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After getting my 1st bird of the season opening morning with my bestfriend, Anmarie I really wanted to sleep in again but I got out of bed and threw my camo on. I was only going to bring my bow but Jim/rNs talked me into my shotgun. Thank God he did.
On the way to the Freak Zone I was stopped by some hogs rootin' near my ladder stand that I use during deer season. They were gettin' a close and I was gettin' a lil spooked so I put one foot on the ladder in case I needed to start climbing. The closer they got the more I started to get scared so I hit the ladder with my gun making a loud clanking noise. I was figuring that there were a couple hogs, maybe a few but the woods exploded with hogs.
I about died right then and there. After I gained my composure I was able to start moving again....my legs were shakin' so bad.
I got to the creek and got set up...i could hear birds gobblin'. I was so flippin' excited. After a short time I heard crunchin' next to me and headin' towards my decoy. I started shaking as always. I got my bow up and was ready to go but it turned out to be a hog about 125-150lbs. It saw my decoy and freaked. I was able to call him back...lol...don't ask....but then he "winded me" and ran across the creek....lmao.
Anyways, shortly after that I hear a shot about 200yds away from me. I knew I was the only licensed/permitted hunter out on that side so I got livid mad. I decided not to let it ruin my hunt. It was only the second day of my season so it was all good. A few minutes later I hear this bird to the SE of me and CLOSE. It was makin' some funky noises so I didn't know what it was but I knew it was a turkey.
As it approached I could see a red head and a decent beard. I got my bow up and was trying to call him into range. He wasn't having any of it....until I yelped real soft. He spun around and started trottin' over to me and the decoy. I started shakin' so bad I couldn't pull my bow back. Well then as he's gettin' into a good shootin' area, close and open, he stopped. That bird stood behind a clump of palmettos and a palm tree for 15minutes spittin' and drummin' but he would not budge. I decided to get a lil aggressive and yelped a bit louder. That got him coming again. He was right behind the 26yds mark...i said nothing over 20...but he kept coming so I pulled back and was ready to put my sights on him and he spotted me and turned around and headed towards the creek. I called a couple more times which got him to turn around and come back towards me but he stayed out about 30-35yds. I grabbed the shotgun and missed the first clear cut so I quickly moved to the next opening and nailed him when he cleared the trunk of the tree. I ran over to him and went to grab him and he started kickin'. How I didn't get nailed by the spurs I'll never know. I was finally able to get him secured. I looked at his beard and it turned out to be longer than I had first thought. Then I looked at his spurs. They were awesome too. I went back to the blind, called Jim/rNs and Casey/Huntnma (and a few others), and started packin' up my gear. While packin' Casey/Huntnma calls and she scored a nice one too. We both whoooo whooooed and got all excited. We met up at the check station and took some pics.
Two birds in two days of huntin'!!! I soooooo didn't think that would happen again.
My bird turned out to be my best to date. He only weighed 16.8lbs but each spur was 1 1/8in and his beard was 10 1/8in.
I finally broke 10 inches!!! Finally.
I took my bestfriend, the non hunter, opening morning.
A couple days later she sent this to me via email.
It's a little long but worth the read
In the Forest of Green For Annette, Thank you for a great adventure Anmarie
As if a blanket covered our eyes, we ventured out into silent darkness. Coolness was in the air as we walked through ankle high water surrounded by thick palmetto bush listening for any sound that might come from the forest around us. The walk itself was an adventure, through webs and branches we trudged listening to the sound of a Great Owl who echoed through the trees. I had to ask if I was breathing loud because sometimes the sound of my own heart and breath seemed so loud I thought everyone could hear, it wasn’t fear but anticipation of what was to come.
In a clearing masked by Palm Fronds and fallen branches stood the camouflaged blind where we would sit silent and still for the next three hours. It was dark and smelled of damp leaves. A couple of spiders dropped down on their webs to let us know we had entered their new home. With minimal light from the moon we started to prepare for the hunt, placing the turkey decoys several yards from the blind returning inside to start the wait.
