Just in time for coffee................

For the first time in several years I actually remembered to apply for a spring turkey permit. In December all I have on my mind is killing ducks,not chasing toms.I was surprised to see mail from IDNR and opened it to find my first choice,Jackson county first season.

Alot of my favorite hunting areas were destroyed in the May '08 storm so I was gonna have to do a little more scouting than I normally would. Two weeks ago Jamison,Josh,and myself scouted an area that I had deer hunted before and had always wanted to turkey hunt,so we spent the better part of a Sunday looking at areas that I thought looked good in the past. After our 4 mile hike we saw several hens,alot of turkey sign and brought back SEVERAL beer cans. Even though we saw a few other trucks parked in the area I would probably hunt here for at least a few mornings.I do have another farm that I can hunt that always has a few birds there so I did have a back up plan.Even though I had a plan B I always like to have several options when it comes to hunting.

April 2..............

I had plans all day to squeeze in some scouting ,but since my wife and I have been working opposite schedules,I hung out at the house for the most part of the day and didn't leave myself alot of time. My original plan was for Mason and I to just walk down the road in one of my favorite hunting areas,but the sun was low in the west so I decided to go somewhere a little closer to home.

Five minutes later we were in the parking area and could hear atleast 2 gobbling .Checking the sign in box,no one was on there during the youth season so I have high hopes. Down into the woods we went. We had reached a field and what sounded like a big tom was hammering REAL close to where we were.After a short sneak down a holler and up a ridge there he was,a nice tom gobbling every time a crow called. Mason took his gun out of his pocket and went "BANG BANG" " I got him daddy." Mr Turkey didnt really like that or the white and red Handy Manny hat Mason had on so he went down the ridge into the next holler.After we walked around for a few more minutes Mason was ready to go home.

April 3.........

After a long day at the St. Louis Zoo we were home and I was off to the woods with about 2 hours of day light left.The plan. . . . to roost a turkey for the next morning,the problem. . . . 40 mph winds and 50 mph gusts. My thoughts are that if I do actually hear a turkey,chances are that with the wind he may be blown into the next county by morning.

Off I go to another area that I have been to once last fall squirrel hunting that looked promising. With a mile hike to the place I wanted to start looking and a crow call in my hand I'm off. About half way from where I wanted to be I top and take a breather and noticed a skunk !

Now Im were I want to be blowing a crow call but cant hear anything and I'm sure they cant hear me so I cross two ridges and head up a good looking ridge. I find deer hair,some bones and an arrow. 50 or so feet from there lays a 8 point deer skull !

I'm seeing fresh turkey sign with every step and I'm thinking more and more THIS is were I'm gonna be sitting in the morning.

Out of the woods and on my way to the truck I decide that i want to look on the other end of the field just to see what is over there.I make the turn to step into the other part of the field and there stands a hen ! I looked a little more and theres a gobbler ! No wait 3 gobblers ! ! ! A few hundred yards down from them are several jakes and hens for a total of 15 ! This place looks like a turkey hunters dream. A winter wheat field 70 yards wide,400 yards long and a strip of last years corn in the middle. I watched them till they flew up. I know where I'm gonna be in the morning.

On the way back to the truck I bust up another flock of aprox. 15 birds,hens,jakes,and atleast 3 long beards.I'm in heaven.

On the way home I call my brother to see if he has a full choke for an 870,or his Benelli. A few days ago I realized that I couldn't find my box of choke tubes,and could not find one for my SX2.he had one so after a quick stop at home to eat I was on my way to get his gun.

By the time I get home its 11:30 and i had another realization,now I need a hunting licence ! Not wanting to drive to the evil WalMart I bought it on line,quick and easy.Now all I have to do is find my turkey hunting gear.I rumage around and gather it all up,stuff it into a back pack,every few minutes remembering an item that was not in there.Somewhere around 12:30 I make it to bed.

The forcast for the next day is rain,lots of rain,but atleast the wind will only be 20 mph !

0500 came way to soon after a night of wind and the power flicking on and off most of the night,but I'm wide awake and ready to be in the woods,get soaked,and hopefully shoot a turkey.

I pull up in the parking area at 0520 and happy to see that I was the only one there.I slowly gathered my gear,and 2 trucks pull up.They jump out and start gathering up their gear. I walk up to them and ask where they plan to be. I'm very pleased to hear" Bub you where here first,you tell us where you are gonna be". I tell them my plan was to sit by the narrow field till at least 10 and then off into the woods. They tell me their plans and after a few "Good Luck" exchanges I'm off into the field. It is getting lighter by the step so I pick up the pace.Once I was just about in the middle of the field I looked for a place to sit. There it was,a nice big pine with brush on either side and a nice wide shooting lane.

Once my Hunters Specialties hen and jake decoy were out,I headed to my new home away from home for the next few hours.By now it's 0612,shooting time. I start to settle in. As I'm getting my calls where I want them,I think I'm as ready as I can be.At 0618 I make a facebook post,"Thunder Chickens will die today" As soon as I close my phone I hear a turkey gobble,CLOSE. Gun on my knee, Knight and Hale " Yeller Hammer" slate call in hand I give him some soft sweet talk. I pop a mouth call in just in case and wait. Calling moderately loud because of the wind,hoping the bird is not just out of view.

Just as I was thinking he was gone here he came. Walking,his beard draging the ground, 20 feet away from the woods straight to my decoys ! He closed the distance fast and just as he got up to the decoys I cut pretty loud on the mouth call wanting him to gobble........for the last time. He was not interested in preforming for me,all he seemed to care about was the jake that had a hen. 20 yards away from me he stood and looked at the impostors for a few seconds,and pecked the jake decoy on the head.The second peck was on its back and it made a hollow "THUD". Mr long beard didn't like that and started to walk back the direction he came from. Gun on my knee I have the bead on his head following him .Then the unthinkable happened.the gun barrel hit a small tree in front of me ! I almost lost it,but I calmly moved the gun around the tree,put the bead in his head,and squeezed the trigger.

The Winchester Supreme 3 1/2" #5 did its job and he dropped like a rock.0625 turkey season had been in for 13 minutes and it was over for me.When I shot 3 other birds gobbled.I walk out to my bird and it keeps getting bigger.Than never happens.I take a quick pic and send it to my wife and friends,tag him,gather up my stuff and off i go.

On the way back to the truck I saw 2 of the guys I talked to earlier.They were climbing out of their blind to see what I had. After we chatted for a few minutes I told them that there was at least 3 birds where i just left and told them to get over there and kill them.

I called my buddy Terry to see where he was working.I told him to put on some coffee.After short drive to the Ava ambulance base I pulled my bird out to show them.He handed me a cup of coffee I checked the time 0701.

April 4 2011

24 pounds

10" beard

1" suprs