I hadn't planned on turkey hunting this season as there aren't many running the farm and I am way too busy. This evening, I take a walk out back and out in the field is a tom and a hen. I know they are going to head to the other woods.
I literally run to the house, get the shotgun (not the AK) jump in the truck and drive back around to that woods to head them off. I walk through the woods out to the field that they are in. There is a small ditch , running north and south, between us, but offers little cover. So I crawl 150 yards to the ditch and set up. There is also a ditch that runs east and west on the north end of the field they are in. The field to the north is the back forty. They come down to the culvert and cross there and head north to a big cottonwood tree to cross over to the wood on my neighbor's place.
I decide to move closer to that crossing and the only way to do it is to walk 50 yards through knee deep muck to the cover of an oak tree, which will give me a twenty yard shot to the crossing. I don't want to crowd it too much so the two hens in the lead don't bust me. Halfway between the crossing and the other end of the field is a wash out. A hen jumps the ditch there.....crap. She crosses back over. Good, they are going to come to me. After much pacing back and forth, they finally cross at the wash out. Once the two hens clear and I see the tom cross, I head down the ditch 20 yards to the crossing as the birds will kitty corner it over to the ditch running north and south along the west edge of the forty.
I come up to the top of the ditch and see the hens 60 yards out and getting farther away. They notice me, but it doesn't appear that they are too concerned. Out into view comes the tom. 50 yards. I adjust for the shot, he peers in my direction, I shoot. Dust flies everywhere. Apparently when the field was planted there was a bit of a rise in the corner and I wasn't quite high enough. I am not sure how much of my shot hit the dirt, but I know one tom that is grateful that it was there.
Not the results I was looking for, but it was nice to see I can still think enough like a turkey to get in range.
