Editor’s Note: Today’s column comes from David Rainer of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The subject of his story, turkey hunter Tom Kelly, will need no introduction to most turkey hunting enthusiasts.

Incredibly, Tom Kelly is about to complete his 70th season in the Alabama turkey woods with no signs of slowing down.

Kelly, whom I consider the poet laureate of the turkey world although he is far too modest to suggest such, started his turkey hunting career as an 11-year-old under inauspicious conditions. During his turkey hunting career, he’s seen Alabama’s turkey population go from virtually nil to today’s half-million.

“I started turkey hunting in 1938,” said Kelly, who now lives in Spanish Fort. “And, of course, there weren’t enough turkeys to count. I can remember my grandfather telling my daddy that it was a pity to start it, because by the time he gets grown there ain’t gonna be any. It’s like telling a kid Santa Claus is going to die next week.

“In the beginning, good gosh, there was so little turkey hunting. In fact, I’ve got the November 1944 edition of Field and Stream. In it, they listed all of the hunting regulations for every state in the union and the Canadian provinces. There were also migratory bird regulations. All of that was on two pages. That year, 1944, there wasn’t but three states with a spring turkey season. I think it was nine or 10 states that had a turkey season, but only three with a spring season – Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. And I don’t think the Mississippi and Arkansas seasons were but two weeks long.    I fiddled around with the number of licenses sold by counties. There were a few turkeys around here (southwest Alabama) and up around Talladega. In that year, in the entire United States, there wasn’t but 1,500 spring turkey hunters. It was only three states and the seasons were short. And now, you go to one banquet and there’ll be 1,500 folks.”

Not only was there few turkey hunters, the birds were few and far between back then. Kelly, who now has 10 books to his credit with the publication of last year’s “A Fork in the Road,” said successful turkey hunters were especially revered during his early hunting years.

“If a guy killed a turkey every year, people gathered around his doorsteps to worship him when he went out to get in his car,” he said. “If he killed two a year, you tried to get him in the Catholic Church so you could canonize him. And, anybody who killed three was cheating. He’s baiting them up. There ain’t nobody that good. It can’t be done. Just ain’t no way.

“I suspect in 1960 that two-thirds of the turkeys killed in this state were killed on deer drives, running in front of dogs. The guy running the hunt would stand up in front of the group and say, ‘We shoot buck deer, turkey gobblers and bobcats.’ And everybody on a stand had one barrel loaded with buckshot and one barrel loaded with No. 6. The first turkey I ever killed was looking back over his shoulder for the dog. Now, that ain’t the way we told it, but that’s the way it was. It’s something about turkeys that seems to make a guy lie, by nature a liar or not, he’s just gonna lie.”

Kelly, whose working career consisted of everything from cruising timber to running paper mills, considers the current environment the golden age of turkey hunting and beginners are able to take accelerated courses in hunting technique.

“I’ve said this for a long time – a kid starting now will see more turkeys and get to fool with more turkeys in the first five years than I did in the first 20 years,” he said. “The way to learn to do this is be stupid in front of turkeys. And now there are so many more turkeys to be stupid in front of than there used to be. In one respect, I think they might have been easier to kill in that you might be hearing the only turkey gobble you’re going to hear all week. But, on the other hand, he might be hearing the only hen he was going to hear in 10 days. Now with the competition – I’m talking about the hen competition – he gobbles four times and there’s six or seven hens under his tree. You’re dead. There ain’t nothing you can do except hope they walk your way when they leave.

“Now you didn’t hear as many turkeys when I started, but I think the ones you heard and got to were easier to work. He didn’t have the distractions. There are places now, especially that second week of the season, that it’s damn near hopeless. You yelp and he gobbles and there are hens under his tree almost instantly.”

When Kelly was a youth, he had free range over the countryside, although there was very little game, mainly rabbits and squirrel, as well as doves and quail. If you were lucky enough to live along the rivers and coast, you could add a few ducks to the bag.

“There weren’t any deer or turkeys, but you had squirrels and quail,” he said. “I think it’s a different stage in the succession of the timber. When you begin to get as much timber as we have in the state now, the quail just don’t do well. Turkeys began to come back as we began to have more and more timber. Plus, we don’t have poor devils out there trying to raise a family on 40 acres of Norfolk sand. He raises the family with his shotgun. Those guys killed a lot of turkeys, and deer, too.

“It is no longer socially acceptable to violate game laws. You will still hear guys in the midst of a cocktail party bragging about shooting 40 doves, but not much. It’s not socially acceptable to do it any more.”

Kelly, who runs a turkey hunting school at Westervelt Lodge each spring, said there was a noticeable difference in the number of turkeys and turkey hunters in the early ‘60s when an extensive trapping and relocation program by the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (Game and Fish back then) was in full swing. The majority of turkeys were trapped in southwest Alabama and transplanted around the state. The relocation program has been so successful that with the addition of Morgan County next year every county in the state will have a turkey season.

Kelly said turkey biologists like Lovett Williams have revealed a great deal about turkeys that could only be realized with extensive research and the use of telemetry.

“Lovett Williams’ new book, “Turkey Hunting and Management,” is the finest thing that’s ever seen done,” Kelly said. “A guy like me, anything I know about turkeys I bootlegged by hunting turkeys, carrying a shotgun, on company time. Because of guys like Lovett, we know way more about turkeys than we did 50 years ago, and we’ve got way more timber.

