Here is the story that I wrote at the beginning of the season last year described in the previous story. This was before I joined OR.
Mississippi River Monarchs
As most know, the population up and down the Ms. River has suffered a big set back due to high water destroying the last two years hatch. Along these notes, I heard from a friend that is a member at Catfish Point on the river. They usually have better seasons than most, since it is a high land private club with a limit of only two turkeys per member, They have only killed 4 turkeys for the first 2 weeks of the season. My friend is a very good turkey hunter and he has been every AM since it started, taken a daily whipping and gone PM fishing. We knew this was coming and means that just about all of the birds you are going to work are seasoned veteran monarchs that are 3 , 4, or 5 year old birds. This will provide a lot of hunters on the river this year with a good bit of action, but few in the bag. LUCK will play a great deal in the their birds in hand. Let me illustrate.
This past Friday I went up with my gracious host, friend, and hunting partner of 25 years for a one day hunt in Tunica Co. on the Ms. river. Arriving at the Roost about 4:45 PM., we discussed an afternoon hunt. Being very early in the season for there, and the woods wide open, we usually hunt PM peripheral areas to the prime areas so walking in the woods is kept to a minimum and reserved for dark approaches on those birds. My friend elected to work on the Roost and do a few things around there, so he ran me to a close small peripheral area just inside the north gate with thicker woods. From there I could walk back to the Roost. Upon stopping at the gate there was a big black bird and two smaller birds 3/4 down the entrance field just East of the woods I intended to hunt. How LUCKY was this since we usually never see birds in this field. To make a long story short I walked a little over ½ way down the middle of the narrow section of woods to the west, crossed a cut through road and set up 75 yards from the field and 75 yards south of the cut through road. I composed myself, decided on an opening sequence on my homemade box, and cut loose with two aggressive sets of yelps, followed by cutting and finishing up with a loud gobbler yelp on the left side of the box. When I finished and paused there were two very vocal hens yelping like crazy and cutting. I came back on top of them with the same series followed by silence. Waiting about 10 minutes, I see a light bulb head coming from the field through the woods straight to me. I had left my blind at the roost, so when the bird got behind a thick area at 50 yards, I slide low on the tree and got my gun up on my knee. He sat there for 5 minutes & gobbled one time. I said nothing and waited. After a short wait he continues on a straight line to me. It was so thick he did not present a decent shot until he stopped at 20 steps and did up periscope. It was 6:03 on my watch. Following are pictures of a 21 lb. bird with 1 3/8 inch spurs and 11 inch beard. LUCK was on my side, 25 minute walk and a 15 minute hunt.
Latter that evening another hunting companion arrived, and around the campfire, I was delegated third choice of hunting spots the next AM. The week before we hunted 2 days and worked an area each AM around a slough deep in the woods. There was a lot of action but no birds killed. He had mentioned a bird gobbling across an old run of the Ms. River on a ridge to the East of the massive gobbling area we hunted. I asked if he minded me going to that area the next A.M. and considering the multiple birds he heard before, he had no objection. This past Sat arrived to a howling hawk of a wind. To make a long story short, after 2 hens and 6 jakes came by me after pitching down from the backwater, I spent the next 2 hours working an old bird off a peninsula out in the backwater I could get him to come no closer than 60 yards, he stopped gobbling and I heard him gobble one time going to the West toward old river. I made a big rounder and set up at the meeting place called the crossroads on a favorite napping tree. I had a 50/50 chance the bird would stop at old river, migrate south and be at the crossroads some time later. Well I called for a while, got sleepy and laid down for a nap. The evening before I had discussed that I always wanted to be startled awake by gobble, but never had. — About an hour latter I was startled awake by a booming gobble just North of the crossroads. I should have moved my blind and gun from a leaning position on the cottonwood. I made one 3 note yelp on my box while in a reclined position and he popped out in full view 60 yards down the road. I was completely handcuffed and could not retrieve my gun. He proceeds at a snails pace down the road and through the intersection. Since I was laying on the side of the tree away from the road, I only had one chance. Wait till he was in the road even with my tree, retrieve my gun and roll back to the road side. I did just that. I reached for my gun. Upon putting my hand on the grip, he putted. I rolled back to the road side and he was flying by this time due south down the road. He presented a perfect right to left duck shot, head high, and going away. He hit the middle of the road, 32 steps from my tree. Following are a couple of pictures of this crossroads, nap awaking gobbler. A replica of the bird the afternoon before, 21 lb. bird with 11 inch. beard and one spur 1 ½ inches and the other 1 3/8 inch --- PURE LUCK. — Needless to say, I have been assigned cooking and KP duties for the rest of the season and am only allowed to hunt small sections where no gobblers have been seen or heard. I readily agreed to my terms.
