Spring Thunder: Our Annual Turkey Hunt in the Deep South

[Pierre Tessier]

The gobbling of a tom on a distant ridge is symbol of winter giving way to life and new growth. Alberta has many things to offer the outdoorsmen but unfortunately it has yet to develop its wild turkey population to where some of us can make it an annual pursuit. Time will come, interest and resources permitting, when one can hope to draw tags on a regular basis or buy a general license and chase birds every year

Constantly seeking adventure, the call of spring has lead my long time turkey hunting partner and I to travel south every year looking for ole tom's to outsmart with our calls. With several eastern's, rio's and merriam's to define our experience, Charles and I were set to hunt the osceola subspecies only native to the sunshine state. In hopes of completing our first turkey grand slam's we made arrangements with a guide and now friend from central Florida. Realistically, going blind on public land for an osceola had extremely low odds of success. Having no knowledge of the area's and our draws only valid for 4 days, our plan was to set out on a mix of private and public land in hopes of striking a bird.

I flew to Orlando on the 29 of march, excited as 5 months of intense planning was about to unfold. Charles had been hunting around with friends prior to my arrival. With a few days to spare before our hunt we drove north to Georgia where I had been speaking with local biologists and looking over maps to hunt eastern's on massive tracts of public land. We made a quick stop at Bass Pro in Savannah, Ga where we met another turkey hunting fanatic. Amazed that we had made the trip down from Canada, he invited us to hunt with him on his private lease in the morning. Little convincing was necessary, plans were made and our hunt was set.



Next morning found us meeting at a local breakfast place and we were at the property gates well before dawn. He sent us on our way and took his brother to another part of the property. Windy morning in Ga, we had only seen a few birds and heard nothing by 10:30 when we came accross a food plot in the middle of a pine plantation. Since this great property was mostly wooded, we figured birds would come to strut and feed looking for hens at all times of day.



Set up 20 yards from the Dave Smith strutting decoy and two hens, I glassed the pine ridge when a strutter was silently spotted coming in fast through the timber no more than 80 yards away! After whispering to Charles, the shotgun was raised with extreme caution. The bird hung up at 40 yards, inspecting his opponent and hesitant to come any closer. Carefully, sights were aligned and pressure put on the trigger. Shot was true and the bird collapsed. My heaviest eastern ever and it also had 1'' spurs and a 10'' beard! Excited, we met up with our host. It was now noon and calling it a day when he suggested we try another property the next morning, we thankfully accepted and the rest of the day flew by as anticipation was building.



Limbhanger



That night we had a tailgate bbq and invited poeple staying at the hotel to join us. Turkey breasts wrapped in bacon cooked on charcoal with a side of heineken. Great day in the south!


As dawn was breaking we made way into a freshly logged property. Birds were a little slow on the roost but after a few minutes we struck a bird on the ground. Charles spotted 2 redheads on the road so the decoys are put up immediately and we set up by fallen timber. The birds gobbled every now and then, few more yelps and they were within shooting distance. I could hear the strutters spit and drumming but could barely see them through the grass. Charles' barrel was raised and the shot broke the crisp morning air. Bird was flopping on the road and we had been there for 30 minutes! Another beautiful 3 year old bird. We struck a group of birds later and almost got an opportunity but the hen got nervous within gun range and took the flock away from us.



The next day we hunted public land but conditions weren't ideal and only a few hens were heard in the distance.




On the last morning in Georgia, it was agreed that a friendly Team Canada vs. Team Usa match up was due to set the record straight, we had good laughs. Both pairs were on birds but none came to investigate the calls within reasonable shotgun range, therefore we had a tie match and another hunt will have to be rescheduled. Turkey hunting in the south is sacred and the birds there know most of the tricks which makes them difficult to entice coming in to calls. Fortunate to have been so successful on the hard hunted eastern's that roam Georgia and for making friends of our hosts.

[Pierre Tessier]

Packed up and driving down to Florida, Charles and I are focused on our next hunt. Osceola's are generally tough to hunt. Everything in the south will poke, sting, cut, injure, bite, crawl and inject its venom into anything that walks. They are coveted birds heavily hunted and worth their weight in gold being the only place where a hunter can try his luck at an osceola to complete his turkey slam.



