Business Trip Turkey Bonanza

[RadSav]

On the 10th I had to make a delivery to the Bing Crosby theater in Spokane for the Full Draw Film Tour.  Since I was so close to Colville I figured I'd throw a bow in the truck and extend the trip and sneak in a day of turkey hunting. 

Got up on the hill with enough light to sneak in a little scouting.  First spot was loaded with sign and I see six turkey.  Second spot sign and turkey.  Third spot sign and turkey.  Goodness, took longer to find a good camp spot than it did to find turkey!  Should be a good day on Friday!

Took for ever for me to stop the vibrating from all the driving.  And sleeping in the back of the Explorer wasn't as comfortable as I remember.  But once I fell asleep I was OUT.  Too much so as when my first glimpse of morning came I had sun in my eyes.  Dangit, I missed the morning hunt!

No need to rush now.  So I fired up the Jetboil and made a good breakfast.  Got my camo on.  Opened up a shiny new Phelps turkey reed, grabbed my slate, took a shot with the bow and I was ready. Quarter mile hike later I was in spot #1 close to a creek.  Found a good ambush spot and called for about 20 minutes.  Nothing!  I best get busy and head off to spot number 2.  Once I hit the upper road I heard a gobble.  Tom is down there looking for me...Crap!!!

I sneak back down in there and decide to use my new Phelps Rippin' Red.  Immediately he was on top of me.  Passed up a good 40 yard shot, passed up a good 30 yard shot, just about ready to pull the trigger on a 20 yards shot when he turns right into me dropping into a spot I could not see him.  Could it be any better???   Well, yes actually...my  excitement soon turned to complete horror and disappointment as I left there with no bird on a stick.  Dangit all to flippin' heck!!!

Time to head for spot number 2.  So I climb back out of my hole and when I reach the upper road...SOB there is another tom down there looking for me!  So once again I turn around and back down I go sneaking in close before hitting him with the Rippin' Red.  This guy gets on me so fast I don't even have time to get my arrow on the string before he is 10 yards away looking at me trying to get nocked up and drawn back.  Wholly crap do I miss hunting from a ground blind!!!  Maybe these calls are working a little too good!  Hehe  Needless to say I didn't even get a shot off.

This time I'm going to be a little smarter!  I stay down in the hole for another half hour and call.  OK, I've scared everything out of here for sure.  Now I can get back to the truck for plan "B".  Get to the upper road, put on my game ears and listen...no calls.  I'm good to go!  I get back to the truck, put my stuff away, shed my jacket, have a snack, close the back hatch and Gobble, gobble, gobble...are you kidding me?  Tom back down in the hole!

Short Chinese fire drill and I'm dropping back down into the hole.  This time I can see the tom before I set up about 100 yards away.  Make sure arrow is on the string, range all the bushes around me, set pin for 20 yards, make a good area for my feet.  This time 100% ready before I let rip on the Phelps.  This guy, just like the second bird, comes running in at full speed.  Right past me and gobbles 20 yards at my back!  After about ten of the longest minutes you ever experienced I turn my head ever so slowly as far as it will go to see behind me.  Ole' Tom is about eight feet away looking right into my eyes!

Awe CRAP - screwed it up again!!!

This time back at the truck I just throw everything in the back in a pile and drive for town.  Hoping I can get some time with Bearpaw and maybe get some words of wisdom and a little feel good after my screw ups of the morning.   But I did make one stop after seeing a hen.  Didn't take me too long to have another "caught in the open" screw up.  And then officially I was on my way to Bearpaw's.  This was a good decision.  Dale and Tara, as usual, made me feel right at home.  They even made me lunch which was much better than the McDonalds quarter-pounder I was expecting to have.  I must have looked a little bushed as they even offered to bunk me up for the night so I didn't have to sleep in the Explorer again.  Heck, this coming to Bearpaw idea was the best decision I'd made all day!!!

