I have have been trying to collect my first turkey for most of my life. Between work and other reasons I have only been able to get a day or two each year, but this year it all came together. A good friend and I have permission to hunt in the vineyards overlooking one of the Finger Lakes and Saturday became a very memorable hunt. We walked down to our location at 5:30 and set up one the edge of the woods between two patches of vines (pinot grapes I was told). I took my first Parker, a 1920 VH 12 with IM and F 28" barrels. Three gobblers started talking within a few minutes of our setting up from where they must have been roosting at the bottom of the vineyard. As the sun rose behind my back and lit the vineyard a beautiful view unfolded. My friend continued calling and made sounds of turkeys coming off roost. the turkeys continued gobbling but now they were moving. I looked through the vineyard and noticed a white patch moving which with more sunlight became the wings of a turkey over a hundred yards off moving through the rows of vines. I rose my gun and rested my elbow on my knee and began to watch a show. A second turkey soon appeared following the first and he started strutting around. It was great to see this display but they were not moving any closer (perhaps they heard my heart beating.) A minute or so later a loud gobble resounded from further down in the vineyard and then three more birds appeared and started to mill about. I had set out a Tom decoy with a real fan and a hen decoy about 15 yards in front of me in the clearing between the patches and this group of birds must have spied them as they started up through the rows like they were on a string. It might have been 6:15 and when the birds cleared the patch they stopped on the edge of a small ditch about 35 yards away and started to look at the decoys heads held high. I wondered if we were just about to be busted. I stared trying to find a beard but all three were standing straight on towards me. I could see one had a blue head and the other just brown so I figured the one was a Tom but did not want to make a mistake. Just then my friend made some soft purrs and that bird let off a deafening gobble straight a me and the decoys and removed any doubt I had. I pondered for a moment if I should wait and see if the other bird strutting would come this way but he wasn't moving away from the other bird and decided a bird in the vine was better especially since I waited so long for this opportunity. I pulled down on the birds neck and hit him with a right and he fell flopped around as the other two birds jumped straight up. Just then the bird stood and started to run back into the vineyard and I hit him with a left as he entered the first row. I jumped up and started to fumble around trying to remember where I put the extra shells in my new vest, it was like I lost my mind. There were turkeys running down the vineyard what seemed like everywhere. My friend yelled "run dammit, run" (Forest Gump flashed in my mind) and I started running down the hill like I had noodles for legs trying to open the gun, find shells, keep my eye on "the" bird running through the rows. Just as I found the shells I stopped for fear of falling down and my heart fell as I could no longer see the bird and thought it lost. Almost immediately I heard flapping and flopping behind me. Apparently the bird didn't go further than another row after bieng hit with the second shot and I had been trying to run down another bird. Finally my first turkey on the ground! When my friend came up we looked the bird over started the uphill climb out to the trucks.
Here's the view from where I sat, the bird was in front of the dark post in the middle of the picture.
They view from where the bird was, I was in front of the tree mid-frame
The bird, 18lbs, 5"beard and 1/2" spurs - a large jake maybe a year and half old. He should taste great with some wine, maybe some Pinot.
____________________ May you be blessed with plentiful game in the fields, the time to hunt, a good bird dog in front of you, a Parker in your hands and friends to share the adventures with.
