“This hunt affirmed a turkey hunting tactic that has allowed me to tag out on opening morning the past few years and that is: Find the roost and get setup close.”
The work week had just concluded on a Friday afternoon, and I was headed out of town with two things on my mind: 1st find turkeys and 2nd find their roost.
Turkey opener was less than 12 hours away, and I had done very minimal turkey scouting leading up to this point. Though, I knew that if I could put some birds to sleep, my chances would be high in the morning.
After navigating a few public hunting areas and other hunters planning to hunt opening morning just as I was, my hunting game plan was looking meek.
With a stroke of luck, I was able to locate a good group of birds on some private ground that wasn’t being watched by other hunters. With the assistance of OnX, the landowner’s home was located, and permission was granted. The old man said “kill them all” which put a grin on my face, knowing I only had one tag to fill.
I rushed out just before dark to put these birds to bed and ensure that my game plan was bulletproof. Hopes were high going into opener…
My alarm woke me at 3:00am and I jolted up with excitement, knowing it was going to be a special morning in the turkey woods.
The weather called for high winds and this pleased me, as I knew it would allow me to get very close to the roost. With a full moon shining down and the wind howling, I was able to set up within 100 yards of the roost. Set up in my ground blind, I had my jake and hen decoy just 15 yards away.
As sunrise crept closer, I found myself counting the dark figures up in the cottonwoods and grinned with excitement as I reached forty. I was astonished by the number of birds merely right on top of me.
As legal shooting time arrived, turkeys started piling down onto the ground just out in front of me. For a moment, I thought I was waterfowl hunting due to the number of birds gliding down to alight just before me.
After spending time behind my camera, capturing and enjoying being face-to-face with so many turkeys, I decided it was time to fill my tag.
I had a pair of mature toms walking back towards my decoys, which had already taken a severe beating by another group of toms, and they gave me an easy 20 yard shot. My SEVR broadhead gave this tom the quickest and most humane death he could ever receive.
I couldn’t help but sit for another half hour and soak in one of the craziest turkey hunts I’d ever been on. Easily the most turkeys I’d ever been surrounded by, I knew this hunt would be a tough one to top. I was amazed with how my weekend had switched from lots of uncertainty to getting into a spot that allowed me to have an experience such as this.
This hunt affirmed a turkey hunting tactic that has allowed me to tag out on opening morning the past few years and that is: Find the roost and get setup close.
Gear List
TUO Kinetic Merino 250 Hoodie – Verse Camo
- The comfiest piece of clothing that I own. No matter what I’m hunting, the merino hoodie is on me as either a base layer or outer layer.
TUO Aptitude Softshell Jacket – Verse Camo
- Moisture wicking and windproof. A must-have outer layer for those cool spring mornings.
TUO Clime Pant – Verse Camo
- My go-to pant no matter what I’m hunting. Comfortable and sexy.
- Keep the paws warm, that wind can be chilly.
Lacrosse Ursa ES GTX Boots
- I’ve been running these boots intensively since last summer. I’ve put tons of miles on them and they still look barely used. Sleek design and super comfortable.