“We’ve got some things happening now that if I was asked about it 30 years ago I wouldn’t have believed it. I was asked last year to go and hunt on a place within nine miles of where I live in Spanish Fort. The land used to belong to Scott Paper Company. It is a solid pine plantation. There is one knob on it with six or eight big live oak trees, and there are a couple of little creeks with nothing but black gum and sweet bay. It is so full of turkeys; they’re just everywhere you look. The guy told me he quit coming out there because he’d been out there with a turkey gobbling his brains out and he couldn’t see him. Now I don’t know what they’re eating, but I can assure you it’s not acorns. They may be getting on the telephone and having pizza sent out there, I don’t know. I killed a couple of turkeys out there and they were hog fat. So they’re eating something. People who say turkeys can’t live in pine plantations, that just ain’t so. Now, they ain’t nearly as much fun to hunt out there.”

Despite the encroaching human population, Kelly thinks Alabamians will be able to enjoy turkey hunting long after he’s gone.

“I think we’re going to be hunting turkeys 100 years from now,” he said. “Now we’re not going to be hunting them on Bienville Square or on the outskirts of Fairhope, like we used to do. But turkeys are adaptable creatures. I believe they could make it on the State Docks. I believe they could make it on the soybean that fell off the grain cars.”

Kelly considers right now the most productive time to be in the turkey woods.

“To me the last two weeks of the season are the best,” he said. “The hens are going to the nest earlier and staying on the nest a lot more. When the hens are staying on the nest, the turkeys begin to gobble again in the afternoon. When the hens are on the nest all the time, they quit gobbling on the roost because it doesn’t do any good anymore. Everybody says they’ve quit, they’ve gobbled out. It’s all over and done with, I’m sorry I ever took this thing up anyway. You can still make a turkey come to you. A turkey I hear on the roost that I go to and sit down, that gobbles after I sit down – which  means I haven’t screwed him up yet, but I’ve still plenty of opportunities for stupidity, but I ain’t done any yet – I will probably call up two-and-a-half out of 10. I won’t kill two-and-a-half out of 10 because I’ll still do some dumb things.

“Those turkeys you call to on the ground and he gobbles – the last two weeks you can call up six out of 10. The odds get that much better. Now you can still dumb it up. But that time of year, you’ve got to be careful because the leaves are getting thick. Anything you can do in a minute and a half, you’d better do it. And if all you’ve got to hide behind is a spruce pine cone and two blades of grass, you’d better take it. Some of those birds will come in in two or three minutes. You’d better be ready.”

Kelly also heard the tales that if a gobbler answers you, he’s going to come to that area at some time during the day. Kelly said he’s not sure if that’s true.

“My grandfather used to swear that if a turkey ever hears you yelp he will come there if it takes to 3 o’clock in the afternoon,” he said. “If he does, the heck with him because I’m gonna be gone. I ain’t mad at turkeys. No turkey has foreclosed a mortgage or insulted my daughter. I ain’t sitting there until 3 o’clock in the afternoon listening to blue jays. I give him a reasonable amount of time, but after that, the (heck) with him.

Despite all those years in the woods, Kelly still marvels at the wild turkey and its knack for making even the most seasoned hunter look like a novice.

“After 70 years, a turkey will still do things to me that I wonder, ‘how in the (heck) did he do it?’ ” Kelly said. “I think where the fascination lies is that every time you go something happens a little bit differently - every time. And they’ve got a genius for making you look stupid.”

As I tried desperately to locate a tom willing to investigate my lustful yelps, a pleading hen yelp broke the mid-afternoon air.

Every now and then I would get the courtesy gobble as a tom would announce his presence and then follow his hen to abide by her wishes while moving out of earshot.

I was hunting an area that had produced many birds in the past.

I knew if I covered enough ground I would eventually find a bird willing to come to the call.

It was now roughly 2 p.m. as we headed up another hill, one more to add to an already long day of hunting the opening days of turkey season.

It took awhile before a distant gobble broke through the oaks, but when it did we sprung into action.

The tom would gobble repetitively and then move, the same as all the toms in the morning had done, but with different scenery.

Obviously this tom was with at least one hen that was not nesting, and she was keeping his full and undivided attention.

We advanced our position towards the gobbling tom and were greeted by a large black bear coming down a trail to investigate the source of the calling.

The curious bear circled us at a distance of less than 20 yards and desperately tried to pick apart the brush in search for the hen.

Waiting for the bear to move off was imperative, as we did not want him to run and spook our chance at this tom.

Crossing numerous ridges, I would call and then move along further to try another location.

I decided to give a quick cut on a diaphragm and was instantly greeted with a barrage of gobbling thunder.

My hunting partner excitedly pointed into the direction of the call, and I decided to reconfirm my suspicions with another call.

Sure enough, the gobbling was true and coming closer. We had to move quickly as we raced over to a tree on the edge of a small opening.

Not having much time to set up properly, I leaned against the tree with just enough time to raise the gun into shooting position.

I’d been chasing call-shy toms all day with barely a glimpse of something that would resemble a turkey. Finally the fruits of my labor were being rewarded.

The excited toms gobbled nonstop as they made their way closer. The first bird on the scene was a jake, then another.

I kept my cheek pressed firmly against my gun as I looked down my barrel, keeping the fluorescent bead securely locked on the neck of each bird that passed from left to right.

For a split second I was wondering if this was not just a band of smaller toms, and then realized we were in luck.

Bringing up the rear was a long beard in full strut, proudly displaying his beauty and dominance for the unseen hen.

