All of this unfolded last week and I’m just now getting around to posting it. I’ve been chasing turkeys for a long time with my recurve, and I finally made it happen. Here’s the tale, I hope yall enjoy this story. So here it goes…
I arrived in the woods around 630 the weather was perfect. And as the sun started to peak over the trees a tom started to sound off just over the little ridge to my right. I wasted no time in heading his way. I've learned, the hard way, over the years not to get too close to the roosting tree with all my gear. So I got to where I thought I was close enough to get him to come in and still be out of sight and set up. Time past by and he hammered at everything that made noise in the woods. But it was not to be, shortly after he flew down he went away from my location towards the creek bed that lay just past him. The next couple of hours were spent listening as toms were singing all around. None would commit to my set up and I could hear a couple down on the creek. So around 900 I packed up my blind and decoys and started to the creek bottom. I quickly set back up in a spot I knew turkeys to pass through. I tried once or twice to call but had no response. The silence was broken around 1030 or so when two gobbled on the neighboring property. I yelped a bit on my pot call and waited. I was rewarded around 1100 when I caught a glimpse of him coming in from down the creek bottom. I silently waited until I knew that he would be able to see my decoys then I let out a few soft calls to get his attention. As he stretched up to look I could tell that he was a jake. He stood motionless for a while checking out my set up. I began to cuss myself because of all the gobbling I had heard earlier I set out the jake and hen decoys I have. And the little jake that came in seemed to not want any confrontation. He scoped things out for a while and then headed up the hill past my blind. I sat thinking about how I shouldn't have placed the jake decoy out. Then I began to hear the "crunch" "crunch" of footsteps behind the blind. He reemerged about 15 yards or so to my left. My heart began to thump out of my chest as he approached my decoys stopping only once to half way puff up. He moved in to about 13 yards or so directly in front of my blind. All I kept thinking was "pick a spot" so I did, I drew and before I knew it my arrow was on its way. He tucked his tail as if I had spanked him, when the arrow went wide and low and sank in the dirt right under his backside! I wasted no time in grabbing the next arrow from my quiver and nocking it. By this time he had moved to around 18 yards or so moving out, but he paused to look back! I drew again, and this time the arrow found it's mark! I watched as the arrow sank in the chest at the wing! He flopped for a moment then ran! I kept thinking "No way does he hold that!" I forced myself to breathe deeply and focus as my emotions ran up and down. I watched as the running went to walking, then the walking to laying! I then looked at my watch and made myself wait for a couple of minutes, because all of the flopping and moving of the bird felt like it was an hour or more, though I know with me being amped up like I was I'm sure it was a matter of seconds. After I clambered out of my blind and walked over I had my prize! He had a solid 4.5 inch beard and no spurs to speak of but he's the greatest trophy I've ever taken! After checking out the location of impact of the arrow, I saw that it had hit him squarely in the shoulder as he was angling slightly away. The arrow had flown perfectly and the four blade magnus stinger had done it's work. I gathered myself for a moment and said a prayer thanking God for the grace and blessing he had given me in this experience.
Well there ya have it, the story of my first turkey ever with my recurve. I’m still high on the experience, and my wife’s ears are still bleeding from me talking about it around the house, haha. After cleaning him out all that delicious meat is sitting in my freezer waiting for the right evenings meal. And I’m working on drying out his fan. I’m going to try my hand at a homemade tail mount, (hope it works).
Topic: He looked back.... (Read 1196 times)
