Opening day started before dawn with the drumming from a big Tom turkey. Knowing they hadn’t flown from the roost yet, we went about setting up a blind and putting out the decoys.
Six hours of silence and bone-chilling cold got us restless and wanting to go find a gobbler, instead of them finding us. We left the blind and decoys set up, grabbed the packs and rifles and headed down an old road winding around the hill into the woods. We walked a couple miles along a ravine on the dark side of the mountain with parts of the road still covered in deep snow. Occasionally we would stop and do a hen call, listen for a return gobble and move on.
Finally we got an answer directly across the ravine from us! We called again and immediately two gobblers replied in unison. Now the fun started and Kim tried to tease and entice them to cross the creek. They seemed to get a little closer but only for an instant and then back to the hillside. We thought they were hung up by the brush, so now we try and figure out a way to get to them.
We head down the road hoping for a chance to cross but there were no good ways about it. Finally Kim heads down the hill determined to get to the other side and I follow just thinking ‘here we go with another obstacle course!’ Weeding our way through the viney maple, the brambles and thistly bushes, over downed trees covered in knee-deep snow and back through thick, spiny underbrush until it finally opened to a meadow.
We kept to the brushes along the edge and called again. No answer, so we moved further along, back to where we’d heard them. Finally an answer: on the old road side where we just came from! Of course they came over and we just weren’t patient enough ! Just out luck! Now the work of getting them back to our side.
I stood stationed by a tree as the gobbles sounded back across the creek and back into the trees. We intently listened, waited and teasingly called. They slowly made their way our direction, but when they came into view, they had stayed mid-way up the hill rather than coming down near the creek where we were. Two large Toms but too far for a shot and they wouldn’t budge our way.
I watched as they slowly made their way past us and up the hill. We went down the creek ahead of them and then headed up the hill trying to cut them off. We came up as they were crossing the hillside and again they couldn’t be tempted to come down towards us. Instead they wandered down the middle of a saddle and we headed up the ridge figuring we’d cut them off.
As I almost crested the ridge, Kim fired a shot and started to run. I followed and another shot rang out. As Kim had crested the hill, the two Toms were there to meet him, both staring him down. As he raised to fire, they both ran.
We could hear them gobble in the distance so we followed them a while and decided we had had enough for opening day. Better to not pressure them, and come back the next day for another try.
Tom, the game is on!
Archery and Camo 