As the tom strutted closer in all his pride, his efforts were rewarded at 25 yards with a single shot from my Benelli and a load of No. 5s.

I had just practiced what I’d been preaching at countless turkey hunting seminars; you can’t fill your tags if you’re not in the woods.

A quick glance at my watch informed me that it was just after 5 p.m. as we captured some photos and placed the tom in my backpack for the walk out.

This day had begun many hours earlier, with the warm spring sun breaking over the Cascades and greeting us with yet another day of turkey hunting.

It was the third day of the season, and of course the hunting was tough as the toms were being led in many different directions by lovesick hens.

One key factor that many hunters don’t realize is that toms and hens usually don’t hang together all day.

Toms will be heavily entangled in their daily mating rituals, but once the hens decide to nest, a lovesick tom will start seeking another companion.

I’ve become accustomed to the traditions of early season turkey hunting.

I knew this would be the toughest time of the season to hunt, but definitely the most rewarding as well.

With most hunters spending much time indoors through the winter months, we’re anxious to get back into the woods and hear the gobble of a mature tom, and I’m no exception.

Walking and calling was generating plenty of responses, but nothing willing to break away from an actual feathered girlfriend.

The only way to succeed in these tough conditions was to be willing to travel further, call more often and stay out longer.

Persistence is the name of the game when hunting these types of conditions.

I hunt primarily out of a backpack solely because I want to stay as long as possible in the turkey woods.

Having a full-time job and using vacation time to hunt really enforced the fact that I need to be persistent and give it 110 percent in the field.

Being prepared and having the ability to stay nourished and comfortable out in the field will more than double your chances of knocking down a mature tom when many hunters have thrown in the towel for the day.

Remember that tom I harvested earlier?

I didn’t mention that he was joined by six other toms, each one of them gobbling and racing to find the source of the calling.

I’ve managed to bag most of my birds between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. I really enjoy hunting this time of day for mainly one reason: no hunters.

Granted, I’ll get up at first light and head out to an area to either locate or work a bird in the roost tree.

When this plan produces no results, I know I have a pack that contains enough water and food to keep me in the field until dark if needed.

As a hunter you need to figure out the turkeys’ schedule to be successful.

This may take some time, but when you realize where they may be at certain times of day, you can eliminate much unneeded walking to unproductive areas.

Call loud, call often and let the toms know you’re still in the woods.

You can’t harvest what you can’t locate, and they don’t know that you’re there if you don’t broadcast your presence.

People may debate this fact, but I’ve found nothing but success while doing this.

If I hear nothing, then I keep moving until I get a response. When toms do respond during the middle of the day, usually they come on the run.

Spend more time in the field during the spring and more than likely you may find yourself purchasing more turkey tags in the future.

Many of us spend March practicing our turkey calls and scouting. We also pattern our guns, check our camo, but still manage to hit the woods unprepared.

That’s because spring is a volatile time in the weather world.

How many times have you left the truck with the stars shining overhead only to have a downpour or cold snow soak you to the bone?

Here’s what I bring to stay dry, comfortable and safe while turkey hunting:

• Backpack: With a pack I can carry my decoys, extra calls, shells, hydration pack and strap my turkey seat to the back.

  After bagging a bird, I drop it in the pack and walk out hands free.

• Packable rain gear: While there are many good brands, I carry a packable set of Mad Dog rain gear.

  The parka and pants fold up to nothing and are perfect for sudden rain storms.

• First aid: It’s best to get a small kit that has a few items and add things as you see fit. Kits are available at most sporting goods stores.
• Area map: Many programs out on the market today can produce highly detailed topo maps of the area you plan to hunt.

  I like to use a larger Zip-Loc bag to keep my maps dry and readable.

• GPS: GPSs are capable of such accuracy that they’re worth their weight.

  From basic to advanced they all do the same thing: mark your movement from point A to B, keeping track of you and keeping you safe to hunt another day.

• Headlamp: Walking into the woods in the dark and being able to keep your hands warm is a great asset.

  Many new headlamps use a LED lighting system that really disburses the light.

• Hydration: I like to carry a 2-liter hydration pack which features a hose that wraps around to your chest and a mouthpiece you bite down on to suck water.

  These packs come in different sizes, are very durable and can last for many years. Camelback and Platypus both make good hydration packs.

• Boots/footwear: Make sure your pair is form-fitting, feels good while you’re putting on the miles and waterproof.

  There is a big difference between waterproof and water-resistant; look for boots that offer Gore-Tex or Sympatex material.

  Lug soles provide best traction and won’t clump in wet, muddy ground.

• Optics: A good pair of binoculars can aid in determining the size of a trophy bird.

  At a distance you can tell if the bird you’re watching is a tom or a hen and how many may be approaching you.

  With a quick glance you can take a good look at the spurs and beard length.

• Camera: Take the time to capture some great photos to share with friends and family. Always turn on your flash, even on sunny days. The flash acts as a fill, and will help delete unwanted shadows, especially under your hat.
• Clippers: These are great $5 tools to clip brush and debris from your set-up.

  Collapsible turkey seat: You won’t believe how much comfort seats add, helping you sustain those long, agonizing waits for a turkey to come to the decoy.

  They also get your body off the ground and help keep you warm.

Now’s the time to get in your preseason turkey scouting.

It may seem early, but before you know it, you’ll be walking out the door in your favorite camouflage. Heck, Hawaii’s season already has begun and Florida’s starts Saturday, with Alabama and South Carolina’s set to follow March 15.

