An Outstanding 1998 Spring Season

Spring wild turkey hunting here in Ohio has become better each year with harvest breaking records each year since the first season the state opened the spring hunts...

With this in mind, myself and longtime hunting friend Russ went to an area that I knew was loaded with gobblers and had not been hunted this spring.  Russ, an avid outdoorsman who hunts the month of October in
Montana each year, was like a kid on Christmas morning excited to be outdoors again and hunting for spring gobblers for the first time.  I run a guide service and was able to take 3 days off to try and get my friend his
first bird.  The first day we heard over 15 birds let off some steam before they floated down from their roost.  Then they would group together and head straight away from us past two strip pits and high walls gone for the hunt.  The valley would be quite and no more replies from my calls could be heard.  Two days of this and it was time for another plan.

This spring came early and it seemed the hens were nesting and the BIG boys were regrouping, mating was fast coming to an end!!!  I knew we needed to get ahead of these birds and call as they came our way.  Earlier we awoke the last day of the season, hopes not high but still hopeful... As always happens when a good plan goes bad the birds headed to an area we had not planned on.  We were now almost running to catch up to this group of birds and it seemed like they were getting the better of this chase.  Now and then we would stop and I would let out a few calls with my homemade diaphragm hoping to turn these birds our way. 

When it seemed all was lost I saw a slight movement ahead and told Russ "Get down, I think they have  turned."  Sure enough, here they came and we were in the middle of an old logging road, no cover and no time
to move.  Russ was next to me on my right, we both had guns raised and were at the ready.  I counted 13 gobblers and no hens.  Russ, the avid hunter he is, was breathing so hard I thought the birds would hear him
and we'd lose our chance.  This time I chose to use a jake call, "kee run" we call it.  That was all it took.  If you have ever heard 13 gobblers trying to gobble all at once then you know what we were hearing.

An incredible melody of gobbles that I have not heard before and won't soon to come.  Glancing out the corner of my eye, I could see the barrel of Russ's gun doing a little circle dance. You know the kind that says "
I'm too excited to hold this gun steady!!!"  I said in a low voice "Russ take your time and take the lead bird with the apple looking head".  Red as red can be, this was the BIG of BIG boys here.  The shot was fired
and the lead bird flopped and did its final kicks.  Just as he fired I had my bird chosen and did the same.  We both had fine birds on the ground, Russ "high fived" me so hard, I thought medical attention may be needed!!!

Russ' bird was a beauty indeed tipping the scales at 23 lbs even with a 11 1/2 inch beard thick as a rope and 1 1/8 inch spurs.  Mine was nothing to sneeze at either coming in at 22 lbs 4 oz. 11 1/4 beard with 1 inch spurs.  Russ said he never was more excited during a hunt and he has been on biggame hunts all over the lower 48 and Alaska, Canada too.

Needless to say this was a hunt of a lifetime and one to tell when the grandson's are knee bound and eager for tales.

Clyde Burrie Jr. is the President of BEARDBUSTER GUIDE SERVICE and enjoys helping his clients and friends experience the outdoors through terrific hunts.  You can visit his site at http://www.beardbuster.com or email him at atrkyhntr@juno.com.
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