For the past 45 years, I have eagerly looked forward to spring and turkey hunting. Oh, I might get a bit despondent anticipating the hot weather ahead but spring means strutting gobblers and I have long been attracted to the turkey woods where each year I hope to bag a gobbler.
There’s just something about hearing a big gobbler sounding off in response to my calling that keeps me coming back each year. I’m not the best turkey hunter in the world but as an outdoors writer the past almost half century, I have hunted with some very good turkey hunters and learned a little from each of them.
I’ve quoted my great friend the late Bob Hood often, “Patience kills more turkey than anything.”
I’ve heard Bob say this many times and it’s true. No two turkey hunts unfold the same. Sometimes gobblers will be gobbling their heads off every time they hear a plaintive hen yelp, other times they go silent. But I’ve learned just because gobblers won’t gobble doesn’t mean they won’t come in to a call and the sight of a decoy. At least half the time, I’ve just looked up and caught movement as a gobbler was sneaking in quietly to what he thought was a receptive hen yelping.
Turkeys are very smart birds and they are extremely adept at staying alive in the wilds. Mature gobblers seldom come running in to a hunters decoy or calling. Oh, I’ve had it happen, but more often they sneak in and the reason is obvious. They probably want to ‘size’ up the situation, make sure there are no predators attracted to the hen yelps or possibly do battle with a flock of jakes (one year old gobblers). One Jake is no match for a mature gobbler but Jakes often run in small flocks and I’ve seen them become very aggressive to a lone gobbler.
Wild turkey meat is one of my favorites and spring just doesn’t seem complete without a big platter of chicken fried turkey breast and fajitas made from the thigh and leg meat. I cook fresh turkey breast slices at turkey camp whenever possible. I usually have a zip loc bag of white rice prepared and make a quick cream gravy in the skillet after the turkey fillets are fried to a golden brown. I use canned milk and flour for the gravy and can prepare a platter of golden fried fillets, rice and gravy for a camp meal in less time than it takes to tell about it.
As of today, I haven’t had a chance to actually hunt turkey this spring but thanks to a stocking program on a big ranch close to my home, I have been in the turkey woods filming and taking still photos of several gobblers. There is no hunting season yet but it’s great fun to get out with the cameras, both still and video, and photograph the birds that are just entering their annual breeding season.
Photographing turkeys is very rewarding but it obviously does not satisfy my culinary needs for fresh turkey meat nor the thrill of actually bagging a woods wise old gobbler. I have a special hunt planned for later this week that I would like to tell you about. Like most of my outdoor adventures, I try to incorporate some outdoor cooking into the outing whenever possible.
I’ve got a great friend who I’ve fished with for about 40 years. My buddy owns some land that has a very healthy population of Rio Grande turkey and several years ago, eastern turkey were stocked into the area. Today, I believe that many of the birds are probably hybrids of the two subspecies. Judging by the larger size of birds in the area, I believe the genetics of the larger eastern birds from years ago is manifesting itself in the size of the birds but the species is officially Rio Grande.
Like most of my fishing and hunting trips, I enjoy making plans for how I hope the day afield or on the water plays out. These plans require packing certain gear just in case I guessed correctly. Sometimes, the outings go perfectly according to script but I always allow a little ‘wiggle room’ for times Mother Nature throws me a curve.
Chances are very good on this day with my buddy that I will bag a gobbler, they haven’t been hunted and we’re in the peak of the breeding season. My friend has a pond full of eating-size bass situated in the center of his property and I though a midday meal of freshly caught fried bass fillets, potato salad and baked beans would make a memorable meal for the two of us, a big gobbler handing from the limb of a nearby oak would put icing on the cake!
I’ve been cooking with a little Rocket Stove lately that creates a very hot flame and it will be in the back of my truck for this short hunt, along with a bunch of dry twigs the little stove uses for fuel. But what if my friend wants to sample some fresh fried turkey breast fillets, rice and gravy? Well, I’ll have a bag of pre-cooked rice, canned milk and flour at the ready.
If everything goes perfectly we might just enjoy a surf-and-turf lunch from the wild, hunted and caught on my buddy's land; he would really like that. Oh, I could have packed some fresh wild pork chops or venison burger for the main course but that just wouldn’t be the same as harvesting our lunch from the land.
What, you might ask will happen if I don’t shoot a gobbler or if the fish aren’t biting? What about my plan then? I only make these type plans on high percentage fishing and hunting trips. Chances are good we will have fresh turkey meat but even if I strike out I simply cannot imagine not catching a few bass with our assortment of plastic worms and Rat-L-Traps.
But yes, it’s not impossible that the turkey elude us and the fish get lockjaw. Well then we resort to plan C….. potato salad, rice and gravy and beans. With a back-up plan like this I just don’t see how we can lose!
Contact outdoors writer Luke Clayton through his website www.catfishradio.com Listen to his weekly podcast “Catfish Radio with Luke Clayton and Friends” just about everywhere podcast are found.