Where to hunt

Create a backup turkey-hunting plan now in case your first spot is already booked.

First things first, If you are interested in hunting a piece of private land that you have seen birds on, make your connections now.

Keep in contact with the property owner and offer to help around the property if needed.

Lots of people are resorting to hunting on private ground to avoid the masses who hit public land opening day.

If you hunt public land, get familiar with the area.

Nothing’s worse than going back to your favorite spot to find out it’s been logged or marked with fresh new “No Trespassing” signs.

Take the time to drive through your old haunts and look at the area.

Recent storms may have taken down the old roost tree you’re accustomed to and you may need to do some homework to find the new one.

Develop a backup plan

Most of us have a favorite place we like to start the season. All of my favorite spots have become someone’s “new” spot.

And the new spot I discovered last year was at least six other guys’ “old” spot, even though I never saw a soul while scouting the area for the month prior to opening day.

I like to have at least three other spots I can go to without a lot of travel time in case one is overrun.

Develop plans A, B and C before you even make your first call.

Patterning birds

This time of year turkeys are traveling in flocks and are fairly visible.

As we get closer to the rut, they will disband and the jakes or smaller toms will band together in bachelor groups.

Mature toms will gather a harem to begin breeding season and will stick with them.

If you’re seeing birds in a general area, mark it down. I like to drive around with a good topo map that I bought at G.I. Joe’s.

With this map I can use a highlighter to mark certain areas and then cross reference with public-lands maps.

Turkeys will travel when pressured, so if you are seeing them in an area, they will be close come opening day.

Locating call

Use spot-and-stalk tactics when you’re out in the woods.

Calling to a tom now will only educate him to your calls, and if he sees you, he may go silent during the season.

If you must call, use shock-gobble calls such as crow, owl, coyote, woodpecker and others to pinpoint a bird’s location.

Keep a journal

Along with your map, keep a small notepad and keep tabs on travel patterns of different flocks in your hot spots.

Turkeys like to keep a schedule and you can get a good clue of when they fly down and when they hit the strut zone by taking notes.

This will tell you when and where you need to be on opening morning.

It was the second Friday of the 2006 Spring Gobbler Season, May 5th; a cool, foggy morning in Greeenbrier County, West Virginia was awaiting us as the alarm clock rang-in the arrival of 4:30 a.m. I would be accompanying a new hunting companion, my fiance’s Father, Dave Keadle. We would be hunting a piece of prime real estate known for lots of wild game, especially long-beards. This hunt marked the first opportunity I had to experience this gently rolling pasture land surrounded by hilly, hardwood hollows. Over a quick bowl of cereal that morning, we discussed plans to set-up before daylight at the edge of a large cattle grazing field. “This field”, Dave said, “is visited by Hens hoping to catch a slow-moving grub or insect for an early morning feast; and strutting Long-Beards hoping to corral a lonesome Hen.” The set-up also provided a great location to listen for the ringing echoes of early morning gobbling.

It was a set-up Dave was very familiar with. The morning before, Thursday morning, as I was preparing for work, my phone rang. It was Dave calling just minutes after ending a successful early morning hunt from this same ambush spot. He proudly spoke of how he ended his two year drought by out-smarting a monarch four year-old Tom that weighed an impressive twenty-pounds, had 1 �” spurs, and a 10″ long-beard (see photo). A true trophy for these West Virginia Mountains that frequently experience hard winters. Needless to say, Dave had piqued my interest for the next day’s hunt.

We were greeted that Friday morning to cool temperatures and a slight chance of scattered thunderstorms but that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm as we abandoned the Chevy Blazer for a short hike to our intended set-up. The ambush spot selected, at the edge of the field, consisted of an old Walnut tree with a fallen, leafless tree beside it that would provide a comfortable back rest, good camouflage, and adequate back-drop for concealing us from our intended game. We could see for nearly three-hundred yards in one direction of the field. Obviously, it was a good vantage point for eyeing unsuspecting approaching game evidenced by the presence of several droppings left by a wily coyote around our Walnut tree.

For whatever reason, perhaps it was the dense fog or perhaps Dave’s shotgun blast from the previous day, but the birds weren’t very vocal that morning. Only one squeaky attempt at a gobble from a Jake no doubt, and a couple of faint, distant gobbles up a hollow from the left of our set-up; too far to move on them, we chose to be patient and stay put. The only excitement of the morning came when, due to our heightened sense of anticipation and awareness, we caught a glimpse of something black moving through the thick fog; we both thought for a fleeting moment, “there he is”, only to be disappointed to find a newly born calf moving through the mist.

So, after a couple of fruitless hours on the stand, we concluded that the Long-Beards must be enjoying the company of Hens; perhaps that’s why they weren’t gobbling, we surmised. Besides, it was approaching 8:30 a.m. and the fog hadn’t lifted so, we decided to use the cover of the fog to slip into the woods and re-position ourselves in an area Dave felt a cruising Gobbler may visit, an area he’d experienced some success in prior years. “It was time to make something happen”, Dave suggested and I, being the impatient one, agreed.

