Until this year I had never hunted turkey before and from the research I had done they sounded like a challenge. So when my friend called me and asked if I would be interested in trying it out I had only one answer. Absolutely. So we started planning our trip to the family property in Fillmore, Utah.
These decoys would be the closest we would get to a turkey |
We used our new found knowledge of turkey's to attempt to find them in the mountains above Fillmore. With the exception of seeing one hen turkey crossing the road in town we saw no signs or sounds of turkey's for the first two days. Contrary to popular belief turkey's aren't a dumb animal. They are very skiddish have excellent vision. They even see in color. This is what makes them such a difficult animal to hunt. We searched high, low and drove through multiple canyons with nothing and it seemed our trip would be a complete bust until on the second evening we sat upon a ridge and listened. Low and behold as the sun crept lower in the sky we heard something. A gobble. We had found them.
We headed back to that spot early the next morning and once again listened. As the sun came up I saw turkey's hopping out of their roosts through my field glasses and soon we heard turkey's gobble from every direction. I answered back through my box call and listened to them call back. Unfortunately for us nothing but small talk came from our banter as they would remain elusive from us for the duration of the hunt. I just couldn't convince them that I was a turkey. But that's okay. It was cool to talk back and forth with them. It was worth the time to hear them come alive in the morning. It was fun to see them, even at a distance, as they flew from the trees. You may ask if I was disappointed and I would tell you no. In my mind I had a successful hunt. I got to spend time in the mountains where I'm happy. I got to spend the weekend with a good friend and we had a good camping trip. Yes, to me a successful hunt doesn't always end with the harvest of an animal. No, there are far greater things that take place during a hunt and these are the memories that last.
Brandan
Camp hijinks |
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