Southern Iowa Turkey Hunt

I also went turkey hunting this weekend on my Grandpa Ferguson’s farm, in the same woods that I always do near Barnes City, Iowa. I got to hunt two days this weekend there for the second turkey hunting season. The first day, Saturday morning, I set up on the same spot from which I had seen that big gobbler last year at about the same time, which I have spoken about in my previous posts. I heard three turkey toms in the set of woods that belong to my uncle Bob and one turkey that was in the set of much bigger woods from which I don’t hunt. The turkeys however came out on the other side of the creek that runs through the property and I could see them strutting away in the open pasture, which if they don’t pass the spot where I was set up that they go to, and that’s exactly what they did. I had seen them go out into this open pasture to strut dozens of times and without a doubt I should have set up there, but I was after this big tom and I have never seen him out there. I thought to cross the creek, but I also had tried this many times and failed every time, but one to get a good shoot off at these turkeys. I wasn’t desperate yet to get a turkey as I would get to come out tomorrow, so I decided to leave them be for the day without spooking them and I retired back to my truck. I went fishing that day after hunting and helping my grandpa and had some great success and caught eight or ten bass. The next morning I set up on the north side of the creek where they more often then not come out and strut in the open. As the morning sun started shedding it’s light on the world the turkeys warmed up with some gobbles and I gave out some yelps and clucks to let them know where I was. There was only one turkey that morning in my uncle’s timber and I heard two others a great distance from me. I called for an hour and I concluded that none were coming for whatever reason. But just as soon as that hopeless thought crossed my mind I heard a hen purring not ten feet from me. I had my back against a tree and this hen had come from behind, seemingly out of a huge pasture with nothing in it. Then hen got on my decoy and I was so surprised by this turkey that I pulled up my gun, I identified at that point and I heard some movement also behind me so I slowly turned back and saw I really nice tom, but at that point I had spooked that tom and he took off in flight, and the hen soon followed. Not my best moment, but it sure was exciting for a while.