for a late lunch. I went back out just before dark to try and roost a bird for the next morning.

I walked into the woods a ways and let out a couple of crow calls. I heard a bird in the distance and decided to just sit down and see what happens. Pretty soon I heard him gobble again and decided to back off a ways because he was getting pretty close and I didn’t want to spook him. I heard birds fly up so I left knowing where to be in the morning.

Tuesday morning I was in the woods well before daylight and as quietly as possible set out 2 hens and 1 jake decoy and then set up the blind. I sat there until it started getting pretty light out and made a couple of quiet yelps. The Tom gobbled and he wasn’t to far away and still in the tree. A made a couple more yelps and then was quiet because I knew he was close. He flew down and landed about 125 yards away from me and started strutting. I would yelp and he would gobble but he liked his strutting area and it looked like he wasn’t going to move. Pretty soon it started raining and I saw some hens with him so I figured the deal was all over. Then is rained really hard for a little and I couldn’t see the birds any more. The rain stopped and I let out a couple of yelps and he gobbled back. He hadn’t moved 25 yards during the little rain storm. Pretty soon I had some hens come close to me and get within 10 yards of my decoy. That brought the Tom in as well. He didn’t seem to want to come right over to my decoys. He just stayed off to the one side and strutted and drummed.

Finally I thought he was about 20 yards away and I thought I could get a shot. He was in full strut broadside and I was pretty excited. I pulled back my longbow and said to myself “remember on turkeys you have to hit em hi” I shot and saw the arrow go through feathers and heard a thump. I got him I thought, but the Tom just kept strutting like nothing had happened. What the heck, he just kept strutting and drumming and acted like nothing had happened. I couldn’t get another shot off and didn’t know what to do so I just sat there. Finally after about another 20 minutes he just slowly moved away with the hens. When they were out of site I got out of my blind and went over to where I had shot. There was my arrow, stuck in a tree, the thump I had heard. I looked at the arrow and replayed the shot and realized I had shot high and just clipped the top of his feathers while he was strutting and didn’t even break the skin. I thought that was my chance for the year, Boy was I wrong.

My bubby called and wondered how it was going and we decided to go to camp and have breakfast. After pancakes, bacon, eggs and turkey stories we were ready to go out again. We headed out to another area and set up the decoys and blind again. This area was kind of along a field edge. We called for a while and didn’t here anything. I got a little shut eye and then I looked out the blind and saw a hen. Pretty soon I saw another hen and she had a beard. Then we heard a tom gobble. This was getting good. The Tom gobbled on the timber side so he closed the open side windows and then opened the windows on the timber side. Pretty soon we saw the tom. He come up to about 50 yards and just stayed there and strutted. Since we both where shooting bows he was still to far away. Pretty soon I peeked out the other side of the blind and said. Randy there are 2 jakes right out here in range. He said shoot one if you what. Nay we got a Tom almost in range. We can’t shoot a jake. The jakes soon headed down to the Tom and when they got close he would chase them. He would then go back to his spot and strut. The jakes would come back and as soon as they were within 8 yards he would chase them again. This went on for about 15 minutes or more. Eventually we thought he was getting close so Randy got his bow ready and was hoping to get a shot. The bird just seemed to be able to keep a tree or brush in the way all the time. I think I did something wrong and the birds all moved off and that was the end of that deal. It was still and awesome day but no birds in the bag.

Wednesday morning I went in to a different area that I have hunted before and had success. I heard birds gobbling and so I set up my blind and started to do some calling. I would call and birds would gobble but it was one of those deals where you just feel like they are not responding to you. I ended up falling asleep and a while later I woke up and I thought I think I hear a bird drumming. I peeked out the back of the blind and there was a Tom about 50 yards away. I quickly closed the windows I had open and opened the window on the Toms side. I yelped once and he gobbled. He started coming my way and I got all nervous. He was coming right at me so I pulled back and shot. I shot right in front of him. Dang it. 2 days in a row. He just rubbed it in. He slowly strutted in a half circle around me 50 yards out for about another 15 minutes. I went and got my arrow and realized that he was much farther than I thought. He was about 30 yards away. That was the end of action for this day.

Thursday morning I said OK 3 rd times a charm. I went out early and didn’t have any action. It started raining and my buddies called my cell phone and said it was time for breakfast. Sounded ok to me, didn’t hear any birds anyway. It was raining and we didn’t feel like cooking breakfast in the rain so he headed to the café. After a good batch of biscuits and gravy plus lots of coffee I decided to go set up along a field edge and just see what happens. It was just kind of misty not really raining so off I went. I set up along and open field and out my decoys out. I got all set up and it started to rain again. The double bull blind does a pretty good job of keeping me dry so I thought I might as well just stay here and sit out the rain. About 1 pm I saw a bird a long way across the field. He flew over a fence to get into the open field. I got my binoc’s out and saw it was a Tom. With the rain and all when I would yelp on my box call I could see him stretch his head out and gobble but I couldn’t hear him . He kept coming closer and then I could here the gobbles. He just kept coming at me and right toward the decoys. Ok I said here goes. I pulled back and shot low, right in front of him. 3 rd miss in 3 days. I am terrible. I got to watch him go all the way back the field, slowly I might add, and fly over the fence again and away from me. To make it feel even better I packed up and made the long walk back to the truck in the rain. That afternoon it stopped raining so I set up along another open area but didn’t have any action. When I decided to quit I shot an arrow at both my decoys and got a clean kill on both. I wasn’t sure if that built confidence or was rubbing salt in the wound because now both decoys have a hole in them.

This brings us to Friday. I headed out and couldn’t decide which ridge to set up on. I picked one and set out the decoys and set up the blind. I didn’t hear any gobbling and then I finally heard a Tom and you guessed it he was on the other ridge and a long way off. What should I do. I sat there thinking about moving and not wanting to go down the ridge and back up the next one. That is the trouble with a blind. They get heavy on those step ridges. Pretty soon I heard the Tom gobble and then I heard thunder. O great, the rain is coming again. I decided to stay where I was until after the rain. I would just yelp every 10 minutes or so. Pretty soon I heard the Tom gobble and thought he sounded a little closer. It thundered and he gobbled again and I knew he was closer then. I called and he cut me off with the next gobble. Then I could see him and he was coming up the ridge on my side. I got the right windows opened on the blind and got ready. I made about 2 more yelps and he was on his way. Once again my heart started going wild. Ok Al slow down, You can do this. Take your time pick a spot. When he gets to that big tree he will be within 15 yds, The bird kept coming and went into a strut. HE got to the big tree and I pulled back to full draw. I held for a second and told myself pick that spot. I shot and it was perfect. He took off and ran about 30 yrds and was down. I threw the blind back and ran over to him, he was mine. Wow it was so awesome I did my little war dance and let out some mighty whoops and thanked God for a wonderful day. The thunder rolled again so I quickly gathered all my gear and headed for the truck. The extra 20 lbs felt so good. Wow 5 birds within 50 yds in 4 days and all those misses. I didn’t deserve this one unless it was for not giving up. I just made it to the truck before the rains came again. I didn’t care.

Saturday Morning I took another Friend out and I called in a bird for him and he shot it with a shotgun at about 35 yards. I headed back home Saturday afternoon and decided that this may have been my best week hunting ever. Except for that time when……