My daughter is now 9, and she’s had 2 previous misses under her belt for turkeys. This year, she got redemption.
We were hunting on a farm that I’m familiar with and have hunted a couple times in past years. We were participating in Hunting For A Cure 15th Annual Event (they raised $194k for St Jude this year).
We got to our listening spot early. I knew there was potential for the turkeys to be really close, so we backed under a cedar about 10 til 6am. We were positioned within 20 yards of where a creek separated 2 fields, and there was a cut through crossing for the tractor there. As daylight started, a turkey gobbled and I could see him in a big white oak about 1/3 of the way up the ridge, just across the creek from us. As daylight progressed, another turkey and some hens started up just around the point of the ridge. We were cold, but we were in the game so we stayed focused. The gobblers and hens all flew down in the small field behind us and about 125 yards away. They strutted and did their routine for about an hour. Some of the hens were fired up and started drifting our way. Before daylight I had actually put out a new avian x strutter decoy in the big field about 35 yards from us. The strutters attitudes changed once they got 100 yards out with the hens, and all of a sudden they broke strut and started walking to us.
The turkeys were behind us off her left shoulder, and I was on her right coaching her. She handled her gun all by herself (I reached over and took her safety off) and did exactly as I was telling her. The biggest of the 2 birds stopped just about 20 yards and directly to our left and he strutted and drummed as he was coming up out of the creek. I told her to not try to move her gun, but to just let the turkey come til he was in front of her and then start trying to move to get on him. She performed flawlessly and when I told her to pick one out and focus on him, she chose the strutter all by herself and let him have it.
She made a great shot and the bird hit the ground. He was in full strut and she blowed feathers everywhere. I jumped up and went to the turkey. I turned around and she was about halfway to me and all smiles.
The turkey was 20 lbs 2 oz
Had a 9.5” beard and 1” spurs.
I am one proud Dad...
I want to say thank you to Shooter for sharing his Hot Rod recipe with me. That is what she shot the turkey with. Thank you again Tommy.
