21 lbs, 11 1/2" beard, 1" spurs
April 22nd, 2005
Missouri Spring Turkey Season
Allen "horntagger" Morris
First Public Land Bird
Bois D'Arc Conservation Area
Greene County, Missouri
Monday, April 18th -
7:00 a.m. Hunt Started - Bois D'Arc Conservation Area, Greene County, Missouri. No Gobbling - Could not hunt scouted area too many hunters. Watched a hen run across road at around 10:00 a.m..
Watched hunter's decoy's in the distance of a highline cut. Watched Jake run across road at around 1:00 p.m.
Hunting Pressure has to be extremely high. Viewed over 20 different vehicles.
Tuesday, April 19th -
7:00 a.m. Hunt Started - Bois D'Arc Conservation Area, Greene County, Missouri. No Gobbling - Spotted a Gobbler strutting with a hen at around 7:30 a.m. Setup in area they where head near a pond. Came within shooting range but turned out to be a Jake. Around 8:00 a.m. a Conservation truck drove thru field and they left shortly after.
Watched 3 other hunters move from area to area.
12:00 p.m. Watched one Adult Gobbler with four Jakes in middle of field and watched them run into fence row at around 1:00 p.m.
Viewed thru out the day 4 deer, 5 box turtles and 2 squirrels.
Lost my one of my favorite calls and got 2 ticks.
Wednesday, April 20th -
7:30 a.m. Hunt Started - Bois D'Arc Conservation Area, Greene County, Missouri. Watched hen in last year's food plot near shooting range. Listen to turkeys within shooting range which is a no hunting area cut up.
8:00 a.m. Heard Gobbling behind shooting range, Spotted a Gobbler with two hens at in middle of field road. Walk a billion miles to get set up on the opposite fence because of the shooting range. They walked by but, turned out to be a Jake. They took off when someone started a weed eater in the shooting range area.
10:00 a.m. Heard another Gobble on another fence row on the along the opposite side of the shooting range. View a Gobbler and Hen walking toward each other in field road. Walked another billion miles set up in Tall Rye grass as they walked by, but turned out to be another Jake.
11:00 a.m. Watched deer and another Jake run out of a fence row across field.
Viewed thru out the day 10 deer. Found my call.
Thursday, April 21st -
7:30 a.m. Hunt Started - Bois D'Arc Conservation Area, Greene County, Missouri. Watched two hunters cut across field I had planned to hunt. Drove around for a few minutes and marked which parking lots where empty.
8:30 a.m. Heard Gobbling along fence row of private land. Set up and listen and call very little but did get response and was moving closer.
9:30 a.m. Started hearing calling down from me and spotted a decoy, and the bird shut up. Put my orange hat on and left the area.
10:00 a.m. Watched a Jake run by the fence row I was standing in.
11:30 a.m. Watched another Jake run along fence row I was sitting in.
Viewed 8 box turtles and 2 squirrels and 1 deer.
Friday, April 22nd -
7:15 a.m. Hunt Started - Bois D'Arc Conservation Area, Greene County, Missouri. Drove around for a few minutes to see if the same parking lots where empty from day before to decide which area had no pressure from day before.
7:40 a.m. Heard Gobbling at the end of a fence row I was standing and glassing area.
7:45 a.m. Kept moving down fence row and glassed a hen at the end walking across an opening in the trees at the end. Deer started blowing about 80 yards away in a small patch of trees but then took off across field.
7:50 a.m. Moved within 40 yards of the end of the fence row and he gobbled two more times. He was on the other side and at the end of the fence row. Glassed and could see him strutting on the other side. So I sat down and got ready, watching the gap.
Refused to make any hen sounds with call, because of the other hens and the high pressure birds these are. Took out my Jake Gobble call and hit on it twice. The gobbler gobbled back and then I could see him running my direction as hard as he could go. He stopped at about 10 yards out and look around.
8:00 a.m. BOOOM. First bird down.
Turkey Hunting Hunting on public land for the first time, and not being able to start hunting till 7:00 a.m. at the earliest, has to be one of the most difficult season I have ever experienced. But this bird made it worth it.
One more to go.
First Public Land Bird
