Back to the Woods: Success Story

So, I made deal with Turkey John. He would get me a turkey and I would have to tell everyone that turkey hunting is better than snow goose hunting. Well, I’m not going to do that!! I'm going to tell you that shooting a turkey with the bow, along with products like Solid D-Cap Broadheads and a Scott Archery release help you succeed. It is an amazing rush and a feeling that only those who do it can understand. To have a jake under my belt and to have a spring tag filled is an accomplishment that I’m very satisfied with. Since I have never shot a turkey and definitely not with a bow, it is a great check mark on the list of things to do. Although I didn’t get the big ‘ol long beard this year, I did take a shot on the bird that was meant for me. Hearing gobbles all morning, the anticipation waiting for them to present themselves was very difficult. So, when three Jakes came through the trees and stormed the decoy, there was no question that one these turkeys were going home with me.

With the right location and a great set up, the life-like decoy that was handmade helped a lot. It felt like we were set up for success right away. Then, when the first gobble came echoing through the trees and the counter cluck back, I knew it was on. With a little more precision calling by John and a well-placed shot, I had my first turkey on the ground. What a rush it was. I would not ask anything different in how this morning went. It was nearly perfect! From the company of a friend and to a piece of land that meant a lot to me, it was priceless. Like I said in my first article, I have been my own worst enemy when it comes to turkey hunting, but to do it with someone that has the experience and “know how”, it seemed fairly easy! That’s what 30 turkeys and years of experience will do for you. At least, that’s what I thought with the little experience that I have.

Coming from someone with little experience, I can see why this could never get old. Parts of me did not want this to happen. Meaning, I wanted my struggles with turkey hunting to stay with me so I didn’t fall in love with hunting another bird. Well, that didn’t happen. I fell right in love with hunting turkeys. Now, I shot my turkey over a week ago and I can’t stop thinking about shooting turkeys. It doesn't help that my brother is still trying to get his with a shotgun. He is struggling with the location he’s hunting because we didn’t want to go to the same spot that I hunted because we didn’t want the birds to get too worried about going in our field on the edge of the woods. We switched locations so we could try to get on a different flock of birds and not run the other ones off the property that I spooked out of the field. Plus, we thought there was a couple of Toms that were still on the property. Also, I wanted my brother to get one of the big toms so I could hear all year long about how his was bigger and how he did better, you know, brother things.

With that being said, I still have hunting going on all around me, and it is driving me nuts that I can’t be out there hunting. I have to get my mind off it, so I started to get prepared for next year, scouting out neighboring properties trying to find where the birds are going to be next year around this time. By doing this, it lets me know if and where other people are out hunting around me. Then I can try to stay out of their spot and not step on any toes.

Now that I'm all in on turkeys, I'm still a snow goose hunter at heart and hunting white birds is what I love to do in the spring. Maybe I’ll hunt more turkeys if I get my fill of pounding on geese, but I don't know if that will happen! When the snows fly into Canada and if things don’t work out with the snow goose hunting like this year, I will be looking forward to getting back out there where I can chase long beards and try to get a big tom on the ground.

For everyone that hasn’t been snow goose or turkey hunting before, I challenge you to do something that you are not fluent in or not familiar with and give it a shot. Not only is it a new adventure but it might be a different way of doing things or a new way to hunt. You can and will learn something new and you just might find something that you enjoy doing. It’s fun to experience new and exciting things, especially when you do it well. It makes you want to come back and do it again. That's why, every year, I will be looking forward to chasing turkeys and getting back to the woods.

-Andy Meeks, Fall Obsession Field Staff