With the 2004 spring turkey seasons closure fast approaching I thought it would be fun to hear different successful hunters’ stories of their hunts. What better way to learn then from the hunts themselves.

Rich Keyzer (Guided hunt with Dale Helgeson)

After missing the shot on a bird on Wednesday and unable to hunt until Saturday afternoon we decided to change tactics.

Saturday 1:00 pm, after finding some birds held up in a small woodlot, we discussed their patterns and movements. After which we decided that we could execute a turkey drive. To effectively accomplish this you need to know their travel patterns and where they move when in danger. Since I have hunted this area for many years I know most of their patterns and escape routes. Many learned by accident while bow hunting but no the less logged for future reference.

I sent Rich down along the fence line to an edge of a small field that has wood strips on both sides. This is one of their main escape areas. It provides cover to each side and an open area so they can use their eyes effectively.

Once in position I proceeded to work my way slowly through the wood lot trying to cover the entire area but moving slowly. With the ever growing underbrush I could not see more than 30 yards. Upon finishing the drive I proceeded across the cut corn field to Rich’s position. He said two toms had flown right to him but saw him at the last minute and veered off to the side. Another one went down farther into the pine trees.

After discussing our plan of attack I decided to place him a mere ten yards from his current position on the edge of the clearing between the two wood lots. I proceeded to circle around the edge of the woodlot to work it back to him. Once at the far end of the woodlot I worked my way slowly back. After working back and forth kicked up a nice tom at 10 yards and it flew out of the woods but down too far in the open field for Rich to get a shot. As I proceeded in the woods I kicked up another hen that was up in a tree that flew the other direction.

Another 50 yards into the woods I saw another bird running toward the field edged. After about 15 seconds I heard one shot and then silence. I hurried to the field edge and saw that Rich was heading out into the field with a bird down. He had shot a jake at about 30 yards. He also said another jake was coming out of the woods down farther from this bird into the field as well.

Needless to say he was extremely happy to harvest a bird. It was very exciting having all the action and the hunt ended successfully.

Saturday morning at 5:30 I headed out in the woods. I heard a gobble up on the far ridge and went to move closer. I knew he was still roosted and kept gobbling. I moved to the top side of the ridge hoping to be down the ridge far enough not to be seen. Unfortunately I got too close. He didn’t spook but he saw me move into position and when he flew down walked away from me.

I tried to circle around him but he went into a lowland area with some hens and wouldn’t come away from them.

I then decided to go after a couple of other toms that I had seen working an area before.

As I cut across the winter wheat field to work my way into a better vantage point I noticed a bird walking in the middle of the cut cornfield on the other side of the fence line. I immediately dropped down and start to low crawl to the edge of the field. Upon arrival to the edge I noticed movement over to the side through the tree limbs.

It was four toms in full strut and seven hens working the field feeding.

I tried yelping and the toms gobbled but wouldn’t pull away from the hens. After trying to start a hen fight with my calls the toms were really fired up and gobbling like mad.

I then quit calling but they wouldn’t come any closer so I started to purr. I did three purrs in succession. After three sequences of purrs two of the toms pealed away from the other two and came in my direction. The worked the wood edge and the fence line until they were with 15 yards of me. I had to wait to shoot because of the tree limbs from the tree I was laying next to in the fence line.

Once they cleared the cover I took aim at the largest bird and knocked it down right in its tracks.

It was a 19 pound bird with a 10 ½ inch beard and ¾ inch spurs.

Rich Huck (Guided hunt with Dale Helgeson)

Tuesday night at 5:30 we met at the hunting property. We proceeded in full camouflage and binoculars to the field edges to see if anything was feeding in the winter wheat field. Upon arrival to the point we could see several heads moving across the field. We snuck around the wooded point to a ground blind already in place. Once near the blind but still in the woods we scoped the birds from 200 yards. They were feeding there way to their roosting areas along the fence line. We noticed four tom turkeys peal off together and go into the pine trees to roost and two toms and three jakes go with seven hens down the fence line to a strip of oak woods to roost. Upon surveying the situation we discussed his setup in the morning and this is how it went down.

Wednesday morning arrived at 5:15, suited up and moved quickly along the tree line to the turkey hot spot. Found a tree to lean against at the border of CRP and wheat field, only sounds that came from the woods were a pheasant cackling on the fence row.

I yelped a couple times and never heard a gobble. Moved down to the fence row on edge of cornfield, watched the rooster run away. The rooster returned to the area and drummed and cackled within site of me.

Heard what appeared to be a far off gobble blowing in with the extreme winds. Gobble was followed by two more; I then picked a tree to watch the corn field and the wheat field. Purred a few times and was meet shortly afterwards by a gobble within 50 yards and out of site. Eventually four toms worked along the fence row towards me; while one was behind a tree I raised my gun. One tom worked to within 10 yards but I couldn't get a shot because movement would have been picked up if I had swung on him. He moved back behind the tree and bushes with the other three, gobbled after I purred. All eventually moved back into the woods.

I moved up to a tree and stood to view the area, noting a hen out in the cornfield about 150 yards away feeding. After a span of five minutes I looked over and saw a turkey moving from the fence into the wheat field, upon scoping with binoculars determined it was a nice tom.

Looked at length of CRP field and determined I could low crawl up to the edge of the wheat field. Moved about thirty yards and slowly looked to field, noted two turkeys moving along edges of field. Continued low crawling another twenty yards and peeked again, turkeys were moving towards far woods.

Hit the call with a purr while they were walking and one turned in acknowledgement. Moved another ten yards after they went below the rise of the hill, looked up and saw a turkey along the fence, subdivision. Purred some more on the call and waited. After five minutes I heard a putt behind me followed by the unmistakable sound of a turkey flying away. Time to start watching both directions although the rear was hard with the sun rising.

A short time after this incident I looked up to see to toms closing in fast, one in strut. His partner was busy looking around for a hen, as they approached to within 15 yards I decided to shoot the strutting tom. With a bang he was down and the other one ran a short distance and eventually flew off. While tagging the bird a hen appeared eighty yards away and feed through the winter wheat field.

But the hunt was over with my first tom turkey weighing in at 21 pounds and a 10 ½ inch beard.