My First Turkey!!
So the story of my first turkey started back in April. I signed up for a turkey hunting class through NH Fish and Game and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The class was awesome! The class was held by the Raymond Baptist Church Outdoor Club and they provided an amazing lunch of pulled pork sandwiches. I've heard they have a wild game dinner that is really great too! We were given a crow call, turkey slate call, and a mouth call.
They also brought us out to the Raymond Sportsman's Club to pattern in our shotguns. This was a big help since I had just put a BlackMaxx choke on my Mossberg 500 and it was shooting high.
We were even shown how to field dress a turkey. At the end of the class they teamed us all up with a mentor that would take us out scouting and hunting. This was a great resource for all of us. I can't thank them enough for all their help.
I was going out scouting as much as I could in the mornings and in the evenings. At first I was having very little luck. When I did see turkeys they were usually in yards where I wasn't going to be able to hunt. My mentor took me out in his town scouting and we saw turkeys every where. That week last week before opening day I finally started seeing more and more turkeys in the fields. The night before opening day I had the luck to see a flock go to roost in an orchard field.
So now I knew where I wanted to hunt the next morning. There was a nice size Tom and a few Jakes along with some hens. The next morning I got into the woods along the edge of the orchard field before first light. I could here the Tom gobbling in his roost as I got out of my car. I was excited that I might actually see a turkey this day! I went into the woods and I was surprised by the layout of the land. The field was about 40 to 50 feet up from the bottom of the wooded area. I set up my two decoys and sat for a while. After about an hour I hadn't seen or heard anything. I figured that I had setup in the wrong area since I really wasn't sure what I was doing. I left my decoys and went down lower into the wooded area. It was about 7 am at this point.
As I was making my towards the end of the woods where I knew they were roosting the previous night, a flock of geese flew overhead and the honking caused the Tom to gobble. He wasn't too far in front of me but I had a small flat section to cross and a small hill with a boulder blocking the view up top. I took out my box call and my slate call and when he called again, I called back with one of the calls. He answered right back. I slowly made my way forward from tree to tree. Every time he called I would call back and he would answer right back but it didn't sound like he was coming any closer. I spent about a half an hour creeping forward when all of a sudden he sounded like he was going away. Then he didn't answer again. I thought I had been made! As I was making my way forward I found this spot where some predator had made a snack of a turkey. That was pretty cool to see! All that was left were some wing feathers and a breast bone.
For my first time turkey hunting this was pretty amazing to hear a turkey, call back and forth with him, and also to see this on the ground. I was pretty pumped at this point. But I was also worried that I had blown my chance at a turkey. I slowly made my way up and I couldn't see the Tom anywhere. Suddenly, I heard a noise and a couple of deer darted away from where I thought the turkey had been. Then a herd of about 10 deer ran by and I thought, "Great! I can't see this many deer when I'm deer hunting, but now they've scared away my turkey!"
I tried calling but got no response. I saw a well-worn deer trail going up the hill to the fields. I decided to go up and take a peak. I crossed over a very small creek and went up about half way. At the half-way point it went flat for about 10 feet and then went up again to the field. I saw two turkey heads pop up. I froze and dropped down to my knee. I was so excited to see them. I saw their smaller beards and thought, "Jakes! Should I take one or wait for the Tom?" They started coming down the trail right to me. I put my shotgun to my shoulder and said, "This is my first one. I don't care if it's a Jake or a Tom. I just want to get my first turkey!" I had the shotgun level with the flat part of the trail. The two Jakes walked right up to me and I took the shot. Then he ran off! I couldn't believe it. I had just shot him at point-blank range with a 12 gauge and he ran off! He ran about 10 yards and stopped, I shot him again and he dropped right away. I went running over to him. I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe I had actually gotten one. The first thing I did was take a picture and sent it to my mentor.
Then I carried him out of the woods and brought him to Manchester to check him in. He wasn't a very big Jake. He was just over 14 pounds but I was excited to get my first one.
They also brought us out to the Raymond Sportsman's Club to pattern in our shotguns. This was a big help since I had just put a BlackMaxx choke on my Mossberg 500 and it was shooting high.
I was going out scouting as much as I could in the mornings and in the evenings. At first I was having very little luck. When I did see turkeys they were usually in yards where I wasn't going to be able to hunt. My mentor took me out in his town scouting and we saw turkeys every where. That week last week before opening day I finally started seeing more and more turkeys in the fields. The night before opening day I had the luck to see a flock go to roost in an orchard field.
So now I knew where I wanted to hunt the next morning. There was a nice size Tom and a few Jakes along with some hens. The next morning I got into the woods along the edge of the orchard field before first light. I could here the Tom gobbling in his roost as I got out of my car. I was excited that I might actually see a turkey this day! I went into the woods and I was surprised by the layout of the land. The field was about 40 to 50 feet up from the bottom of the wooded area. I set up my two decoys and sat for a while. After about an hour I hadn't seen or heard anything. I figured that I had setup in the wrong area since I really wasn't sure what I was doing. I left my decoys and went down lower into the wooded area. It was about 7 am at this point.
As I was making my towards the end of the woods where I knew they were roosting the previous night, a flock of geese flew overhead and the honking caused the Tom to gobble. He wasn't too far in front of me but I had a small flat section to cross and a small hill with a boulder blocking the view up top. I took out my box call and my slate call and when he called again, I called back with one of the calls. He answered right back. I slowly made my way forward from tree to tree. Every time he called I would call back and he would answer right back but it didn't sound like he was coming any closer. I spent about a half an hour creeping forward when all of a sudden he sounded like he was going away. Then he didn't answer again. I thought I had been made! As I was making my way forward I found this spot where some predator had made a snack of a turkey. That was pretty cool to see! All that was left were some wing feathers and a breast bone.
For my first time turkey hunting this was pretty amazing to hear a turkey, call back and forth with him, and also to see this on the ground. I was pretty pumped at this point. But I was also worried that I had blown my chance at a turkey. I slowly made my way up and I couldn't see the Tom anywhere. Suddenly, I heard a noise and a couple of deer darted away from where I thought the turkey had been. Then a herd of about 10 deer ran by and I thought, "Great! I can't see this many deer when I'm deer hunting, but now they've scared away my turkey!"
I tried calling but got no response. I saw a well-worn deer trail going up the hill to the fields. I decided to go up and take a peak. I crossed over a very small creek and went up about half way. At the half-way point it went flat for about 10 feet and then went up again to the field. I saw two turkey heads pop up. I froze and dropped down to my knee. I was so excited to see them. I saw their smaller beards and thought, "Jakes! Should I take one or wait for the Tom?" They started coming down the trail right to me. I put my shotgun to my shoulder and said, "This is my first one. I don't care if it's a Jake or a Tom. I just want to get my first turkey!" I had the shotgun level with the flat part of the trail. The two Jakes walked right up to me and I took the shot. Then he ran off! I couldn't believe it. I had just shot him at point-blank range with a 12 gauge and he ran off! He ran about 10 yards and stopped, I shot him again and he dropped right away. I went running over to him. I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe I had actually gotten one. The first thing I did was take a picture and sent it to my mentor.
Then I carried him out of the woods and brought him to Manchester to check him in. He wasn't a very big Jake. He was just over 14 pounds but I was excited to get my first one.
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