But, just as Dave and I were entering the wood-line I noticed a pick-up truck driving through the middle of the field heading in our direction. Dave suggested it was the owner of the property, Joe, probably checking on his cattle. We waited to greet Joe and thank him for extending the invitation to hunt his beautiful farm. When Joe finally approached in his red Ford F150 pickup he was grinning from ear to ear as he stuck his head out the window and said, “You’re hunting in the wrong spot!” Dave, looking confused, responded, “What do you mean?” Joe, still grinning, said, “As I pulled into the farm there was a big one strutting not fifty-yards behind your vehicle. He was walking slowly up the hillside where that spring is!” With a look of disbelief, I turned to Dave as he raised his eyebrows, smiled and said to me, “I know where he’s heading, let’s go!”

Dave explained that he felt the big Tom that Joe had pushed out of the valley would either return or keep climbing that hillside and show himself on the opposite ridgeline (also a field). Dave quickly suggested that we move to an area that provides a good view of the valley floor and the opposite ridge so, we eagerly moved to a brushy fence-row that would conceal us while we scanned for the big Tom. I clipped a few shrubs and over-hanging branches to give us better visibility and we settled in. While waiting patiently, we quietly discussed a strategy for a stalk in the event the old Tom showed himself again; knowing he probably wouldn’t come to a call after being pushed. Our wait wasn’t long.

Only thirty minutes had passed and the fog quickly disappeared allowing better visibility when I caught movement on the opposite ridge. I pointed to the spot where I last saw the movement as Dave slowly raised his weathered binoculars for a closer look. I could hear the excitement in Dave’s voice as he gasped and softly exclaimed, “Yeah, that’s him, a nice one with at least a ten inch beard. That one is bigger than the one I shot yesterday!” The big Tom was five-hundred yards away and moving away from us, right to left along the ridge. We had considered that scenario and all we could do at that point was to wait for him to move behind some cover so we could move in on him. As he slowly disappeared behind the foliage of a tree-line we quickly but, quietly began our stalk.

We moved about two-hundred yards when Dave realized that if we went any further the keen Tom may spot us. So, Dave eased up closer to the top of a rolling knoll to gently peek over the hill to see if he could locate the Long-Beard. After a few seconds, I saw Dave’s head quickly duck down; a sure sign he saw the Monarch, I thought to myself. Dave turned to me as he squatted, nodding to confirm the Tom was still there, and motioned for me to move forward to his position. Dave said the big Tom was still feeding slowly on the other side of a ravine and that he just moved behind the cover of more trees. “Now is the time to make another move before the Tom is in the clear and will spot us for sure”, you could hear Dave’s urgency in his voice as he quietly began giving instruction.

Dave noticed a log lying on the ground along a tree-lined fence-row about thirty-yards ahead of us, as he pointed he said, “That would provide a good ambush point if you can get there.” He anxiously encouraged me, “belly-crawl to that log, set out a couple of decoys if you think you won’t be seen.” I immediately began my belly-crawl, taking it slow and keeping low. I tried to keep the cover of the tree-line between me and the Tom in case the Long-Beard moved into the clear and could have possibly picked up on my movement. The grass was still soak-and-wet from the dense, foggy mist that, until thirty-minutes earlier, had choked the morning’s sunshine. The cold, wet grass soaked through my Mossy Oak camouflage and down to my bones giving me a slight chill.

Dave set-up thirty-yards back, slightly down the hill, behind a couple of thin shrubs. I didn’t worry though because Dave’s camouflage blended in perfectly with the landscape; “there’s no chance of the old Tom making Dave out”, I thought to myself as I turned to get approval to continue my crawl. I was able to set-out my Jake and Hen decoy, enough enticement I thought to bring the Tom to within range if he spotted them. I was in position, settled with the gun resting atop the log. All I could do now is wait. “That Long-Beard can’t be too far away”, I thought anxiously.

As I lay there, prone, scanning the horizon looking for that red-head to appear anywhere, I couldn’t help to think what a privilege it is to be a sportsman and experience this rush of adrenaline while taking in the peaceful serenity of God’s wonder. And to share and create life-long memories with friends or family members from trips afield just caps off the experience. If everyone could experience this once, only once, it wouldn’t be so misunderstood, I thought to myself.

It seemed like forever that the old Tom feed through the ravine. I worried, “maybe he’ll keep feeding away from me and head to the safety of the woods, or perhaps he’ll pop out of the ravine and be out of range.” These nervous thoughts raced through my mind as I waited, patiently scanning for any slight movement. However, just as Dave had scripted, the monster Tom, with his long-beard skimming the ground, swinging side-to-side with his every step, was suddenly there, quartering away from me. The old Tom took his time feeding through the ravine, just out of my sight, for nearly thirty-minutes but, now, seemingly out of no where, he was right in front of me. My heart seemed as though it would jump out of my chest; you’ve been here before, I said to myself in trying to calm my nerves. It’s not about the kill for me; it’s about the feeling that overcomes me at that very moment.

Still on my belly and hidden behind the log, I froze. I needed to swing the barrel to the left to take the shot. There was the stump from the fallen tree that was shielding me from the Monarch, when he goes behind that stump I can re-position for the shot, I suggested to myself. The big Tom cleared the stump, and after a few pecks to grab some clover or butter-cups he stopped and stuck his head into the air to survey the landscape. This is it; steady yourself; relax; breathe; don’t jerk the trigger; and whatever you do, don’t jump the shot and peek; keep your head down, I barked to myself repeatedly in a matter of seconds. As the adrenaline rushed through my body, I patiently placed the sights on that tuff of hair that I wanted to hit and I slowly began to squeeze the trigger. Then, BOOM!, it was all over; no need to call to him, no need for the decoys. The shot found its mark. The majestic Tom went down instantly, a quick, clean ending to such a deserving foe (see photo).

