For some reason the turkey-hunting bug has bitten me and I cannot get it to leave me alone. Over the years I managed to go on a few turkey hunts but they were just halfhearted efforts at best.  I killed a nice tom a few years back while I was deer hunting in the fall but that was just by accident. 

Two years ago I began becoming really interested in hunting turkey. I did some research and started hunting.  After some close calls I managed to score on a jake at Brazos Archery Outfitters last year and I was hooked!  I love turkey hunting just as much as I love chasing whitetail deer but the season just does not last long enough.

Friday afternoon I got a phone call from a friend.  He invited me to go turkey hunting on his property in Nocona, TX with his uncle Bruce.  Since Saturday would be my last chance to turkey hunt for this year I jumped on the chance to hunt turkey on private land. 

After a few more phone calls, all the details of the hunt were worked out.

Donna and I arrived in Nocona, TX at 0500; we only got 3 hours sleep Friday night so this was going to be a tough hunt.  We met up with Bruce Edmondson at the Dairy Queen in Nocona and formulated our strategy for the mornings hunt.

We arrived at the property and began getting our gear ready to hit the field.  I heard Bruce call my name and his voice sounded distressed.  Bruce was in such a hurry to meet us that he forgot his hunting arrows at home which was over 100 miles away.

Since Bruce left his arrows at home he decided that he was just going to be our guide.

We were situated in our Double Bull blind on the edge of a small clearing well before daybreak.  Bruce had seen a lot of activity in this area in the past.  As the dark sky turned pink from the morning’s light, I let out a couple of yelps with my box call.  All was silent.  The wind was blowing so hard that a bird would have to be right on top of us before he could hear us. 

After about 1-½ hours of calling and getting no response, we decided it was time to go find the birds.

We dropped off the Double Bull blind at the truck and headed out to a wheat field to see if we could locate some birds. 

We set up in one corner of the wheat field and we had a creek behind us.  The creek was very steep and surrounded with brush so it was a good obstacle to prevent an old tom from slipping up behind us.

I began calling and after a few strokes on the slate call, we had a gobbler sound off across the creek behind us.  I immediately called back to him and he sounded off again.  He he was headed our way.  I waited a few minutes to call again and when I did he was close.  It was obvious he was following the creek looking for a place to cross.

Bruce and I would take turns calling.  The tom seemed to like the sound of Bruce’s slate call better than mine so I left the rest of the calling to Bruce.

It was not long until we saw the tom out in front of us.  He had worked his way around to where the road crossed the creek and came out right in front of us.  The tom sounded off and began strutting.  You could tell he was looking for that hot hen but the wheat was so tall, he could not see our decoys. 

The wind was still blowing and the tom was just not able to pin point our location.  He crossed the wheat field in front of us about 60 yards out until he was back at the creek. 

The tom crossed the creek again and he was gone. 

So close but yet so far from scoring on a bird!

We moved and called a few more times but we were unable to get any birds to come in.

After lunch we set up the Double Bull blind on the creek crossing where the tom crossed the creek earlier that morning. I put the decoys on some high ground so any approaching turkey could easily see them. 

Everything was set and we were ready to start calling.

Bruce had a rifle in his truck and since it was legal to hunt turkey with a rifle, Bruce decided to make the best of the situation and bring his rifle along on this afternoons hunt just in case.

After sitting in the blind and calling for a few hours we saw movement on the other side of the wheat field.  It was a tom but he could not hear our calling due to the wind.   The tom disappeared in the mesquite trees never to be seen again.

Shortly after that tom had disappeared I hit the striker on the slate and two gobblers sounded off behind us across the creek.  I continued to call and he continued to gobble.  This tom was hot and he was getting closer every minute!

Donna was the first to see this bird appear.  The mature tom slipped out of the thick cover near the creek and began strutting in the wheat field.  The tom was looking for the source of the hen calls.  The tom stopped strutting and began walking out farther into the field when he stopped, stretched his head up and looked right at our decoys.  The tom immediately began strutting while he was spitting and drumming.  He was still just out of bow range.

I grabbed my bow and got ready as the tom approached the decoys.  My heart was really pounding now!  I wanted to get a shot at this bird bad! 

When the tom reached 45 yards, he hung up dropped his feathers and turned and started walking down the road away from us.  My pounding heart changed from excitement to fear as I began to realize that I was not going to get a shot at that huge tom.  After a few failed attempts to call the tom back, it was decided that it was time for Bruce to handle the situation.

Bruce grabbed his .22 Magnum rifle, took aim and squeezed off one shot.  The tom rolled up immediately, jumped back to his feet and headed towards the edge of the field.  The tom ran out of gas after only about 40 yards and crashed into the tall wheat. 

I looked at Bruce and he was grinning from ear to ear.  After a few minutes we went to retrieve Bruce’s bird and boy what a bird it was. 

Bruce’s bird had a 10” beard and 1 1/8” spurs.  Sometimes it works out even if you leave your arrows at home!

Congrats Bruce on such a fine trophy!  As for me, maybe next year!!!!  I am out of time for turkey hunting.  It is time to head north to Idaho for black bears!

Until Next Time......

Shoot Straight and Happy Hunting!

James Ferguson

President/CEO

Bowhunting North America, LLC

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