Kansas: Part 2

Day 1, 2:30 PM

2 birds down, 2 to go.

Back to the lodge for a little break, another short nap, and some grub.


5:00 PM

Back out after it, driving & glassing.  We came up on several groups of birds, most of which were jakes, and the others not on ground Donovan had permission on.

7:00 PM

We found a bird worth going after.  I'm up again ( I won the coin flip).  Cattle lot.  No big Deal.  Just have to get around and away from the cows without having them follow us.   We accomplished that, barely.  One cow wanted to follow us.  We got down to some haybales and got tucked in and waited.  We figured the bird was moving back towards the roost.  We called a little bit, and he answered.  We waited about ten minutes and called again, nothing.  He got hung up, I thought.  There was a hen we couldn't see, I thought.  Then I faintly heard him drumming.  He was coming, but how quickly?  I turned to say something to Donovan, and I caught a flash of his head coming over the hill. heading straight for us.  Now the time clock was ticking.  About 5 min later I let him have it.  35 yds, 20lbs. 8 oz, 9 1/2" beard 1 3/8" spurs.  Awesome Kansas Rio.

7:30 PM

3 Birds Down, 1 to go, and 1 1/2 hrs of sunlight left.

We headed back to the property we started at in the rain that morning.  We started pulling down the drive and saw 4 jakes, 1 tom, and 15 hens in the field to the north of where we were going.  The turkeys scattered when they saw the truck.  All of them moving towards the creek bottom.  This might work if we can get ahead of them, I thought.  JW is up.   We got to the property and got set up where JW could see the field to the North where the birds were, andthe creek bottom where we thought they would move through.

8:10 PM

Call, nothing.  Glass, Nothing.  The last 20 minutes,  no activity what so ever.  Then up on the hill 500 yds away, Donovan and I spot a hen, and then another.  Then the jakes, but no strutter.  All the birds were on that hill except the tom and two hens.  What to do?  If we move now, we're busted.  Still no tom.  Where's he at?  He has to be up on the hill also right?  Donovan and I carried on this conversation for about ten minutes, while the hens and jakes moved south and out of sight.  Then as the sun was starting to go down behind us, it caused a spotlight effect coming through the trees behind us on the tom on the hillside.  There he is.  "He's going to take the same path as the others", I told Donovan.  He agreed.  We have to move now! If this is going to happen.  We all bear crawled as fast as possible about 100 yds to the South where there was a little better cover.  Then it was up and in a dead sprint to the creek bottom and up a draw to the top of the hill the birds were traveling on.  I stayed behind about 60yds.  JW said the bird came straight to him across the hill, and he shot him at 30 yds.  19lbs 6 oz., 9.25" beard, and broken spurs that measered 1" each.  4 birds within 8 hrs of the first bird going down.  Pretty amazing, exciting hunt. 

Thanks again to Donovan and Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters for an awesome hunt.