My lovely wife decided she wanted to go turkey hunting. At the mention of this, I had a flash back of 16 yrs. When we first started dating, I took her on a afternoon turkey hunt. I figured it would be somewhat of a test of my interest..... Well...she failed. I really didn't expect to get on any birds but I did. I was playing with some jakes in a field when just over the rise I heard a real gobble. I gave her a head net and said put it on.... She told me she was NOT putting that thing on her head ! I told her to put the #@(&^%) thing on NOW ! She did, and I managed to kill one fine long beard gobbling that afternoon. I ran out grabed the bird and walked back over to her with the flopping bird. She started crying because she thought the bird was still alive and suffering....Against my better judgement, I decided to keep around anyway.... She has always been very patient and understanding about my turkey sickness, and has never been on a turkey hunt since.
Anyway...I had her shooting my 12 with light loads this past week and she did very well. I found her some camo she could wear and gave her a couple of run downs on what to expect...snakes...mosquitoes..wet boots...what the birds might do etc, I called a friend of mine who had been hunting some this past week for some possible info, on the location of a bird. He told me of two he had heard that week that he thought were still alive. Saturday evening at dust I managed to roost one of the birds he told me about. The bird gobbled to a fly up on a trumpet and gobbled twice more on his own. Sunday morning we headed out in a heavy fog toward our roosted bird. When we got there he was already gobbling on his own to the owls in the bottom. We walked to the west of the bird and set up on the edge of a fresh cut over about 150 yards away. I did a fly down with my trumpet and he cut me off. I explained to her what was going on and that we would just sit here until I thought he was on the ground. The mosquitoes were thick so I fired up the thermocell so they wouldn't carry us both off. The turkey gobbled on his own a few minutes later and sounded like he was on the ground. I hit him with a few clucks and he gobbled out in the cut over close, but with the heavy fog I couldn't see him. Gwen started moving the gun to the left when he came into full view. He was in full strut at less than 40 yards....Shooot himmmmm. The turkey broke strut and started walking closer...shooooot himmmm. I had to stop the bird three are four times by making him gobble before she finally pulled the trigger..... But, she did good, and killed a fine thick bearded bird. She packed her turkey all the way back to the truck, carried it inside the camper to show the boys, helped clean it, and put the meat up...She aint NEVER touched one of many birds I've brought home. Her and my som are now arguing over who is going hunting this weekend...... I aint got a chance.....
One things for sure....My baby looks good in camoflage.....
