Turkey of My Dreams Still Alive (and I blame you guys)

[tlbradford]

All my life I have hunted and never worried about trophy photos, or field photos.  I have just hunted, killed, and went home.  I have never done any taxidermy on any animals.  I have just enjoyed the memory of hunts that I relive in my mind.  They are blended with memories of my father and friends who taught me and have since passed on.  Memories of the sights, sounds, and smells of hunts.  Memories of the beating of my heart in my ears and the adrenaline rush of watching an animal fall to a well placed shot or arrow.

That used to satisfy me...until this site entered my life.

Which leads me to today's story.

The alarm went off at 3:30, I leaned over, turned it off, and went back to sleep.  It has been a long two weeks of early mornings and late nights working in the office and at home.  I deserved a few extra hours of shut-eye.  I got up at 6:30, had a leisurely breakfast, got the kids up, kissed the wife goodbye and made a short drive to one of my hunting areas where I had roosted birds last week.  I packed light.  A couple of calls, no dekes, my shotgun, and my camera. 

I hike to the area I want to hunt, and I haven't even heard a bird sound off in the 45 minutes it takes to get there.  I let out a few hen yelps, nothing.  I decide to hike around and do some scouting/hunting since I am alone on a big piece of private ground.  For the next 30 minutes I pause every few hundred yards and let out a few yelps or purrs.  Nothing.  Finally, I dig out my gobbler shaker, or whatever you call those things, and let her rip.  Silence.  I wait 10 seconds and let out another gobble.  There's an answer about 200-300 yards away.  I quickly make my way toward the where the bird sounded off and get set up in some pine trees.  I let out a few purrs and clucks and he sounds off at about 100 yards away.  Then a hen starts yelping and trying to pull him away.  I let out my own series of yelps and nothing.  He gobbles again and is moving away from me.  I try a few cuts.  Silence.  30 seconds later he is even farther away when he lets out another gobble.  I hit my gobbler shaker again and he cuts me off.  I wait 20 seconds and give it another shake and he cuts me off again.  Judging by the sound he has moved towards me by a good margin.  I shut up for the next five minutes.  He continues to work toward me gobbling every minute or so. 

I have not seen this bird yet, but I come up with a plan.  Since, I want to share this hunt with all of you I decide to photograph the bird if it comes into the clearing.  If it comes from my blind side down a little road I will set the camera down and shoot him.  I hear him spit and drum about 30 yards away, still blocked by brush.  I decide I really want pictures of him spitting and drumming since that is fairly rare to hear up close.  I give him my own spit and drum, and he comes at me and I can see him spit and drum about 20 yards away.  I adjust my camera zoom and wait for a good shot.  He steps into an opening and...

I press the shutter button halfway to focus.  My camera beeps...I forgot to turn that setting off.  He looks right through me.  He is huge.  10+ beard, at least two beards, looks like three.  Longest spurs I have seen on a Washington bird, minimum 1-3/8 but I believe they are over 1-1/2 inches, long and wicked sharp and curving.  He putts.  I stay frozen, afraid to press the shutter button and send him running.  I want to kill this bird.  He moves off on my blind side.  I set the camera down and get the shotgun up, I hit a couple of soft clucks on the slate and he fires off a gobble.  That is the last I see of him.

I sit for a couple of hours hoping he will return for a look.  I hear him several hundred yards off but never closer.  I don't want to completely educate him so I head out, ready to do battle next week.

So, I blame all of you for this.  All of your fancy pictures, your great stories, blah, blah...Thanks Bone and Phool for posting all of those live monster deer.  Thanks Shawn, Tom, Robo, and Timber for your amazing live bird photos.  Thanks BTKR and Hogsniper for your live bear photos.  And thank you everyone else for capturing the outdoors in this beautiful state.  You all cost me that bird.        I wanted to be like you, but I ended up with no photo and no Turkey, but what a great memory.  So, really thank you.  I now have my Moby to go after the rest of the season.

Anyway, here are some other photos to go with this story.  I hope there is a sequel with a happy ending.   

[tlbradford]

They were still running around with hens, even mid day.  These were across a brushy draw about 150 yards away.  I had to get to work so I didn't try making a move on him.  Normally I would have.

[tlbradford]

A couple of targets of opportunity.  I liked the unusual bokeh of the bird.

[tlbradford]

Bone mentioned Pope hated butterflies so I hope this irritates him.  

[tlbradford]

A coffee makes everything better.  She saw the camera on the front seat and wanted her picture taken.  So I took these and emailed them to her.  She is a sweetheart and single for all you young Spokane boys.   

[jackelope]

good stuff TL

[rougheye]

Dang nice uhhhh turkey pics 

[BLKBEARKLR]

Awesome read, and like you said you always have the memories

Joe

[whacker1]

Nice pictures - I like the last few the best

[washingtonmuley]

I second that

[fc2038]

nice pics. Funny you mention the memory issue. I have been bringing my camera everywhere now. Seems like when I bring it nothing happens and when I forget that damn thing something always happens. Just my luck!!

Thanks for sharing.

[Pathfinder101]

Thanks for the warning...
I am taking the boy out again tomorrow.  I will still bring the camera, but probably just settle for the "grinning hero shot"...  I hope...

[Wacenturion]

You know the old saying...."a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."  Great story......and you could have killed that bird.  Great memory I'd say.

[winston2789]

nice post, you'll get him

[Jekemi]

this is a great story. I'll put it in the Turkey Hunting Stories of 2009 document that Ray has posted as a .pdf. I'll update the document. Got some great stories in there; fun to read al in one place.

[ICEMAN]

Good Job. Your thoughts about how reading how other guys do things is very true. I am sure we all think about how we might write something up....better get a pic.....everytime we go out now.

[Pathfinder101]

Good Job. Your thoughts about how reading how other guys do things is very true. I am sure we all think about how we might write something up....better get a pic.....everytime we go out now.

 

[tlbradford]

Good Job. Your thoughts about how reading how other guys do things is very true. I am sure we all think about how we might write something up....better get a pic.....everytime we go out now.

Exactly, before the internet a story and a photo of dismembered head was all there was to it.  Now it seems like something is missing when sharing your stories unless you have photos to go with it.  It is a weird situation I am going through since getting a nice camera.  I am so conflicted as to whether I want to fill my tag or photograph it.  I would truly be happy either way, but like most things, indecisiveness has caused me to fail on both fronts.