Well it was a short hunt for me on my first day hunting in MN. The weather was great and there was no other place I would rather be. The evening before I tried to put some birds to bed but they just wouldn't cooperate. So I headed to a piece of public ground that has produced for me on several occasions. I slowly worked my way into the woods listening for any gobbling activity. Every 200 yards I’d stop and owl hoot. After 4 spots I finally got an answer off across a ridge on property I didn’t have permission to hunt. So I decided to set up in an area nearby that has had a lot of turkey activity so far this spring.

I got set up without making a turkey sound and by this time 5-6 gobblers were sounding off. All of them a long ways off at this point although I hoped there may be one closer that wasn’t talking yet. I took out my Purdy slate over glass and did a few soft yelps to see if there were any silent birds close by. Nothing! I gradually increased the volume and I heard one of the distant gobblers closing the distance. I switched to my Quaker Boy Grand Old Master box call for just a little more volume. Man he liked that as he answered ever time as well as some of the other birds. He had hens with him as one was really starting to make a racket. I imitated her and she wasn’t happy about it. She was yelping and cutting aggressively and I let her have it right back with the box call and my HS Strut diaphragm. In a few minutes I could hear them walking in the leaves along a creek at the bottom of the ridge but they were working to my right and behind me. I turned my head to the left and attempted to throw my calls that direction. It worked as they started to then move left. The hen popped out about 38 yards away and yelped and purred as she fed along the ridge. The gobbler took another minute or so to show himself. He did so in full strut and when he broke strut I sent a load of #5 federals his direction from my Stoeger. Just like that the tom was down for good. I looked at my watch and it was 6:15 am. I stepped it off at 41 yards. The time at the patterning board paid off again.

He was a nice 2 year old bird with 7/8” spurs, a 9 ¼” beard and weighing in at 19 lbs even. Tomorrow morning, and the rest of the season for that matter, it’s my son’s turn.