Spring Turkey
Last year when covid hit and the world went crazy and shut down, I found myself (like many others) jobless and living out the back of my truck. Adventure filled my soul as I day dreamed about the exploring that lay ahead of me. With turkey season being a month and a half long, I dove in head first, eager to learn as much as I could about these wild, giant, birds. Season came and went and I was very lucky to hunt with a variety of family and friends, camping under the stars, putting miles on the boots and daydreaming of future hunts, as I sat around the fire at night. The year seemed to go by in a flash and once again turkey season was upon us, and with a week off to hunt turkeys, I was feeling stoke level 10.
One of the reason’s I became a hunting guide was to give that “hunting experience” that my clients were seeking. At first, I found it strange to hop into a nearly falling apart jeep at 5:30 am to head out for our hunt, strangers just yesterday, but soon realized the common bond of “hunting” automatically made us friends. It was the common denominator to our new relationship, as stories of past hunts filled the air as we drove those muddy, rocky roads.
This past turkey season a couple fellows from Mississippi, came to Colorado to run around the turkey hills with me. Practically strangers I met Carson and Chase at a “glassing pad” to try and find turkeys for the next days hunt. As a hugger, I went for it, clearly any awkwardness there might have been. After chatting for a few minuets we all hopped into the truck, chatting away like life long pals.
As we cruised up the windy road we spotted a tom with 10+ hens, and to no surprise they were on private land. Hoping we could call the tom away from his hens we realize they have everything where they are and head back to the truck.
That evening was spent grilling, drinking some beers, laughing our faces off and having good conversations till the early hours of the morning. As experienced turkey hunters Carson and Chase suggest we sleep in and that the turkeys aren’t going anywhere.
Coming from the flat lands of Mississippi, hiking the ridge to where the turkeys were was no easy task for the guys. “ We just have to get to the top, and then we can kill a bird” Carson says through his heavy breathing as he passes Chase. A sigh of relief comes over both of them as soon as we reach the top. Something inside me, intuition perhaps tells me to head a different direction than I normally go, hoping that if we call down towards the private land, we would get a tom to respond and come into our calls. And so we did, and just like that the hunt turns into action packed.
Fairly new to turkey hunting, I let the guys take lead on this as I follow behind with my camera. I wanted to soak in every second of this hunt as these guys have been hunting turkeys for 10+ years. I felt as though we have spent our entire lives hunting together. We worked effortlessly as a team, no questions asked as we called, set up, called some more, set up again, and then as we all sat huddled under a pine tree, the tom showed himself, and Chase dropped him in his tracks. High fives, hugs, and looks of “I can’t believe that just happened” filled our faces as we celebrated the life of this turkey.
Having traveled from Mississippi, Carson and Chase both harvested turkeys in Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Colorado…. I was honored to be a part of their spring Turkey quest.
With another tom in the area, we decided to hangout for a while, hoping the guys would double up. As the afternoon got warm, we headed back to the truck to make our way to camp were we would cook turkey, drink beers and soak in the magical morning we just experienced in the turkey woods.
One of the main reasons why we are obsessed with hunting.
Guarantee you, we are still talking about the hunt in this photo..
The most beautiful birds.
As the day faded to night, the conversations deepened as we soaked in the warmth of the fire. My soul had been fed that day, as these are the experiences, the moments, the memories, the people, I want to fill my life with. Some people will never understand the feelings we felt that day, something so primal, so raw, connecting us as humans to our core. Gratitude for the wild animals we pursue, keeps the fire burning inside us hunters, as we live from season to season, whether we are sitting in a tree stand, or hiking big mountains, none of that matters, it’s our WHY. This day, with these guys is mine.