Your senses seem to open and take on a primal memory from somewhere in your mind, as you sit and listen to the forest come alive. Slowly the woods start transforming into shades of bluish gray and the shadows of night start to move and change shape. Cricks and cracks make you want to jump and look but you have to remain still, somehow you manage to remember not to move and fight the natural impulse to quickly turn and look. Birds start to sing their songs and a whippoorwill serenades you. No coffee or bacon and eggs, just the woods and all its wonder, which fills you just as good as any cup of Folgers.
My heart started to quicken with the sound of wings, the cracking of braches in front of us. I strained my eyes to see; there it was a hen, a female turkey. I didn’t know the ins and outs of this adventure I was on, only that I was looking for a turkey when with great excitement I got to whisper I see a turkey. I was expecting her to shoot it; I mean there was a turkey. That’s when I learned that you don’t shoot the hens unless they have a beard, which to me was kind of chauvinistic and a vision of a bird with a beard is funny when you think about it at least for those of us who are not true hunters. The beard is not actually on its face but a prickly patch of bristles that protrude off of the breast. My knees shook as the excitement of seeing the bird grew. My friend got out her turkey call to try and bring in a gobbler. That is what we are waiting for. All this excitement was for the adult male, I guess that is sort of chauvinistic too.
I kept looking out into the thick woods and thought I saw something round and pale, not green like the leaves or brown like the stumps and trunks just something different up ahead. I kept starring waiting for it to move but it seemed to stay still. I thought it must just be a branch or bush of some sort. An hour may have past, the time seems to just go by and it is hard to tell how long you have been sitting except for the occasional ache in your neck that comes from being stuck in one position so long. I stared out into the forest green, closed my eyes and said to myself, when I open my eyes I will see a turkey. Amazingly enough I opened my eyes to see this very tall bird with a white head starring directly at me. I knew I couldn’t move, I had to stay still as me knees shook again and my hands started to shake. I whispered as softly as I could to my friend, there is a huge bird with a white head starring at me, it looks like a freaking ostrich. I seriously could not believe how big this bird was. I have seen turkeys at the zoo, all puffed out with their feathers fanned out but this bird was standing tall and proud. It was completely different then anything you see in captivity. It is so hard to put into words what nature truly is and the appearance of an animal in its natural habitat will put you in unbelievable awe.
My friend hunts with a bow as well as a gun she took a moment to judge whether this would be a good shot to take with her bow. She decided that the shot was not clear enough and picked up her shotgun. The time to think this through is literally seconds. She has to make the right choice or she looses the chance. The quarters were close, there was no where for her to position herself and I soon became a brace for her and the shotgun. There wasn’t time to think about what was happening, not the fact that this shotgun is directly on the side of my face or that this was it, the moment we have been waiting for. It was quick and with the most controlled quickness I have ever seen she fired one shot and took the bird down. I don’t think it was three seconds before we were out of the blind running toward the bird. My friend yelling to me to stay where I am, she did not want me to get upset seeing the bird go through the death process, the nerves twitching and such. I couldn’t think of much else except seeing the bird so I kept yelling to her and running toward the bird saying I would be okay and there it was. Tall and strong with these white and brown feathers that actually had this orange shimmer when the light hit them. His face was white and red with touches of an almost iridescent blue, it was magnificent. His neck was long and I finally saw the beard I heard so much about and spurs that again with my mental images of a turkey walking around with a beard a cowboy hat and spurs gone forever the reality of what this bird truly is will be the only image I see from now on. As the adrenaline started to subside, we began to get our things together.
A few high fives ensued, a lot of laughter and the silence was officially broken. It was time to clean up and start back to take the bird to the check station.
This was an adventure I will never forget, a greater appreciation for nature which I already hold at a high regard and also greater appreciation for a friend who has been my best friend for seventeen years. Who is brave and can do anything she puts her mind to. I hope that through this life if she ever feels down or if she ever feels alone she is able to remember that the strength and courage she has is greater then most.
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