one from the past

[weekender]

I started turkey hunting in '88. I long time friend showed me how he done it, I followed suite. He mostly scouted, sit and waited in good spot calling occasionally. Once in while he would run and gun, but he killed more playing the waiting game. The key was being in a good spot, a spot where turkeys wanted to be. Setting in the wrong spot is hard on the butt and heart. I did good my first year, I hunted SC and the limit was 5 gobblers. I killed 5 and unloaded my gun when the last one fell. I immediately made plans to kill a turkey with the bow the next year. I practiced all the time anyway, some folks play golf, some basketball others computer games, I shoot the bow. I don't know when Double Bull made their first blind, but if they were around back then, I didn't know about them. The '89 season started beyond belief for me. Opening day I had a jake at 25 yards and a long beard at 40. I shot the jake and was off by a couple inches. I know he didn't make it, but he went in a grown up cut down and I shredded a set of camo's fighting through the briars trying to find him. I looked for 4 hours with no luck. All I found was a pile of feathers showing my shot was just low of where it should have been. A turkey looks big, but his vitals are about the size of a cigarette pack, and you don't usually get a blood trail. I thought since I shot one my first day trying, this was going to be "easy". I won't bore you with the next 4 years but let's just say my skinning knife never got dull from a bow shot turkey. I gave in a few times and killed some more with the gun but finally said "no more" till I do it with the bow.
It was the first year Kay and I got together, we were living in a motel in Greensboro (long story cause we both owned decent houses). I had worked 3rd shift on Thursday night Friday morning. Got back to the motel about 7:00 AM and told Kay I was going to SC turkey hunting. At that time she had not started hunting but never tried to stop me. I drove for 4 hours, walked a mile to a favorite spot, it was around noonish when made my first call. I was not surprised when a distant gobbler answered. If you get a turkey to gobble at midday, you have a great chance, he's lonely. I called a few more times but he didn't answer. "You want to play hard to get, I can too". I hushed. I sat still as I could for over an hour, never making another call. This works sometimes and the next time I heard him he was close, real close. His gobble was deafening. Then I could hear him in the leaves coming around me. I had a hen and jake decoy out with jake facing away from me. The long beard circled the jake as to come to meet him face to face. He went behind a tree and I drew my bow. The decoy was 15 yds and just before they clashed, I sent my arrow in where his beard attached and out his south end. I would have bet a million dollars he was dead right there but he ran, well, like his butt was on fire. A motor cycle wreck some 20 years before had left my left leg mangled. I had not run in the 20 years since. I jumped up like I was 19 again and after that turkey I went. I didn't make it far, maybe 10 steps and those 20 years without being able to run, coupled with having spent the last 2 hours motionless took it's toll. I tore my hamstring and calf mussel at the same time. The pain knocked me to the ground, I nearly threw up. I felt like my whole leg was on fire. I got up and tried walk but couldn't. My turkey had went down a creek bank and out of site. I crawled on my hands knees about 50 yards to the creek bank and looked in. I could see on a sand bar where it looked like he had landed. I crawled down into the creek and after some searching found 1 pin head size spec of blood where he went up the bank on the far side. I crawled after him. There was a grown up cut down on the far side creek and getting through the briars was tough, but I was determined. I found my turkey about 75 yards into the cut down. I was elated. I had to crawl back to my set up with my turkey where I had a small folding saw in my pack. I cut me some forked sticks to use as crutches and started the uphill mile back to the truck. Less than half way back a Texas size thunderstorm tried to drown me. I was soaked to the bone, hurting like heck but happy as hell. When I got to my straight drive truck, I cut one of my home made crutches short enough so I could use it to mash my clutch for the 4 hour trek to Greensboro. I'm sure I was a pitiful site when I came hobbling into the motel room with a wet turkey and 200 mile tale to share with Kay. She took me to the hospital, my leg was black and blue. They took x-rays and said come back Monday. That night must have slept I slept with my leg bent to relieve the pain. The next morning it was stuck. I could not even think about straightening it out. It would take two full months of crutches and physical therapy to my straight and walking again. My turkey now spends all his days and nights in full strut in a glass case in the living room. Here is the only pic I have, after I got back to the motel.

[WAHOONBOX]

I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE...........I AM SPEECHLESS!

[JMS-ILM]

how cool is that.....nice read this AM weekender, thanks.

[SeaBiscuit]

Great story, told well. Thanks weekender!
SeaBiscuit

[BTH284]

That is an awesome story. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[dakndug]

Cool story and great to look back on past hunts. Memories and friends are what this is all about.

Doug