Our friend Larry is a devoted hard working turkey hunting guide. Little did we know, our hunt was going to set firsts and exceed our expectations. First morning Charles is walking into a power line to find a bird we saw the night before. Larry and I set up in another spot where we heard over 200 gobbles from 4 birds, some of the best action we had both seen and definitely rare for osceola's in that area. The action was steady until a lucky hunter took a bird a few hundred yards away at about 8:30. Public land means sharing the same ground with other hunters. We decided to head back and get some much needed rest.




Scouted later that day and the next morning those 4 birds had scattered leaving us with no leads but not defeated. We headed to an area Larry knew well.





Looking for sign in the road we struck a bird which was surprising with the wind and the distance he responded at. We parked the truck down the road and hurried back to the fence line where that bird had gobbled a few minutes prior. He answered right away and had cut the distance in half. Being surrounded by scrub brush, we were forced to set up on tree's the size of fence post exposing our silhouettes. I think we all had doubts until the bird appeared to my right at 16 yards and skirted around us. Unable to swing on him because of the tree's decided to stay put. Strutters that skirt you generally don't come back, but once out of sight a few cutt's and yelp's were all it took and he came back to 25 yards behind us. As he was covered by brush Larry and Charles turned around and I turned my head to catch the action. The bird appeared, Charles found a tight pocket in thick brush and made one of best shots I've seen in the turkey woods. We hurried over and the bird was laying still, defeated by the shot. Incredible feeling to see the friend who introduced me to turkey hunting more than 10 years ago harvest a bird after all those emotions! Not to mention it was his 4th species meaning he completed his first turkey slam. Bird went 1 3/8'' spurs, 10'' beard and around 20lbs which it outstanding by most turkey standards.

[Pierre Tessier]

We had several days left to find me a bird and I was confident if the weather held out for us things could come our way. We walked down a road surrounded by thick brush at day break. Three birds could be heard roosted in the timber and we knew they'd want to strut out onto the road and dry out from the morning mist. Changed our set up a few times but finally we put the decoys up and got seated where I can see down the road several hundred yards.



A hen pitched down and walked along the road to mingle with our decoys. A bird then flew from one pine tree to the next and it appeared to be a gobbler. From our angle we think he see's the hen and is decided on flying off to roost to land on the road within shotgun range! My heart is racing and my arms a sore from holding the shotgun ready for more than half and hour. Wings begin to flap and the bird appears from the sky between the decoys and the hen. Without a doubt is was a gobbler, a beautiful long beard! My shotgun was brought to aim, held as steady as I could and the shot was a clean miss! The bird looked around and walked with the hen down the road. Disappointment could be seen on my face, we were tired and had worked so hard for a chance to get a bird within range. Same firearm, same ammunition, same distance as in Georgia but the shot didn't connect. Larry was composed and asked me if I had more shells. He gave me two from my jacket pocket and jokingly made certain the camera was capturing all this. Having many years of guiding experience, Larry said to stay calm and wait he'd come back before letting out a few yelps. Though I didn't believe him, I could see the hen in the road 200 yards away. A minute later the gobbler appeared, strutting and making his way to the decoys. Seconds flew by as the bird came back to 40 yards and stood in the exact spot where he was minutes earlier! I could hear Larry's words in the background but I was so focused on making the shot what he was saying was a blur. What an emotional roller coaster and there lay an osceola within sight waiting for me to claim my prize. Charles left his hideout and came over to see us. I couldn't believe my eyes, this was another trophy Florida turkey with 1.5'' spurs, 10.5'' beard and in the 18lb range. Larry who has taken and guided over 150 birds said it was in the top 2-3 spurs he had ever seen, another exceptional turkey grand slam bird!





A true dark wing osceola


Bonus for Larry


From the start, this adventure was meant to stand out for us as one of our best ever. Thankful as to how trip went and for the southern hospitality, we will always look back and remember the time we traveled some 4400 km's to chase turkeys in the pine forests of Georgia and the sandy or swampy brush of Florida. Good luck to everyone heading out this spring!

[northbuck]

Great pics and story Pierre. It looks and sounds like you had a great trip and experience in the Deep South. There are some great, friendly people in that part of the world and it's a fun place to visit and get away from the long Canadian winter. And I would also encourage other Canadian residents to try some of the hunting and fishing experiences to be had in that part of the U.S. The ecosystems, wildlife, birds, vegetation are so different from here....and so interesting to see. Once again Pierre...an interesting read and neat pics. Congrats!

