Home Camp Spring Turkey - 2009
Please note: Hunt reports, followed by photos collected on that particular hunt, are posted in reverse order. The most recent hunt is at the top of this page. To see the results of each hunt during the season, scroll down the page. To follow the season's progress, scroll down to the bottom of this page and work your way to the top.
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Hunt 9 May 7-10
Over the years, it seems as if we have to suffer one turkey hunt during the season that turns out unfavorably. Up to now, every hunt of this 2009 season was successful in the sense that each hunter in camp got at least one gobbler. Didn't happen this time - our final hunt was a bummer, and there is no other way to put it.
If you had to blame just one thing, you'd have to attribute the poor hunting to the heat. When the hunt began at noon on Thursday, it was already hot and we saw over a hundred degrees on the thermometer by late afternoon. Then on Friday, things got even worse. It was at least 105 degrees by mid-afternoon. Turkeys aren't dumb. They don't fight the heat - they simply endure the furnace-like conditions by shading-up and waiting for better (cooler) times. And a shaded-up turkey is almost impossible to find or to hunt. And it ain't much fun for the hunters, either.
Then, thankfully, here came a north wind and Saturday was downright cool - in the mid-60's till after lunch, and hardly got above 75 all day. As you might expect, the turkeys responded favorably. All the hunters saw and worked birds and it looked like we would begin to weigh and measure turkeys for the tally board. When hunters are seeing and working birds, they are Happy Campers.
In camp was a Picayune, MS group who hunted with us last year. The three Stockstill brothers, Ricky, Huey, and David plus David's son, Grey, were all here on a similar late-season hunt in '08. Come springtime, the brothers are constantly in the woods somewhere after gobblers. In fact, Huey has given himself a large challenge for this 2009 season - he's after a slam of birds, all in one year. The good news is that he got his Rio. In fact, he got two on that cool Saturday morning.
The others in the seven-hunter Stockstill group were: Donnie Bond, an experienced hunter who actually hunted the San Angelo area a few weeks ago plus Russell Smallwood and Billy Painter, both of whom were on their first-ever turkey hunt anywhere.
The single hunter, coming from Metairie, LA was Tom Edie. Tom wasted no time taking Gobbler # 1 within the first fifteen minutes of his hunt on that first, hot afternoon. Actually, he could have limited out then and there when three gobblers came to the water hole he was hunting. Not wanting to end his hunt so quickly, Tom called it a day and passed on the lucky pair of departing toms. In the heat on Friday, Tom struck out all day, and although he saw multiple turkeys on the cool Saturday, it wasn't until the final morning that he was able to put his second tag on his final bird. Tom hunted always out of a blind, and like so many hunters with similar reports this season, he swears-by their effectiveness.
When comparing these hunter's reports of bird sightings with those from earlier in the season, it is abundantly clear that the turkey's habits have changed big-time. No longer do they roost exclusively on the river. Daylight gobbling might be heard most anywhere. And although some say that Rios are the most callable of all the species of turkeys, that wasn't the case on this late season hunt. To be sure, they are still strutting and following hens, but the gobblers just had they own agenda, and it didn't necessarily involve coming to the hunter's calls.
More excuses: bad luck on this hunt affected too many of our troops in the field. Example: three gobblers come in early but never quite give the two hunters a shot as they watch them wander on off up the draw. Another example: at daylight, a hunter hears numerous gobbles in all directions from near the water point where he has set up. Along comes a hen - a real, live decoy with feathers and everything. Gobblers come, but not the right way or from a direction that will give him a shot. The hen, having her fill of water, moves away, despite the hunter's best calling techniques, taking all the suitors with her. And here's yet one more excuse: the "run and gun" hunting style which is so effective in the big woods east of the Mississippi just didn't fit the playbook of these late-season Rios. How many times did we hear of a hunter who moved on a gobbling bird without success? Stalking a turkey is almost always a no-win situation. And finally: there were a few missed shots.
The eight hunters collected only four turkeys. Two took two and six took none. The 2009 season was set to be one of our all-time best, but we faded, just like our favorite football team, in the final few minutes of the game. Go ahead and call us the Dallas Cowboys. We deserve it. But wait till next year.
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Hunt 7 April 30 - May 4
We have often claimed to be able to arrange hunts on a very short notice. Here's proof. Until 48 hours before Hunt 7 was to begin, we were preparing to host only two hunters. We wound up with four. You will notice that we had no "Hunt Six". With bookings being on the shy-side this season, we'll take them any way we can get them - even at the last minute.
