5 minute read
Steve Pitzer - Great Turkey Hunt
spot picked out if they crossed that spot I would shoot but they didn’t. I’m beginning to not like those hens much!” The next morning we were back in the same blind we used
Mark showed a lot of patience the first day, we had turkeys the day before. The toms were sounding off in the valley answering our calls all morning having 8 come in close. below us some within 50 yards. One-half hour after the fly Only to have them do the usual turkey stunts; stay behind the down Mark spotted 2 jakes and 2 longbeards running thick brush and trees where Mark couldn’t get a clear shot. through the woods toward us. Mark quickly shouldered his One came up behind us through the woods, silent, just after Mossberg as the 2 jakes ran 15 feet by us; the longbeards ran Mark had just turned around to watch a long beard coming in the thick brush 20 yards from us. I waited for the anticiup another ridge 50 yards away. By the time he turned pated boom...no boom...after things settled down a bit I’m around and aimed the bird was puttin and running, this of thinking he didn’t get the safety off or there is another tom course alerted the other gobbler and they both vanished. standing still in the woods I don’t see but Mark does and he Mark turned and looked at me, I expected to see a disap- Mark Pitzer 12, of Bartonville & is waiting for a clear shot! Then he lowers the gun, sighs and pointed young man but instead his eyes were wide open with father Steve, with Mark’s 1st says “I couldn’t get aimed good, it happened so fast I just excitement. He leaned back and whispered, “dad that was turkey: 15 lb., 4.5in. beard, .5in. don’t want to shoot till I’m sure I’m going to hit him in the awesome that turkey was 10 feet away”. Others answering spurs, taken in Brown Co. IL. neck or head”. our calls only to group with hens who were also yelping right along with us. Later that morning we walked to a fence line looking into a picked cornfield. We called for a while on a long box we decided to use for volume since the wind had picked up. I spotted a gobbler 400-yards across the corn stubble strutting, Mark was using his Mossberg Bantam 500, 20 ga. which he got for his birthday. We were using a Primos ol Betsy slate call with a homemade cherry striker I felt so proud of him, not only that he was showing patience he already was a sportsman. I told him to sit tight were not done yet. After 15 minutes I began clucking and purring on my ol Betsy slate with my cherry striker it wasn’t long we spotted that bright red head and black body walking toward us through the timber Mark was ready this time! As we soon realized he was fanning every time we called on that I turned on my lathe. he closed in we could see the beard sticking out in front of box call, we could see him gobbling but could not hear him. After about 25 him; a nice sized jake. Every time he stepped from behind a tree I thought to minutes of this to our surprise he started across the field toward us. Also every myself shoot! Okay next tree shoot! No shot. time I called he would stop fan out and strut in circles for about 5 minutes then I remembered in the months before the season telling Mark to wait till he gets slowly flatten out and start walking straight at us again. as close as you can, but if he stops and putts you better take your shot because
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This took about 1 hour before he got 1/2 way across that field, at that point he isn’t coming any closer and he is fixing to run. another longbeard and a hen appeared along the edge of the same field and were The jake began heading toward some heavy brush so I purred on the slate he also heading our way. This tom too was strutting. At 40 yards the 2 toms began turned stepped out from behind two trees faced us and stopped. Again I thought to square off at each other while the hen walked straight at us, came about 10 shoooot son. I heard a loud putt come from the bright red head standing 25 feet of Mark’s nose and began looking him up and down. Mark didn’t move a yards in front of us followed by a loud boom which sent the bird down to the muscle, after 30 seconds of this stare down the hen decided she didn’t like the ground flapping, then a joyous “YES!!” from a thrilled young man. camo kid with the big stick and started walking back clucking to the toms. I have hunted turkey and deer for 30 years and have enough stories to write a Which in turn followed her back down the tree line and into the woods, fanning book but this hunt by far was the most rewarding, enjoyable experience I have every time I called but showed no interest in turning around and coming back had in my hunting career. I look forward to many more over the years like this our way. Mark looked up at me again and said, “That was so cool dad they one with my new hunting buddy Mark. weren’t close enough to shoot yet, and I don’t want to wound one but I had a
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