Two days, two trophies, two memories that will last forever. I can’t wait to try it again tomorrow. It really doesn’t get any better than this!

Although there are several ways to increase your odds at determining how far a gobbler is, judging distance is a skill that must be learned through practice. A lot of novice turkey hunters do their homework (practice calling, pattern their guns and outfit themselves in full camouflage) only to go afield without a skill that is equally important.

It has been proven in military field tests that the average person estimates range with a probable error of 30 percent. If the average, untrained person has a 30 percent error handicap, it’s a pretty sure bet that a lot of turkey hunters head to the turkey woods unprepared.

“When considering all the reasons for missed shots or lost birds, failure to accurately judge the distance to a target is probably the most common,” said Rob Keck, CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation. “A hunter must be able to determine when a turkey is close enough to make a clean kill. Just like patterning your shotgun prior to the season, you should also practice judging distance.”

Range Finder Success

One way to judge distance accurately is with a range finder. Find landmarks, trees, rocks, etc., to note distance when you set up. When a tom strolls within range, you’ll be ready to shoot rather than squinting through the peephole of a range finder.

“If you go the route of using a range finder, don’t make the mistake of trying it out for the first time when you’re turkey hunting,” Keck said. “A little pre-season preparation at home will go a long way toward success later.”

Game Time

Another method that works well can be quite a bit of fun. Have a partner place a turkey decoy at an unknown distance in the woods, as you sit down and guess the yardage. Vary the terrain, lighting conditions, and thickness of brush to make the scenarios look like true hunting situations.

Remember to sit down to estimate range just as you would when turkey hunting. Take turns at this game and your range estimation will dramatically improve. Several NWTF chapters have incorporated this game into their Xtreme JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) youth events with quite a bit of success.

Decoy Distance

Another way to determine distance when in the turkey woods is by using your decoys as point of reference. When you set your decoy, step off the distance back to your setup. If you place your decoys at 20 yards in front of you, for instance, you know a gobbler strutting in the same location is also 20 yards away.

In the Zone

“Accurate distance estimation can also help in other ways. For most turkeys, there is a threshold of 25 to 30 yards where mistakes — usually hunter movement — seem to be more critical than when a gobbler is inside this distance,” Keck said.

“When a bird walks into this “hyper zone” practically any hunter movement can spell disaster. Inside 25 yards, a gobbler’s best judgment is full retreat if he becomes suspicious.”

According to Keck, another helpful way to accurately judge distance — when you have time before setting up — is to step off distances of 20, 30 and 40 yards and place markers at those distances. These markers — often stones or sticks — help by giving you a point of reference to determine whether the bird is in the desired range.

Regardless of your approach, accurately judging can help ensure a clean kill, as well as keep a gobbler from busting your setup. Use these helpful hints in the turkey woods this spring and take notice of the difference a few yards truly makes.

So you’ve never hunted turkeys with a bow? It’s okay. In fact, it’s really not that hard. Of course, it’s not easy either, which is exactly why so many sportsmen are giving up their shotguns for bows and arrows during spring turkey hunting seasons.

Bowhunting for turkeys IS out of the ordinary for some people, especially those who’ve spent more time patterning 3 1 / 2 inch turkey loads that travel 1,300 feet per second.

For those who’ve arrowed a turkey with a bow, or even tried, they’ll do it again because of the thrill and exhilaration. It’s a challenge that separates one spring turkey hunter from the rest. It’s the difference between choosing chopsticks or a fork to eat Chinese food.

“Hunters who have killed several turkeys with a gun might be looking for a new challenge, and bowhunting is it,” said Jason Gilbertson, editor for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Turkey Call magazine. “While it’s not the most popular way to kill a turkey, it is one of the most rewarding. More people are going after their grand, royal and world slams with a bow because it is such a major accomplishment. That speaks volumes for the popularity of turkey hunting with a bow.”

This popularity is evident considering the number of wild turkey records submitted to the NWTF’s headquarters in Edgefield, S.C. More than 500 birds taken with a bow have been submitted to the NWTF’s wild turkey records since 1987. In 2005, 82 birds have been registered.

Get On the String

If you are up for an ultimate bowhunting challenge, test your mind, reflexes and patience by considering the wild turkey. An avid bowhunter for turkeys, Gilbertson offers the following five tips before heading afield.

• Bowing Up — Make sure your bow is set up for hunting turkeys, not elk, not whitetails, not even wild pigs, but turkeys. Research the best kinds of broadheads. Many hunters use expandable tips because of the cutting surface, but fixed blade heads work just as well. Above all, shoot your broadheads before you hunt. There is little room for error when shooting at a small-bodied turkey. Bow holders help hunters free their hands for calling. It is much easier to run a hand-held slate call while your bow is propped in the shooting position, instead of working a call, setting it down as the gobbler approaches, then picking your bow up to draw. Reduce your movements when bowhunting for turkeys. If your arrow fletching is red, white or blue, change them. These patriotic shades do not bode well during the spring as most hunters are looking for gobbling heads, often with these same colors. For safety’s sake, choose colors from the spectrum that do not resemble an excited tom wandering through the forest.
• Home on the Range — If you generally let your bow hang idle after the last day of deer season, your new home needs to be at the practice range before you head after a wild turkey. Simulate a true hunting experience by shooting while wearing a facemask, vest and other gear. Prepare to shoot from a blind and find obstacles like trees that challenge you to find shooting lanes. While every archer likes to stand 15 to 20 yards out and pop arrow after arrow inside a quarter, this candy-coated shot is a rarity in the turkey woods.
• Holding Out — Consider lowering your draw weight. A wild turkey’s body is incomparable to that of an elk, whitetail or other big game. Shooting directly through a turkey is not always ideal. Anchoring or immobilizing the bird should be the main objective. After the shot, turkeys will either run or fly, which is why it is important to eliminate those options. A well-placed arrow in either the wing butt or the top of the leg (equivalent to a human’s hip) will be enough to immobilize and kill a turkey.