T. Logan Russell hunted with us last season and was eager to return. Despite being a famous radio personality in Jackson, MS, he was able to persuade only one amigo, Revel Rawlings, to come along. So it appeared that these two were going to be the only ones in camp for this hunt. Then, a couple of days prior to their arrival, an inquiry came from Florida, and after all manner of logistical complications, two more hunters were added. Since they started a day late, they stayed a day longer, but for a while, indeed we did have four hunters in camp. The two late comers were Frank Gonzales from Ft. Pierce, FL and his long-time hunting companion, Hal Hutchins, who just happens to live in Utica, Mississippi, right up the road from T. Logan and Revel, both of whom live near Jackson. Frank was introduced to the spring sport by Hal, and the two hunt together regularly all over the place. As a matter of interest, Hal used to work as a taxidermist, and he was a genuine asset in the skinning shed when it was time to butcher turkeys.
Both Logan and Revel gave themselves a large challenge - harvest a gobbler with a bow. Wisely, they elected to take the first one (assuming they would take two) with a gun. So the hunt started with a bang (pun intended) and on that first afternoon, both downed good toms with their trusty shotguns. Actually, Revel could have taken two on the spot and limited out then and there. Hunting near a water point, (such areas have become quite productive lately), Revel saw several hens drift in for a drink - strong evidence that the old girls are now nesting, or are about ready to do so. Interestingly, it was quite late in the day - maybe after 7 p.m. - when a couple of gobblers showed up drumming without gobbling. Revel, inside his luxurious tent blind, had been playing some loud yelps on his box call. Luckily, his shot was touched off only moments before Logan arrived to pick him up. A few more seconds and that pickup would surely have scared-off both longbeards. Logan, on his hunt a mile or so away, got himself momentarily lost when he overshot his destination. On the backtrack, he spotted a flock of birds more or less where they should have been and he got himself set-up the best he could where he was. His most seductive calling wasn't bringing any of them closer, so he re-located a bit and was finally successful in taking a nice tom.
As you will suspect, supper on that first night was delayed while the stories of the above two hunts were told and re-told. In the collection of photos below, please notice the formal portrait of the hunters with their trophies wasn't taken until well after dark, truly no challenge for our trusty Adobe Lodge digital. To a dedicated turkey hunter, the "story" is infinitely more important that any old photograph.
Friday morning's hunt for Revel and Logan was largely unproductive, but while we were fetching the two new hunters from the airport that afternoon, Revel was gloriously successful with his bow. Took his first-ever gobbler at twelve steps. And again, he could have taken another at the same time. The longbeards were attracted to his strutting decoy, and since Revel was hunting out of that portable blind he had brought, they never knew he was there. These blinds are proving to be productive, and hunters using them say the turkeys haven't a clue anyone is nearby.
After changing into their hunting attire upon arrival in camp, and after suffering through our pre-hunt orientation talk, finally Frank and Hal were put afield in one of our most faithful and promising locations. Here is what is so exasperating about spring turkey hunting. They saw/heard zip, zero, nada. The next morning was a bit better, but not much. We were directing them to every hot spot of a couple/three weeks ago, but the turkeys have changed their travel patterns big-time. Early-season hunting and late season hunting is as different as football and baseball. Hunting as a pair, Frank and Hal were hearing a few gobbles, but chasing the birds proved to be fruitless.
Logan took his second gobbler like Wyatt Earp might have done. He quick-drawed him. The deceitful rascal came at daylight to his calling, but Logan wasn't quite ready and didn't even have his gun to his shoulder when the old boy showed up unexpectedly in the dim light. Within a micro-second of the movement of Logan's gun, the gobbler was already in flight and headed straight-away. Luckily, he tumbled with Logan's shot and it was all over. That's the good news. The bad news is that Bro. Logan missed one with his bow that afternoon. He still hasn't taken a turkey with his bow, but marks up the whole deal to his consistently poor luck with the primitive weapon. Our policy is to take advantage of all modern technology. Centuries ago, guns replaced bows. Why not follow this trend, Logan?
The super-hot weather on Friday turned around and things got downright pleasant bordering on chilly by Saturday. Frank and Hal, always hunting together as a pair, had collected a bird each by Sunday morning. Revel and T. Logan took third birds on their final morning and Revel's video footage of his hunt might win some award somewhere. Maybe we can get a copy to post to this website.
