Short Indiana turkey season

AaronS · May 2, 2005

Our season opened last Wednesday, but Saturday was the first chance I had to make it to the woods. I wasn't in a big hurry to get anywhere that morning because the weatherman had been calling for rain, lots of rain, and I figured that it would be later than usual before the birds were moving. The woods next to the field I was going to hunt has been logged since last year and all the brush and tree tops have been pushed to the edge of the woods. With the new baby I hadn't had time to do any scouting or site prep, so when I got there I had to pick a spot and clear out a spot with my folding saw. After completing that task I checked to make sure I had a shot in several directions, then decided to place my decoys. I took a step out into the field and in the early fog I thought I saw 3 or 4 turkeys about 75 yards south of me, so I decided the decoys could wait and I quickly and quietly got settled in and set up. A few minutes later a turkey flew down into the field 75 yards north of me and started feeding. A little later, another one joined it, then again a few minutes later a third and a fourth joined them. One of the birds, a jake, worked its way down the field edge and apparently didn't like something it saw (me) and began clucking/putting. It stopped about 20 yards from me then made a big arc around me farther out in the field. Several minutes after this, another one of the jakes came down the field edge and began putting also. By this time, I was thinking of all the work I had waiting for me at home, about getting skunked the past 2 seasons passing jakes while chasing longbeards, and how these jakes have just informed everything in the area that "something was up". After letting him get to within 15 yards and then back out to 20, I let loose with a load of #5's from a 3.5 inch Winchester Super X shell, all out of my Browning BPS 12 gauge. It was all over but the flopping. Bird shot at 6:10 a.m. and I never made a call. Tiny little 12 pound jake with 7 mm spurs, but I bet he'll be good eatin'.

P.S. The date was wrong on the camera when the photo was taken. Battery went dead last week and I forgot to reset it.

borch · May 2, 2005