Turkey Hunting – A Love/Hate Game

4:30 a.m. - My alarm clock wakes me – and my wife…I hate having to get up so darn early for turkeys…my wife, who is not going hunting this a.m., likes it even less right now…

4:50 a.m. – Driving under a silver, sliver of a moon and crystal clear sky – what a beautiful morning to be able to chase the king-of-spring…you gotta love it…

5:15 a.m. – Back home – forgot arrows…I hate it when a plan “almost” comes together…

5:35 a.m. – Arrive at the farm I will be hunting…I love this spot – lots of wildlife…it’s going to be an amazing morning…still plenty dark and the rooster pheasants are cackling already…

5:50 a.m. – I’m hungry…breakfast is back in the vehicle – too late now…I hope my growling belly doesn’t spook turkeys…I hate missing a meal…

6:15 a.m. – First Gobble!…sounds like he might be just over 70 yards away – this bird is workable…I love turkey hunting!…

6:30 a.m. – Deer arrive…they decide they don’t like my decoys or blind – but they can’t smell me…they just stand there snorting and stomping their feet – within bow range…I hate that these same deer didn’t use this technique last fall when I was in my treestand…

6:40 a.m. – With the deer finally gone the gobbling has commenced again…this time two birds, even closer, have joined in…one so close I can hear the air going through his throat when he gobbles – the other so close I think I can hear him pooping on the blind…I love  turkey hunting…

6:52 a.m. – Turkeys fly-down…the two closest birds land near my decoys – they are both jakes…though they look interested neither one stands still for very long and they move off…I am left holding the bow feeling a little dejected and hate the idea that the fun has ended so quickly…

6:54 a.m. - ffffFFFIT-VROOOoooOOOM comes from my left…I absolutely love the close-distance spitting and drumming of a spring tom…this boy is close!…

 6:55 a.m. - There he is all puffed up not 5 yards away in all his buff-tipped glory!…this boy is parading right past me to the decoys and he is glowing … just needs to take 8 more steps to be in my shooting lane…all my practice, scouting and mental walk-through of this very happening are paying off!…I love this sport!…

6:56 a.m. - all my practice, scouting and mental walk-through of this very happening are no match for spring-fever…how’d I miss? – I hate this sport!…

7:30 a.m. – still perplexed by my miss I draw back with my practice point and take aim at the my old foam, hen decoy – she’s about 12 yards away, the same distance the tom was…the arrow zips through the decoy exactly where aimed – the hen decoy tumbles over…I love the feeling of being confident in my archery skills again – even if just on foam…

8:00 a.m. - Must move on now…just as soon as I slip out of the blind, I spot two jakes coming towards me – kind of…I love the idea that I might be able to make some happen, so I duck back inside…

8:45 a.m. - Must be same two jakes…they look interested and try to do some strutting when I call but keep moving off to the south – must have had their tail feathers kicked recently…oh, well – there’s always next time…and though I hate the idea of having to leave, I do love the knowledge that all these birds are still in the woods to hunt again…

8:55 a.m. - I discover that my perfect practice shot was a bit too perfect…the arrow zipped through the foam decoy and slammed through the fiberglass decoy stake, too – now both the state and arrow are busted…I hate how expensive this sport can get…

9:20 a.m. – I am back at the truck and I have found my breakfast…life is good again – I love this sport…cannot wait until tomorrow morning to do it all over again…

hershy