With Revel and Logan having departed, our full attention turned to Frank and Hal. Their final afternoon produced nothing, but on their final morning, they got on a gobbler right at daylight. Paying no attention to their calls, he and some hens had their travel agenda set. Frank and Hal attempted a re-location strategy, but to no avail. Finally, the pair moved across the ranch to an area they liked, and set up to call, vowing to not move a bit. It worked. Frank got his second gobbler, with little time to spare to catch that plane back to Florida.
With all four hunters talking about a return visit next season, we are calling it a successful hunt. The four hunters took nine longbeards. Two took three; one took two; and one took one. With only one week left to go in our season, the gobblers are still responding to calls. They are still gobbling, but somehow it seems that their roosting habits have changed. Some of them do indeed return to the traditional roosting sites, but some don't. Single hens are apt to be seen anywhere, and especially in areas where you don't normally expect to even see a turkey. Hopefully, this means the old biddies are in their nesting mode. Wouldn't it be nice to have a GPS collar on every turkey?
There will be one more hunt this coming weekend. And one more report will follow, plus a summary of the entire season. So far, so good, but remember what Yogi said - "It ain't over till it's over."
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Hunt 5 April 20-23
Four hunters, all Adobe Lodge veterans, were on hand for our season's fifth hunt at the Home Camp. The father/son pair - Jerry and Derek Amos from Reva, VA - got to town, as we suggest, a day early. So when the hunt officially started at noon on Monday, they were out on the field of play, ready for action right from the git-go. Last year, both had taken two apiece and were hoping to do it again.
The plane bringing Tom Caron and Chris Masson, both from Canaan, VT didn't arrive until about 2 p.m., so their first afternoon's hunt was cut a bit short. Canaan is in the extreme northeast corner of the state, just a stone's throw from both New Hampshire and Canada. They easily win the season's "longest trip" honors. Even so, we had them out before four p.m., plenty of time to connect with a gobbler, if one might be found.
Previous Hunts No. 1-3 saw all hunters in camp successful on the first evening. On Hunt 4, only one was. Now on this fifth date of the season - neither pair scored that first afternoon. Was this an omen of some kind? We mentioned on the last hunt's report that the bird's habits were changing. Could we direct the hunters successfully? Would they be able to find any action? Derek Amos wasn't worried in the least. Why? That first afternoon, he saw plenty of wing-drag marks in the fresh tracks of the pickup's tires made only a few minutes before. There's gobblers here - you just have to root them out, that's all. But with no toms being brought into camp on the first afternoon, it looked like we might be in for a tough hunt.
Not to worry, the first morning turned out to be plenty productive. Chris got his first gobbler (one of two he saw with several hens), and Derek brought a monster into camp with a pair of inch-and-a-half spurs. The rascal weighed 19.4 lbs - a remarkable weight this far into the season.
Also on that first morning, there had been a missed shot. The guilty party demanded anonymity and the bribe was sufficient to honor the request. So nothing more will be said of the incident.
By now, things were already looking up, but hunting tactics were constantly reviewed among the guys. For one thing, the weather had turned hot - mighty hot. Got to 94 degrees that second afternoon. And the temperature even beat that by a couple more degrees on the following day. Given these conditions, where do you suppose the hunters were finding birds? You have to put yourself in their place. Where would you go if you were a turkey?
Yep, the various water points scattered over the 12,000+ acre ranch. You'd think that turkeys would be found near the river, and indeed, some were. But their habits have changed now that we are well into the breeding season. No doubt, hens are building nests and working on their clutch of eggs. For some reason, they like to move out well away from the river to do this. A mile or more at least. Where the hens go, the gobblers are sure to follow. And the hens, laying all those eggs (we hope), develop a powerful thirst. No doubt, their nest location is governed by its proximity to water. Remember, San Angelo is on the edge of the desert. Hint, hint. Find the water points.
So it was that Derek found such a spot. That's where he got that big'un on Morning # 1. He was at a water trough which is way more than a mile from a river. From the moment he spotted him, Derek said the old boy never gobbled but stayed in a strut the entire time until finally coming close enough for a shot. Remarkably, that afternoon, and again the next morning, Derek harvested two more beauties from that same place. Dereks' "Honey Hole", we ought to start calling the place. Meanwhile, his dad, Jerry, was finding gobblers here and there and got his first bird near a water point, too. He kind of stalked him and shot him like a fleeing pheasant, but the end result is what counts. He got him fair and square.
