Hank Huntington: Day Two Of The Great Nebraska Turkey Hunt

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Day Two Of The Great Nebraska Turkey Hunt

I was up at 5 AM and on the road to Tekamah, NE. The weather could not have been more beautiful. It takes a good 60 minutes to get to the Big Chicken and have a really big breakfast. The plan was to be in a good spot by 8 AM and hunt all day over the entire farm. It was hard to believe the birds left, but the landowner spends a lot of time on this farm and knows their habits.

On the farm by 7:30, I headed to the hill where I shot the big bird last year about this time of year. From the woods to the north, the birds would come down the hill to the lake to get water. The pasture is lined with cedars and other timber and forms almost a runway. The plan was to put the decoys three fourths of the way down the hill and push myself back into the timber lining the hill. It was a perfect place to hide. I draped the decoy bags on limbs of branches up hill from my spot.

The decoy spread with Pretty Boy looking away from the hens. I turned him so that he showed a little more interest.

After waiting about twenty minutes, I took the slate call and gave a couple of good yelps. Then I clucked away for a few minutes. After that I quit calling. If Mr. Tom was there he would hear the hen and his heart should have begun beating faster.

I put the leaf suit on and I can hardly find myself.

This is where a good book comes in handy. I opened up my Kindle and began reading as I was enjoying the cool Nebraska morning. With just a light breeze out of the south the decoys had just the right amount of movement.

Thirty minutes went by. I hit the call again just to remind a love lost tom that a hen was available and he should come and introduce himself. I started reading again and slowly drifted off into a really sound sleep. It can't get much better than that.

After three hours, it was obvious that there were no turkeys on this farm. I picked up my gear and started to head for home. On the way out, I met with the landowner. He indicated that he had seen a big flock move back onto the farm. He told me to stay in touch as he is out on the place working almost daily and will keep track of what he sees. This just the start and there is more hunting to go. Turkeys are excellent eating.