Turkey Trail

By Richard Ledbetter

Every morning is unique in the springtime forest. The leaves grow thicker on the trees, wildflowers open up and new aromas fill the air while a greater assortment of songbirds begin to share their unique melodies. To miss a morning is to miss something special. Before each sunrise, I walk out and look up at the firmament. As predawn moonlight filters through the trees to the tune of owl hoots and crickets chirping, I wonder what new adventure or discovery the day may bring, judging if it’ll be a good gobbling day or perhaps not so much.

There will be times when the birds have been rattling the tree-tops one morning, and then, with slightly warmer temperatures and a little more humidity, you hear nothing the next day.

Almost every piece of hunting ground I know I discovered while going to the sound of a gobbling turkey. Sometimes he leads you through mature pine plantations, sometimes open hardwood expanses, sometimes over hills and others through winding creek bottoms.

One of the best assets the turkey hunter has is knowing the lay of the land. When stepping onto a new piece of ground, you’re at a disadvantage not knowing how a bird may travel his daily rounds. But it’s much easier to call a bird toward where he’s going rather than call him back to where he’s been.

Standing out in the first light of day, still and listening for that first gobble, one’s senses go to a higher level. The lonesome cry of a whippoorwill echoes through the darkness. Often, the first gobble is so near the outer edge of hearing it’s felt more than heard. There is that indescribable sensation evoked by the mystical call of a Tom turkey. The high-pitched rattle strikes a nerve in the human breast. Once felt, to stop and stand stark still, straining every nerve to confirm the faint hint by hearing a clear report. As dawn grows ever brighter with each passing moment, you stand with eyes unfocused, mouth akimbo, head tilted waiting anxiously until the glorious sound repeats and you know for sure you’re on a bird. If early enough, he’ll still be in the tree and easier to hear. But at some point, he’ll fly down and then his gobbles won’t carry quite as far.

Their routine will vary from day to day. A gobbler may have three or four alternate directions he takes in his passage traversing different sectors of his territory.

While following the movements of a Tom, the trained eye will recognize the dimmest of game trails, where generations of deer, hog and turkey tracks have worn an indention in the soft soil and the undergrowth is parted from frequent passage. Along these traces one will discover the tracks and scat where hens and gobblers have tread.

When you are deliberate and cautious in your movements, you’ll regularly find yourself in the company of browsing deer, rooting wild hogs and squirrel frolicking in the forest. Undisturbed and unaware of your presence, they go happily about their daily routine.

When you’re on a gobbling Tom, you may set out to close the gap. Stealth is key at this point. The last thing you want is to get too close too quickly and find yourself busted by the keen sight of a wild turkey. I’ve had a Tom sound like he was 300 yards distant. When I moved to close the gap, we spotted each other less than 40 yards apart. Game over.

It goes against a wild turkey’s nature to come to the call of a hen. A lusty lass more typically goes to the Tom. Therefore, it takes time, patience and an instinct. With any luck, the spring gobbler’s desire to breed will eventually override his instinct for caution.

It is commonly held how smart the wild turkey is. But with a brain no larger than a walnut, how smart can he be? The limited power of their “bird brain” is fully focused on survival and procreation. Every predator wandering the wild, from foxes to coyotes to man, is after a turkey. Survival of the fittest has developed their keen instincts, eyesight and hearing. And most of all, they’re patient. It’s not that they are so smart, it’s just that they will give the hunter all the time he needs to second-guess and mess himself up.

So, be deliberate, be persistent and patient, carefully thinking through every action, ever erring on the side of caution. Throw in a little luck and you just may find your longbeard at the end of the trail.