At 3:30pm I headed back for the hills.  Calm, relaxed, full belly and a good attack plan in my head.  I was going to sit above an old dirt road I believed the birds were using as a strutting zone as well as a way to cross the fast moving creek.  Very limited calling and just wait.  This is going to be the perfect plan!  Get to the parking spot just in time.  Hike in about a half mile, about to turn the final corner and I see flashes of white.  Birds in the road!  Right where I had hoped to be set up.  And no good place to set up for an ambush where I was at.  What a crazy day!

I walked back to the truck, grabbed a decoy, dropped down into a field below the birds, belly crawled to a high point and set up the decoy.  Found a tree in a little hole that I could keep my back to and rotate in case the didn't come in as I had hoped.  Further than I hoped, but I was pretty sure I was between the birds and the roosting trees.

Through the binoculars I could see the tom most of the time.  And by the color, shape and size of the beard I got the feeling he was bird #2 from earlier in the morning.  So my thought was that I would change to a new Phelps reed that was drastically different.  But when I opened my pouch I realized all I had was the Rippin' Red and the Trippin' Hen.  Hoping it was enough difference I put in the Trippin' Hen and yelped softly.  Immediately tom went into strut and paraded back and forth on the road facing his tail at the decoy each time.

Every 15 to 20 minutes we would repeat this exercise.  Couple soft yelps - strut and face the decoy.  Was the call not different enough, was it the decoy, or was it the six hens and the jake he had with him?  Two and a half hours later shooting hours are fading quick.  I decided I had to change something.  So with as much volume as I could get, getting as raspy and nasty as I could, I tried my best to tell that tom "Get your ass down here right now!  I am not going to wait for you forever!"

Oh my Goodness - It worked!  Just like a bull elk herding up his cows this tom grouped up his hens and pushed them straight down to me.  At 40 yards I used some grass cover and drew the bow.  When he stepped out into a shooting lane at 35 the Ti-Con tipped FMJ was on it's way.  Fletching disappearing exactly where the pin had been.  He flipped over once flapped his wings scooting about four yards closer to me and his fight was done!  Finally - I had put it together on bird # five for the day.

As the jake and the hens hit the tree line the jake stopped and looked back.  Not sure what got up his craw but he took flight and came right over the top of me landing at the tom.  After a few minutes of pecking and humping it occurred to me, "Shoot Jake from State Farm and you can sleep in before the long drive tomorrow afternoon!"  Arrow already nocked up I put the 30 pin center of his back and touched it loose.  Once again the fletching disappeared right where the pin had been.  Jake tipped over right on top of Tom, fluttered ever so slightly and it was done.

One day, five toms and a jake, two tags filled, hot pizza for dinner and a nice bed instead of a foam pad in the back of a small truck.  Not too shabby for a last minute business trip on a shoe string budget!!

[CaNINE]

Sounds like I need to upgrade to some phelps turkey calls!  Great story!

[MADMAX]

pretty cool man !

 

[Timberstalker]

Awesome write up, Radsav. Thanks for taking us along.

[jackelope]

Awesome write up, Rad. Welcome back and thanks for sharing.

[northwesthunter84]

Sweet write up, nice birds. That rippin red was really good for me this year too. Birds really responded to it.

[Big game archer]

 

[RadSav]

Sweet write, nice birds. That rippin red was really good for me this year too. Birds really responded to it.

I've always used a glass slate more than anything.  Never been very good with a turkey mouth reed.  Buddy turned me on to Knight & Hale about six years ago and it was the only one I'd had much luck with.  Didn't think I would ever change, but this Phelps really fits my mouth well and the tape is really nice.  Apparently the toms like it too!  Can't remember ever having a tom run all out from 100 yards.  Realize the competition had something to do with it.  But geez it was a bit crazy.

[carpsniperg2]

Congrats

[kevinlisa06]

Nice man!


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[bearpaw]

You hammered them Rad, good going! 

[tgomez]

Thanks for sharing your story and congratulations on the hunt.

[nitroelk]

what a day!!!, sounds like a ton of fun

[jennabug]

  fun story! thanks for sharing it. Congrats too!