The second morning, however, Jerry hunted near a traditional roost site and we learned from him that the birds have moved on out into the pasture. He was hearing gobbling well away from where he was located. We learn a lot from our troops out on the front lines. He went to work with his call and wound up taking a gobbler well after sunup and another about an hour later. So credit both Derek and Jerry with three birds for their time here. In fact, their feat was accomplished in only two days - or a day and a half if you forget that first afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tom Caron had taken two Rios, and on the final afternoon, Chris got his second one, also. The final morning, all the hunters went hunting, but only for the adventure of the outing. Their "blood-lust" had abated. So the final tally looks like this: four hunters took ten birds. Two took three, and two took a pair each.
All this was done despite the hot weather. Bottled water was indispensible and we almost had to send a semi to town to replenish our stock. One of the photos below shows the thermometer in one of the trucks. At 106 degrees, it is probably exagerated, but remember - this is TRUE TEXAS TRUCK. The official for the day was a mere 96.
Rarely do you hear of a hen strutting. Derek saw two of them. Got pictures to prove it, too. Unfortunately, we didn't have the equipment to download his remarkable photos to show you, but there is no doubt about the images. What could cause this? Could it be that these strutting females migrated here from San Francisco?
Our next turkey hunters don't show up for a whole week. There are two hunts yet to go before we call it a season. Check back about May 4 for our next report.
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Hunt 4 April 16-19
There is no doubt about it. Here we are, just a couple of weeks into the spring turkey season, and already the turkey's habits are changing. Even compared to our most recent hunt, the birds's daily wanderings are now much different. Yeah, we know, it ain't fair, but you just have to play the hand you're dealt.
On each of the season's previous hunts, all our hunters in camp collected toms the first afternoon. Not so on Hunt 4. To be sure, everyone eventually did put birds on the tally board, but they had their work cut out for them. Here are the details:
Five hunters from four states, two of whom were Adobe Lodge veterans, arrived at noon Thursday in a bit of a drizzle. The skies cleared by mid-afternoon, but big storms were predicted that night. We were praying for the skies to open and drench us. Alas, all we got was about three-tenths of an inch - way less than the booming thunder and spectacular lightening promised. Then, the weather was almost perfect for the balance of the hunt. But on that first afternoon, only one turkey showed up in camp. Ray Nickle, who hunted with us back in '07, got him. Ray, from Jonesboro, AR was accompanied by his best friend, Jeff Baldwin from nearby Poplar Bluff, MO.
The other veteran, Bert Jones, from Breman, AL, has hunted with us, both for deer and turkey, several times. Poor Bert - the hunt started badly for him. After missing three different gobblers, we seriously considered hauling him to town for psychological counseling - he was as low as a snake's belly. It wasn't until Saturday morning that Bert finally beat the jinx, and his eventual success was welcomed by all. Missing a shot is never any fun. Missing three in a row brings on the blues like putting your family's dog to sleep.
Steve Pierce knows about missed shots. Steve has been hunting turkeys for the past few seasons with nothing but misses to his credit. Never-ever has he taken a turkey. Last Christmas, his wife, Yvonne, called to book this trip for his Christmas present. Talk about pressure. We had to, simply HAD TO, get Steve a bird. Playing Santa Claus in April is a challenge. But as we said earlier, the turkeys are now using a different play book. Was it that big thunderstorm that did it? What could have changed the turkey's habits?
For one thing, hunters are now seeing birds in places they haven't been seen all season. Further and further away from the winter roosting sites they go. Hot spot of just a week ago are cold as the frozen January tundra in Alberta. Gobblers (and maybe hens, too) are roosting in strange new places. Scouting reports (both from our pre-season forays and from earlier hunter's reports) are now woefully out of date.
So back to the story of Steve. Through Thursday afternoon and on through Friday morning after the big storm, Steve saw little-to-nothing and heard even less. And we were directing him to all the best locations we knew about. He was the last to arrive back in camp on Friday afternoon, and everyone could barely stand the suspense, asking in unison, "Did you get a bird?" "Nope," he said, "I didn't get "A" bird. I got TWO." And sure enough he did. A pair of beautiful longbeards. With one shot. You talk about happy! Steve, finally, had passed his initiation ceremonies. He is now an official member of the turkey hunting community. After all these years. Did we mention that Steve is from Houston? Originally, he is from eastern Virginia.