  Remember that drawing on a wild turkey will be the most difficult moment of the hunt. Unless you are hunting from a blind, a wild turkey will have no problem picking up your movement. A lower draw weight will decrease your arrow’s feet per second, but a longer, more steady hold might make all the difference in your shot placement.

• Search and Recover — Turkeys will not bleed like other animals when shot with a bow and arrow, except if they are cut on the skin or head and neck. Thick layers of feathers keep blood droplets close to their skin — they don’t bleed like a deer — instead of falling to the ground or brushing against grass or weeds, making tracking more difficult. After you shoot a turkey with your bow, watch where it goes. If it flies, find a landmark where it enters the woods or other terrain. If you’re hunting with a friend, immediately show him or her the landmark so you both are working off the same point. Approach a wounded or fatally hit turkey like you would any other quarry, with caution. Do not press forward right away. Give the bird some time to calm down, or expire if you think the hit drew vitals. There’s no reason to push the bird into running or flying toward new cover.
• Shoot to Kill — One of the most common questions among hunters who try for turkeys with their bow is, “Where do I shoot the bird?” There are three recommended shots that lead to high percentage kills.

“It is wise for hunters to study the anatomy of a wild turkey before they intend on shooting at one with a bow and arrow,” said Dr. James Earl Kennamer, NWTF senior vice-president for conservation programs. “It’s important to immobilize the bird. That is a bowhunter’s first priority.

Many 3D archery target manufacturers make targets suitable for both field points and broadheads (expandable, fixed-blade, etc.) Research different targets before the season opener and be sure whichever hunting head you choose, flies true to its mark.

Large Tom Eastern Turkey Gobblers Thick beards and long spurs some birds may weigh up to 30 pounds.. they are plentiful so plan on hearing alot of birds

One of the advantages of turkey hunting is that it doesn’t require a truckload of equipment. With a whole spring turkey season in front of you, there’s plenty of time to get out and get a tom without having to worry about spending a fortune get it done.

A good goose decoy spread may fill the bed of a one-ton truck, but all you need for a turkey hunt is a call, a shotgun or small-caliber rifle and a good set of camouflage clothing, including a face net. A decoy or two would be helpful, but it’s not a requirement for a successful hunt. If toms are coming to a call, a decoy can help convince them to keep coming. But if they’re not responding, no decoy will help.

Camouflage is important, but the best way to stay hidden is to minimize movement. A gobbler can come up to you in full strut, then be gone in a blur of feathers if he spots the slightest movement. He’ll turn and run into the brush, and he’ll do it so quickly you won’t have time to react.

The best way to keep from spooking the birds is to work in groups. Place your decoys in the open, then put the hunter in a bush, blind or other cover about 30 yards away. The caller naturally has to move to work the call, so the caller should be about 10 yards behind the hunter and should also be well concealed.

The idea of placing the caller away from the shooter is to draw the turkey’s attention away from the hunter. The birds can pinpoint the source of sounds surprisingly well, and if the caller is too close to the hunter, the turkey will notice the movement required to bring the gun to the ready. If that happens, it will be gone before the hunter has a chance to take a quality shot.

Camouflage will help break up your image, but it won’t do any good if you can’t sit still when the birds can see you.

The right equipment is important, too. Like anything else, using the right equipment gives you the best chance for success, but knowing how to use that equipment adds to the results. Practice with your calls, pattern your shotgun and wear your camo clothes around the house for several hours. If any of the equipment doesn’t do what you want it to do, get rid of it. It’s better to find out at home that your headnet blocks your vision out of your shooting eye than to realize it as you’re drawing a bead on a bird.

Another pitfall for many hunters is the gadget syndrome. Don’t rely on the newest, most advanced gizmo on the market. It won’t do you any good if you don’t know the basics of your quarry. Learn how turkeys behave in the spring. Find out how they respond to calls. Read about what they eat and how often they need to go to water. If you don’t know how they’ll respond to hunting pressure, no GPS on the market will help you get a turkey.

If you have time, a good way to ensure you’ll have a good shot at a turkey is to find where they are in the afternoon, then watch them roost near sundown. The next morning, before sunup, go back to where you saw them settle in for the night and hunker down. As the sun rises, use your box call to get their attention, then wait for them to come your way.

If you can’t devote that much time to the hunt, you can try to use your call to locate the turkeys. Take cover on a hill overlooking a likely area, then gobble a few times with a box call. If you get an answer, try to spot the birds with your binoculars, then find a good place to set up near where the turkeys are. Once you’re in position, you can try to call them in.

Probably the piece of equipment you should practice most with is the call. Many calls come with an audio or video tape that will produce the sound you should try to duplicate. Box calls are probably the easiest to master, but they still require practice to become proficient.

Spring is the best time to use calls, because the birds may be mating and will be more territorial and more interested in chasing off rivals or gathering hens.

