Starting off my dad and I have never been the greatest of turkey hunters. My only bird was killed by patterning his strutting zone and sitting and waiting lol and my dad has never killed a turkey before and due to sports and his work we'd maybe get out for one Saturday a season and hearing a bird gobble was a win for us.
Fast forward to this year, I started practicing mouth calling in February every day to and from work with the help of some audio CDs. I feel I got pretty good and graduated from a double reed to some primos hunter hooks a couple weeks ago which sound awesome actually.
So my dad has been hunting since Tuesday and only has heard one bird and saw a ton of hens. We were holding off on a spot I see birds at during the fall until today. Well we decide to set up around 5:45 instead of listening for em and man when 6am hit the first bird let off and we were surrounded by gobbles till 7 but I would yelp and cutt every now and then with no luck for a response. The closest gobbles had to have been within 100yds. I was pretty bummed I couldn't make anything happen with those birds letting loose all around us. And I didn't wanna move and spook em since we already set up and already called.
So we decided to sit there till 9 yelping and purring every now and then to see if they'd circle back. Nothing. We go out to a large power line and jump a hen. I asked if he wanted to go down in the hollow and I'd show him where i deer hunted this fall and seeing the extremely steep hill he passed and said lets head out and we'll hit up another spot. As we're walking out maybe 300yds from the car a hen jumps out from the woods onto the trail 100yds ahead and goes scurrying across the trail and down into the woods on the other side of the ridge we were on.
We stop and are watching her when all the sudden a bird lets loose and close. Then we hearing the most god awful yelping and my dad is like man that's another hunter calling. Then I realize the yelping is moving and the gobbling is continuing. We immediately decide to get seated. I hit my knees and start belly crawling like an idiot since were on a trail on the ridge and my dad just hunches over so I ditch my belly crawling and get on my feet too, he immediately made fun of me for that after it happened haha We get about a step into the woods and he takes a tree 10yds to my right, the birds are to our left and we both sit as I scramble to get my mask on. While all this happened I somehow put my mouth call in, I honestly don't remember doing it. I remember looking back at him and he gives me the thumbs up he's ready and I have him it back. As I turn back around I hear the hen and I remember reading somewhere on here about talking to the hen and mimicking her. So I immediately repeat what she said and I am responded with 3 or 4 gobbles. This goes back and forth, she'd cut I cut she'd yelp I'd yelp and the birds kept answering me and not her. Then I spot the gobblers bout 60yds out strutting around back and forth and gobbling this show went on for about 5 minutes which was awesome to watch. The hen let out one more time and I responded back to her but a little more aggressive than she was and I saw the birds fold their wings and come straight along the ridge to me. They poked out at 25yds I took the lead bird and they all took off And my dad popped up and slammed another bird.
The last time we worked a bird was my first year hunting. So to say that we not only worked a bird and killed one but two and on public land there was definitely some excitement. I'll never forget the look as I'm standing on my bird and I look over and my dad is standing on his bird. That's a memory we're gonna take to the grave. And the fact that I could repay my dad for all he's done for me with hunting to call in his first turkey ever.
They're both jakes but they put on one hell of a show. I had a blast, we're still talking about it now lol
Fast forward to this year, I started practicing mouth calling in February every day to and from work with the help of some audio CDs. I feel I got pretty good and graduated from a double reed to some primos hunter hooks a couple weeks ago which sound awesome actually.
So my dad has been hunting since Tuesday and only has heard one bird and saw a ton of hens. We were holding off on a spot I see birds at during the fall until today. Well we decide to set up around 5:45 instead of listening for em and man when 6am hit the first bird let off and we were surrounded by gobbles till 7 but I would yelp and cutt every now and then with no luck for a response. The closest gobbles had to have been within 100yds. I was pretty bummed I couldn't make anything happen with those birds letting loose all around us. And I didn't wanna move and spook em since we already set up and already called.
So we decided to sit there till 9 yelping and purring every now and then to see if they'd circle back. Nothing. We go out to a large power line and jump a hen. I asked if he wanted to go down in the hollow and I'd show him where i deer hunted this fall and seeing the extremely steep hill he passed and said lets head out and we'll hit up another spot. As we're walking out maybe 300yds from the car a hen jumps out from the woods onto the trail 100yds ahead and goes scurrying across the trail and down into the woods on the other side of the ridge we were on.
We stop and are watching her when all the sudden a bird lets loose and close. Then we hearing the most god awful yelping and my dad is like man that's another hunter calling. Then I realize the yelping is moving and the gobbling is continuing. We immediately decide to get seated. I hit my knees and start belly crawling like an idiot since were on a trail on the ridge and my dad just hunches over so I ditch my belly crawling and get on my feet too, he immediately made fun of me for that after it happened haha We get about a step into the woods and he takes a tree 10yds to my right, the birds are to our left and we both sit as I scramble to get my mask on. While all this happened I somehow put my mouth call in, I honestly don't remember doing it. I remember looking back at him and he gives me the thumbs up he's ready and I have him it back. As I turn back around I hear the hen and I remember reading somewhere on here about talking to the hen and mimicking her. So I immediately repeat what she said and I am responded with 3 or 4 gobbles. This goes back and forth, she'd cut I cut she'd yelp I'd yelp and the birds kept answering me and not her. Then I spot the gobblers bout 60yds out strutting around back and forth and gobbling this show went on for about 5 minutes which was awesome to watch. The hen let out one more time and I responded back to her but a little more aggressive than she was and I saw the birds fold their wings and come straight along the ridge to me. They poked out at 25yds I took the lead bird and they all took off And my dad popped up and slammed another bird.
The last time we worked a bird was my first year hunting. So to say that we not only worked a bird and killed one but two and on public land there was definitely some excitement. I'll never forget the look as I'm standing on my bird and I look over and my dad is standing on his bird. That's a memory we're gonna take to the grave. And the fact that I could repay my dad for all he's done for me with hunting to call in his first turkey ever.
They're both jakes but they put on one hell of a show. I had a blast, we're still talking about it now lol
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