We've always wondered about the value of two turkey hunting products: decoys and commercial hunting blinds. The jury is still out on the decoys since we hear mixed reports on their usefulness. But from Ray Nickle and Jeff Baldwin, we got a definitive answer about those blinds. Yep, they work, and work well. Jeff and Ray hunted right together throughout the entire time, both of them in that same blind. Cynics might observe they could have doubled their chances to collect birds by going two different ways, but because both are avid golfers (even having played the legendary original course in Scotland), perhaps during the lulls in turkey hunting (of which there are plenty), they could review their golfing strategy to beat their club members back home once the turkey season concludes. One hen turkey, Jeff claimed, came close enough to their blind that he could have grabbed her. Had he done so, would her resultant squawking have scared-away or attracted a nearby gobbler? We'll never know.
But get this: on their last afternoon of hunting (they elected to sleep in on the final morning, for good reason since they already had five toms to their combined credit), Jeff took his second and third gobblers with two quick, successive shots, and could have downed even a third one. Talk about good shooting! All five turkeys taken by Ray and Jeff were harvested out of that blind. So you have to conclude the things do, indeed, work. We are now convinced.
The most experienced turkey hunter in camp was Chet Norris from Belle Mina, AL. He's been hunting Easterns for years, but this was his first-ever trip for a Rio Grande gobbler. Not only did Chet put three birds on our tally board, he helped us located and understand the new movements of the gobblers. Chet was working birds in hitherto un-tested locations. For birds Number One and Two, Chet had his pick of maybe four toms following hens. But bird Number Three was a different story. Early Saturday morning, that rascal came in alone, strutting and drumming, to Chet's calling. Chet's shot did not down the old boy - he quickly took flight - and Chet had the presence of mind to wing-shoot him a couple of times before he disappeared over the nearby cedar trees. Hearing a distinctive, and promising, "thud", Chet pulled a flanking movement to get on the other side of the suspected location of the downed-bird. Sure enough, he found him hiding and watching under a bush. Chet wisely backed off a respectable distance and executed his victim.
So the five hunters took home eleven longbeards. Two took three; two took two; and one took one. It was a good hunt, but the hunters all had to work for their success. "Lollygagging" around camp, they didn't. They hunted hard and were rewarded for their efforts. The weather, following that first night, was near-perfect. Around fifty at daybreak and maybe 75-80 by mid-afternoon. The wind got up some, but not enough to affect the hunting.
Hunt Five begins at noon on Monday. Will the turkeys be acting different yet again? What play-book are they using now? What advice can we give the hunters at the kickoff meeting? Stay tuned for our next report which ought to be up by Friday.
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Hunt 3 April 12-15
It would be hard to think of a better beginning for Hunt # 3. Not only did it rain almost an inch the night before the hunt commenced at noon, all five hunters in camp collected longbeards that first afternoon (although there were rumors of a couple of missed shots. But who's counting?) And darned if the weather didn't stay pretty nice the whole time. No wind storms like on the previous two hunts of this 2009 season. Thank goodness.
So far this season, all the hunts have started similarly strong. And on this third hunt, most everyone reported seeing lots of gobblers at times - dozens of them, in fact. Gobbling was pretty good. Calling, as it can frustratingly be, ran hot and cold.
There were two pair of brothers on the hunt. The Texans were Glen and Wayne Allums from Carthage - which is found way over on the Louisiana line. But true Texans, nonetheless. Wayne admits to being pretty much of a rookie in the sport, but Brother Glen is the epitome of a classic turkey hunter. His passion for the sport comes through loud and clear when he tells you of each day's adventures. On the first afternoon's outing, Glen spotted a trophy tom (if there ever was one) and had visions of putting his tag on the old boy. But that day, the chance just never came. Later on, while hunting other areas, Glen called up - and even intentionally ran off - lesser birds. Three pesky two-year-olds came readily to his calling, but Glen shoo-ed them away a couple of times. And later on, he called up 8-10 other gobblers which he passed-on while searching for something that would equal that giant he'd seen on his first afternoon. If only Glen hadn't seen that whopper. He could have had his pick of numerous other candidates. That's what seeing a boss, trophy gobbler will do to a dedicated hunter.