But even in the spring, you can’t take it for granted that the birds will come to your call. The birds often will find cover and hole up, and if the habitat is good, they are nearly impossible to spot.

When they are responding to the call, a decoy can be a huge asset. Many hunters carry two decoys — a tom and a hen. If you have both genders, you can cover all your bases. A tom coming to your call may be looking to run off a rival, or he may be looking for a hen to settle down with. If you have both staked out in front of you, chances are good that the incoming tom will come to one or the other.

The other benefit to decoys comes in the form of distraction. When a turkey is lured by the call, he can pick out the source of the sound easily. The decoys can help shift the tom’s interest from what’s making the sound to what he sees in front of him. If he bites on the decoys, you’ll have more freedom to get your gun up for a shot.

Play It Safe While Hunting Turkeys

The most crucial element of an enjoyable hunt is safety. If you’re hunting on public land, you’re more apt to run into other hunters than if you’re on private land.

In either case, never put the sneak on a call unless you can visually confirm it’s a live bird making the noise. In that case, get as close as you can, then set up and try to call the bird to you.

Chances are you’ll spook the turkey if you try to sneak up on it, and it’ll run or fly away or take cover in dense brush, and you won’t get a shot anyway. If it’s another hunter making the noise, you’re putting yourself in danger of being mistaken for a turkey.

If you happen to call in another hunter, don’t stand up, wave or make other movements to alert him or her to your presence. Announce yourself in a speaking voice, but don’t shout or make any other startling noises.

Avoid red clothing and handkerchiefs, because these items may appear to another hunter to be the head of a gobbler.

Okay, okay, I realize that the term “rut” does not apply to turkey breeding behavior, but I thought it was a good way of getting your attention. Over the years as a guide and writer I’ve learned that one of the best ways to hunt any animal is to use the right tactics at the right time. In order to do that we have to understand how the animal is acting at the time that we hunt it.

What Causes Peak Breeding?

Peak breeding in many game animals is triggered by the amount of sunlight (photoperiod), which affects seasonal temperatures, which in turn affects the seasonal growth of plants, which affects how much food is available, which affects the survivability of the young of the animals. To make it simple; if it is too cold, too wet, or too dry, there may not be enough food for the young animals to eat (or their mothers to provide food, such as milk), so that the young can survive. With turkeys (which breed in the spring and have a short time between breeding and live young on the ground) this means that the young need to hatch when there is new (spring) green growth and lots of insects to eat.

Breeding Phases

When we are talking about hunting during the breeding season, we first need to realize that most animals go through several different phase during their breeding season. These different phases can probably best be described as the: 1. Pre-breeding, 2. Primary breeding, 3. Post primary breeding, 4. Supplemental/late breeding and 5. Post breeding phases. When hunters (who rely on particular breeding behaviors to hunt animals) are after animals which use calls as a major part of their breeding behavior (as in elk and turkeys) we also need to realize that the calls used by the males of the species to attract females often have semi-regular peaks during the breeding phase; and that these calling peaks usually coincide with one or more of the above mentioned breeding phases.

Peak Gobbling

Tom turkeys use gobbling as a means of attracting hens during the breeding season. And since the toms are often ready to look for and attract hens before (or when) the hens are not ready (or willing) to breed, there may be one or more gobbling peaks during the turkey breeding season. Since toms gobble to attract hens, but often reduce gobbling when hens are ready/willing to breed, these gobbling peaks generally occur prior to and after peak breeding. In other words peak turkey gobbling usually occurs just prior to and just after peak breeding, and since there is often a second breeding phase, there is often a peak in gobbling activity after the supplemental or “late” breeding phase.

Why Use Calls to Hunt Turkeys?

Since it is often easy to locate tom turkeys when they are actively gobbling, and since toms are often fairly willing to respond to both tom and hens calls during the same time frame as they are actively gobbling, hunters often choose to hunt during these gobbling peaks, and they often use calls to figure out where the toms are at, and use calls to get the toms to come in close for a shot. We can use locator calls (like owl hoots, and woodpecker, peacock and coyote calls), and hen calls and gobbles to locate toms; and we can use hen calls to bring the toms in close enough to hunt.

Can We Predict Peak Breeding and Gobbling?

Somewhere in my job description as a game researcher, and as an outdoor writer and speaker, it states that I should do some research on when peak breeding of the game occurs, and try to figure out ways to predict when peak breeding and calling occurs. I’ve spent four years researching turkeys to figure out the different phases of the breeding season.

When is Peak Gobbling in Each State?

And, realizing that turkeys in different areas breed at different times, because spring arrives at different times in different areas, I contacted the turkey researcher or biologist from as many states as I could, and asked them when peak gobbling usually occurred in their states. To find out when peak gobbling usually occurs in your state, log on to www.TRMichels.com, and click on “Peak Turkey Gobbling Dates” on the home page, or in the index. This may help you choose the best times to hunt, or know how to expect the turkeys to act during the dates you hunt, which in turn can help you choose the best tactics to use during your hunt.

Which Tactics to Use During Each Breeding Phase?

Somewhere in my job description as an outfitter and guide it states that I should figure out the best techniques to use hunt turkeys during the different breeding phases. After several years researching turkeys, and several years hunting turkeys, I’ve devised several hunting techniques for each particular breeding phase. You can view these by logging on to www.TRMichels.com and clicking on the “Turkey Activity Graphs”, “T.R.’s Tips: Turkey Hunting” on the home page, and by reading the “Turkey Articles” in Trinity Mountain Outdoor News.