Hunting turkeys has a way of making me question my sanity. I’ve killed plenty of turkeys before, but there is usually a moment on every trip where it feels like getting a turkey to gobble, let alone call it into range, seems like a Herculean task. It just seems impossible.
I felt like this as I sat with my back to a giant alligator juniper tree, shaded by its overhanging branches. I had made three setups that day with my decoys and had spent two and half to three hours at each stand waiting with agonizing patience. The wind howled, and I wondered if there was any point to being in the field. My tired, closed eyes burst open when a ringing gobble cut through the blustery afternoon. After a few light strokes on my box calls and a couple more gobbles from him, he walked confidently into range looking for me.
As I tightened the straps of my backpack around him for the long hike back to the truck, I couldn’t help but admire the lonely beauty of this tom turkey which paired perfectly with the lonely beauty of the rugged landscape.
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It’d been a while since I’d taken the time to read one of your posts… this kinda short and to the point. Man hunts. Man totes dead monster chicken to the truck. I like. I’m not a Turkey hunter. But I did it for my kids when they were young. Nice trophies. I do head to Patagonia AZ for Mearn’s and scaled quail… have yet to kill a Gambel’s. Arizona is a magnificent state and offer so much… one of my move-to states when Texas gets boring… good post. Cheers, KW
Thanks for the kind words Kevin. The way life is going right now, short and to the point is how I roll. Thanks again.
Ben
I have been reading your posts for years now, Ben. That picture of the bird and the gun next to the Alligator Juniper is really great. I spend some of my spring/summerin the flagstaff area hiking in the forest where I come across some amazing specimens. The Alligator Juniper has become my favorite tree. They are so tortured and twisted, yet they carry on.
Thanks, Alan
Thanks Alan. It’s crazy how a tree can bring back memories like that. That’s the beautiful thing about nature. Thanks for sharing.
Ben