Then, on the final evening of the three day hunt, Glen returned to the same general area and did, in fact, get another good look at that gobbler that had captured his imagination. But as is the habit with wise, older birds, the old-boy was just not going to fall for any of Glen's tricks and seductive calling. Stayed hung-up about 75 yards out, he did. Way too far for Glen's shotgun, and it was just Glen's luck, his .223 rifle was back in his truck. Glen knows just where to put a rifle's sights on a turkey, too. If he'd had one. He watched and waited. Such is the fate of a turkey hunter. Frustration is an ailment common to all of those addicted to this spring sport.
One of our regular Adobe Lodge guides, Jeff Branon, was hunting with and calling for Brother Wayne. Glen would see plenty of birds in an area, but when Jeff and Wayne would subsequently hunt that hot-spot, they would see zip, zero, nada. And , as you might surmise, Glen, at some new location, would be over-run with longbeards. More evidence that the turkeys are still being true to their exhasperating habits.
The other three hunters in camp, all from the northeast quadrant of Ohio, were here to collect their first-ever Rio Grande species. The brothers were Jeff and Bill Abel, accompanied by their amigo Jason Edwards. These young men all have the interest and qualifications to earn the master grade in the sport someday, and indeed, all collected two gobblers each on the hunt. Inflicted early in life by the turkey hunting bug, their springtime activities for years to come are already predictable. Dont' expect to get much work out of them when the turkeys, they are a-gobblin'. The "tres amigos" elected to mix-up their adventure here in Texas by first hunting alone, then as a threesome, then in pairs. They even took a little time to try to catch a couple of armadillos but were unsuccessful when they failed to follow their coach's advice and counsel. (When you take hold of the critter's tail, you have to make the mental commitment to hang-on, no matter what.)
On the final morning, Bill Abel, hunting alone, was the last of the three to down a second bird. But uh-oh, this final gobbler was missing his spurs. Not a sign of a bump on either leg. The creature had all the male characteristics, including a broad ten-inch beard. And he put over 19+ pounds on our scale. But "no spurs of no kind no where". A bit disappointed in the flawed specimen, Bill was reassured by one and all that his tom was the most impressive of the lot. Heck, anyone can take a gobbler with spurs. That's no trick. Collecting one with no spurs - now that is a challenge. Truly, his is one-of-a-kind.
With the spring weather being as close to perfect as it gets in West Texas -nights varying a few degrees above and below 50 and the days up and down from 75 degrees - the hunt could only be called a good'un. The five hunters collected eight mature longbeards. Three took two and two took one. There were two missed shots which might ought to be figured into the equation somehow. But since Glen Allums is talking about bringing his grandson to hunt with us in the future, that is plenty of verification that a good time was had by all.
Cook Kyle Ezell did his usual outstanding job in the kitchen. Everyone gained weight over the three days. The first night's supper of ham and turkey with an incredible home-made dressing made all of us eat like pigs. The next night, the sirlion-tips over rice was equally good. To top it all off, the traditional final night's ribeye steaks were proclaimed the best of all meals. When Kyle is cooking, it is impossible to stay true to your diet.
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Hunt 2 April 8-11
When a couple of good-old-boys from Mississippi drive all night to get here to hunt turkeys, you can bet they'll do pretty good. Especially since they lay claims to "about 90" and "about 60" lifetime birds and both are still in their thirties. Sho'nuff, they knocked the ball out of the park. But let's start at the beginning.
Actually, the story starts BEFORE the hunt was to officially commence at noon on Wednesday. Tommy Odom called about 7:30 a.m. to ask if he and Cousin Richard might go on out to camp to sleep a while. Seems they had driven all night from their home towns near Jackson, MS (about a twelve hour hop from here), and needed to refresh themselves before their first-ever battles with the legendary Rio Grande turkeys. Tommy lives in Georgetown; Richard hails from Terry. "So is it o.k. to arrive early?"
Answer: "You betcha. Go on out there. Did you remember to bring the map I sent?". Yep, and they would see me later. Since Tommy and Richard were the only two hunters booked on this date, the lodge was sure to be quiet and peaceful - perfect for the weary travelers. And with only two hunters, your friendly webmaster, tagged with the cooking and guiding duties, had a few things to pick up at the grocery store.
