Hens and plenty of toms

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Johnson, one sporting a 7-inch beard. Two, then three toms followed right behind them.

At about 20 yards away, the hens turned and went to some strutting toms to the left of the decoys. One hen jumped onto the side of a manmade tank.

“I was watching that, and then, ‘Boom,’” Sams said. “He shot the first tom that came close.”

Johnson used his trusty Remington 1187 20 gauge with TSS (tungsten super shot) ammo in 9 1/2 shot.

When the bird was down, the quite a stir. Park officials said they were scratching their heads to identify the creature. The photo posted by Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park garnered more than 1,100 comments. The most common (serious) guesses were American badger and nutria. Park officials tended to agree with American badger, saying badgers aren’t commonly seen but the region is part of the animal’s natural range.

REPORT ILLEGAL HUNTING AND FISHING ACTIVITY FOR A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000. CALL OPERATION GAME THIEF AT (800) 792-4263

Wardens Honored For Rescuing K9

Two game wardens were recognized for saving the life of a K9 officer. In 2020, game wardens were performing a canine-assisted search for human remains with K9 Bosch. The canine officer sustained a deep laceration. Game wardens Joni Owen and Pat Thorpe carried Bosch to the truck and administered trauma first aid. After being rushed to the veterinarian, Dr. Mike Dodd performed surgery on an artery, stopping the bleeding. The wardens were awarded a Director’s Life Saving Citation at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission’s March meeting. K9 Bosch is fully recovered and retired.

An American Legend

SPONSORED BY: RUGER.COM/AMERICANRIFLE action picked up. The other tom started pecking at the downed bird and the hens slowly walked off.

“The tom circled the downed bird for 40 minutes,” Sams said.

“I have to pee so bad,” Johnson texted.

“I’m freezing,” Sams replied.

Johnson got on his knees to relieve himself, but the lone tom stayed.

More birds were heard, and Sams texted Johnson, “Call them.” He did and another flock came, including three jakes. The jakes went to the downed bird, beating it up. The other original tom fought off the jakes.

“It was like a turkey funeral,” Sams said. “The tom was protecting his buddy.”

Two more toms came, strutting, and the hens returned, with the birds making lots of noise.

The hunters were getting impatient.

“Go get the dead one and see if they run off,” Sams texted. When Johnson did, the turkeys finally flew. The hunters sat another 30 minutes, but the few birds that returned cautiously stayed at a distance.

“It was quite a hunt,” Sams said.