[wwbirds]

Thanks for sharing. I have a couple friends in Ontario that are turkey addicts and travel to 4 states each year to collect birds beside the 2 Ontario birds they shoot each year.

[2 Tollers]

Pierre thanks for taking the time to put together a great report on your trip. Really nice on the pictures and I sure like the look of the Osceola. I will have to add that to my list on future Florida breaks.

Congratulations.

[hunterfisher]

Love the Pics PT. That there must have been a great time. Maybe try something like that myself someday. Thanks for the post.

[Pixel Shooter]

X2 , great write up and pics, welcome back to winter

[fordtruckin]

Definitely jealous! Them are some pretty nice birds!! I hope I can bag something before the spring season ends here in Montucky! Definitely got screwed having to hunt public land. All the good Block Management land has been reserved.

[flyguyd]

Well done Pierre . You did well. looks like an awesome trip

[hal53]

Originally Posted by fordtruckin

Definitely jealous! Them are some pretty nice birds!! I hope I can bag something before the spring season ends here in Montucky! Definitely got screwed having to hunt public land. All the good Block Management land has been reserved.

"reserved?"

[Torkdiesel]

Awesome story and pictures. I'm hooked on this turkey hunting thing too
Congrats to you and your hunting partner.

[buckbrushoutdoors]

Great read congrats on the slam!

[waterninja]

like they said. great story and pics. thanks for posting.
what was the "bonus" you referred to in your last pic? looks like a gum wrapper but it must be something significant.

[catnthehat]

Pretty cool account and hunt Pierre, love the pics!
I don't know squat about turkeys, are those big spurs or normal spurs?
Cat

[thumper]

Thanks for all the effort in crafting such an excellent report! Great photos and story.
I've chased around BC turkeys while chalking up Alberta priority, but would love to try Florida. I was attacked once by a Goulds turkey in the Yucatan - the only wild creature to ever attack me! Beautiful bird - but vicious - poked some holes in me with it's spurs that bled like the dickens.

[nube]

Great write up!! Congrats on your hunt. Those are some great lookin birds

[Pierre Tessier]

Thanks guys! I understand this isn't something most Albertan's have seen or done before, my main goal was to share my experience. Successful or not, we had a great trip and hope you guys like the read.

Waterninja that bonus is an indian flint chipper or part of an arrowhead from a long gone era. Some lucky guys find them occasionally but i've never been one of them.

Catnthehat those are considered pretty good spurs for osceola's. Rarely do spurs break the 1-1¼'' mark, each 1/8th after 1'' is a huge gain for any subspecies. The majority of spurs all species combined are between the ¾ and 1'' mark. There is the spur that breaks the 1½'' mark but those are from exceptionnal birds.

As a comparison, Alberta merriams will generally have more rounded spurs between ½ and ¾'' with 1'' being a true merriams trophy.

Thumper from what I see the Goulds use their spurs fairly often, I bet that hurts. We never touch birds until they're done flapping around, getting spurred isn't much fun

[Cabot]

What a great write-up Pierre.

That trip must've been awesome. Never hunted turkeys before, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun and challenging to boot. Great pics also.

Congrats on the Grand Slam! You must be the youngest in Canada with a Grand Slam?

Congrats and thank you for sharing.

Cabot

[gitrdun]

Man, that was on par with reading stories in popular hunting magazines, very well done. I thoroughly enjoyed that and am quite envious.

[pikeslayer22]

Not into turkey's but a heck of a write up...thx for posting and Congrats on the Gobbler!

[nate_9ers]

Some great looking birds there

[Mr. Dynamite]

Great story and pics! What was your camera set up for the pictures if I may ask?

[fingershooter]

Great story, great photos. Those are some mean looking spurs.

[dty]

Really enjoyed reading about your hunt. Thanks for sharing.

[Pierre Tessier]

Cabot, thanks! I might be, would have to look. Might even be the first from Alberta? Won't be easy to verify but I might look for the fun of it.

Mr.Dynamite, I get that question a lot. Honestly, I really think knowing how to use your gear more than what gear you have is why the pictures turn out the way they do. I shoot a Nikon Dx frame, nothing fancy with the best prime lenses I can afford. If I go full frame that might be a different story.