Richard fell in bed and was fast asleep when his cell phone gobbled. Richard had downloaded that unique ring-tone on the device. He took care of the phone call and again fell asleep. For a while. He heard more gobbling and reached again for the annoying phone. But it wasn't the phone that was gobbling. A couple of long-beards, walking right by his bedroom window, were sounding-off to their hearts content. That did it - no more sleep for Richard. Seeing those turkeys right under his nose cancelled all thoughts of sleep. Besides, he was here to hunt - not to retire and repose.
So promptly at 11:30 a.m., the webmaster shows up to stow-away his groceries while Richard and Tommy were getting their gear loaded for an orientation tour of their hunting area - a 12,000 property with several hot-spots for turkeys. Mind you it is about a 45 minute drive one way, so it was easily 12:15 when they took the field. The webmaster returned to the lodge, ate a ham sandwich and rewarded himself for his morning's labors with his own nap. At 2 p.m., Tommy and Richard were already back at the lodge with three - count'em - THREE longbeards. Suspicions confirmed. These two are turkey hunters deluxe. (The gobble ring-tone was a dead-giveaway). Figuring in the travel time, you have to conclude they had way less than an hour's hunt. So Tommy already had his two turkeys and Richard had one. It is fortunate with this pair that the Adobe Lodge hunting rate is a flat fee. Or better said - hire them to hunt turkeys for you and pay them by the hour.
They asked about taking us up on our offer of additional turkeys for an additional fee. That first afternoon, they elected to hang out in camp and get a good night's sleep for the following day's adventures. (But the coniving webmaster who had to move and fill feeders before starting supper got some free work out of the cousins, as is his habit with wandering strangers.)
It was a fortuitous start to the season's second hunt because the following day, West Texas was battered by an old-fashioned wind/dust storm. Forty-fifty m.p.h at least. A strutting gobbler would have to tack sharply into the wind to keep from getting blown on his butt. But even despite the wind that morning, Richard managed to tag his second tom and the rascal was a hair under twenty pounds. So now, both hunters had drawn a pair and were holding for three-of-a-kind.
During that windy afternoon, Tommy found some heavy brush where the wind wasn't quite so brutal and danged if he didn't collect what will surely turn out to be the "Spurs of the Year" (maybe the decade?). Check out their several photos below. Both hooks are an honest 1 3/4" long. Turkey hunters call these kind "Limb-hangers", but with that length and curve on Tommy's giant, you could probably hang that dude on a slick stainless-steel pipe. He weighed 21.8 pounds but his beard was only 8 7/8" long. Spurs like those don't come along very often. If memory serves, they are the largest spurs ever taken by an Adobe Lodge turkey hunter.
Friday, after Thursday's windstorm, was cooler. Probably stayed in the 50's most of the day, but the moderate wind gave it a bit of a bite. Tommy and Richard explored new areas of that ranch only to decide on the final morning's hunt on Saturday to return to the area where Tommy's bird had been. Sure enough, Richard collected his third bird there and he, too, topped the twenty-pound benchmark, with inch-and-a-quarter spurs, to boot.
So the two Mississippi boys collected three each. Tommy's big trophy tom (gosh, for a wordsmith, that phrase has a ring to it) took spur and weight honors, but Richard's second gobbler had the best beard at 10 inches. Neither of the cousins had ever hunted a Rio, but with their success on this initial Rio hunt, it would be easy to conclude they have hunted them all their life. When asked their first choice for a turkey call, both use wingbone calls, one of which was passed down from a grandfather. What an heirloom. And what a hunt.
Tommy and Richard promise to return in 2010. And they say they'll have several friends along. All that is good news. With more hunters in camp, we will be able to hire a real cook. Web masters aren't very handy around a kitchen.
Are you still trying to squeeze in a turkey hunt before the season ends? If so, give us a call.
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Hunt 1 April 4-7
The kickoff hunt of the 2009 season could not have been better. 100% success tells it all. And everyone was tagged out by noon on the second day. Despite the disagreeable weather. Here's what happened:
Back for their third successive season with us, we greeted Arkansas hunters Warren Jennings Sr. and Jr. from DeWitt and Mark Bennett from Almyra (that fair city's mayor, by the way) plus Harry Chism from Indianola, MS. Heretofore, this group has traditionally been a party of at least eight hunters, but only four showed up in '09. But their diminished numbers didn't cancel their annual contest. A drawing was held to pair up team members. This year, Warren Sr. and Mark were pitted against Warren Jr. and Harry. Each hunter's two birds are carefully weighed and measured (right down to a thirty-second of an inch). It is an accountant's dream, and the final tally would surely be impossible without the aid of a calculator.
In addition to the contestants, a couple more turkey hunters were in camp, also. They were to have hunted with Ben McCulloch at his Mustang Ranch. But Ben's scouting trips around his property found very few turkeys. Normally, the Mustang Ranch has more turkeys than you can count. So Dee Alesandro from Mt. Pleasant, SC and Keith Wahoske from Zachary, LA were invited to hunt the multitude of birds that are being seen at the Home Camp. Ben, of course, accompanied his two hunters for the duration of their stay.
The hunt commenced at noon on Saturday, and that afternoon the weather was as good as it was going to get for the next two days. Mild, moderate wind, blue skies - the kind of day you are glad to be out-of-doors. And sure-nuff, the hunters knocked the ball out of the park. The six hunters collected seven gobblers that first afternoon. Dee got two with one shot - his first-ever Rios (to add to his collection of sixty-some birds).
The only bad event of that first day was Harry Chism trying to shoot a bird with that gun of his that is choked down like a rifle. It sounds crazy, but turkeys can actually get too close and that's what happened. Harry was set up along side the main road into the ranch, and here comes the gobbler nice and easy. Harry was ready. But uh-oh - here comes a pickup driven by your writer of this report. The bird spooked from the approaching truck, and ran right at Harry. When he pulled the trigger, the bird was way too close and the load of shot peeled off a pile of feathers and maybe broke his leg, but the bird skedaddled on down the draw out of sight. With Harry being so close to the road, the report of the gun made the startled driver of the truck think he'd had blowout on a tire.
Although Harry saw the bird a time or two later that day, he never could quite find him to put him down for good. A couple of days later, he was finally found. But by now, all that remained was a pile of bones and feathers. The disabled tom was clearly the victim of some varmint who had always dreamed of catching a wild turkey but just could never quite make the score. It's easier when the bird is one-legged, looks like.
Before the hunt commenced, Keith Wahoske had three birds to his lifetime credit. Two days later, he could proudly claim to have doubled that number. He now has six. Few hunters can claim such an accomplishment - doubling their lifetime collection, that is. Since our bookings this season are off somewhat, hunters are being offered the right to take an additional bird for an extra fee. In addition to Keith, Dee Alesandro and Harry Chism also collected three birds each.
So for the record, here are the results of this first hunt of the 2009 spring turkey season: six hunters collected fifteen gobblers. Three took two; three took three. The heaviest bird of the hunt, at 22.4 pounds, was taken by Warren, Jr. Two others were twenty or better and five beat 19 pounds. No doubt, the weights of the birds will decline as the season rolls along. The gobblers are quite active now. Finding something to eat comes in a distant second on their priority list. Romance clearly trumps food.
All the toms taken were long-beards. Indeed, few jakes were seen by anyone. Longest beard was taken by Mark Bennett (taped by Warren Jr.) at 9 28/32 inches. (We told you their contest measurements are exact). Ten of the fifteen exceeded nine inches and all the rest were in the eight-inch category. Eleven birds had spurs that were an inch or better, and you could make a strong case that there were more three-year old birds taken than two-year olds. Longest spurs, at 1 1/4" were found on Keith Wahoske's second bird and Dee Alesandro's third one.
As mentioned above, the weather, after that first afternoon, turned downright grusome for April. On Sunday, a cold north wind kept the temperature in the forties until mid-afternoon, and no telling what the chill factor might have been. Monday morning, the wind was still blowing (but thankfully not as hard) but the temperature even by 10 a.m. was only about 36. Heck, we didn't have many days like this back during deer season.
But the reports from the hunters were quite encouraging. Oodles of gobblers are out and about. Some of the hunters saw scores of them. They are gobbling some, but not a lot, according to the scouts/hunters. And response to calls was inconsistent. On the positive side, Dee Alesandro's final bird was called from an incredible distance. Dee was set up on the edge of a field and watched his bird come from hundreds of yards away, plumb across that field. Such an experience is guaranteed to elevate your heart rate.
More hunts are scheduled for the remainder of the season. There are plenty of open slots for anyone who wants to come. As we anticipated, this season is shaping up to be one of our all-time best. If you can get here for it, we'd love to have you. Call or e-mail anytime to get this list of remaining open dates. Even you decide to come at the last-minute, we can make things happen fast on this end.
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