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Old 05-24-2023, 01:44 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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Default An Alberta Turkey Tale

I do enjoy reading hunting adventure stories, on this site and others, so thought I would share....

Most reading this will know how long it takes to get drawn for Turkey in Alberta. But, for those who don't, currently there are 200 tags given with over 24000 applicants. Mathematically, if everyone who enters tries to draw the tag, it will be over a 100 year wait to get drawn. Things may change, but drawing the tag is likely a once in a lifetime thing. So when I (Darren) and my buddy Keith got drawn for this spring, we wanted to make sure we put in some effort to scout, learn and enjoy a rare opportunity.
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Old 05-24-2023, 02:11 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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Step one was to scout, figure out where there are Turkeys, try to get permission. We do know the area somewhat, although not much where Turkeys are. Don't much like to ask others where they hunt, as I do enjoy trying to learn an area on my own, but with this rare tag I reached out to a couple of AO members for a general idea of where to look. Both were helpful (thanks very much guys!) and offered to provide more specifics if we wanted. But, being a stubborn sort, we wanted to narrow things down on our own with the general info they gave us. But that general info was very valuable in letting us know we were looking in the right areas.
We started looking in March, but soon heard that in order to line up permission on the better properties, we should have been booking permission as of last fall. We were definitely a little late. We also found that it seemed there were two ways/areas to hunt Turkeys - one was to find good areas in the farm/ranch country to hunt fields and adjacent timber. The other was to hunt the ridge/mountain country away from the fields. Tougher walking, fewer birds (maybe?) and harder to find birds. I think we would have hunted either, depending on where we could find birds and permission, but the second option was more appealing just to enjoy the experience of wild country. So we ended up getting most of our permission in the foothills and mountains. Beautiful country, now to find birds....
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Old 05-24-2023, 02:28 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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We made a total of 4 scouting trips before the season opened in May. We knocked on doors, drove roads, studied maps and tried to understand where to concentrate our efforts. We saw a few birds on those trips, not many but certainly some. We did hear that a tough winter had taken their toll on Turkey numbers in some areas, but we tried to be positive and enjoy learning the country.
The other thing we did was try to learn about Turkeys. Lots of you-tube videos helped with that, but a lot of those are Eastern Turkeys hunted in fields. Merriam's Turkeys, and the area we were looking at, were certainly different. I have read that hunting Merriam's can be like hunting Elk - lots of hiking and climbing to find birds. That ended up being our experience.
We also got calls and tried to understand how and when to use them. In the Turkey world, so we read, hens go the the toms, not much the other way around. So, when using a hen call, it was best to set up where the tom wanted to go. Also, using loud calls (such as a Crow, Owl, Coyote howler) are apparently effective to make a tom shock gobble - that is respond to a loud noise and give away their location. Certainly was interesting to learn about. On one of those scouting trips, while hiking a ridge a mile from the road, I heard a tom gobbling all on his own. Pretty exciting to hear! I also saw one flying - a few hundred feet over my head while hiking. I knew they could fly, but this one was up in Eagle territory! At least we knew there were some in the areas we were looking at.
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Old 05-24-2023, 02:46 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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...usually these stories have some pictures! I should have taken some of the country, but got too busy trying to find birds!

With May coming fast, we made plans to camp out and hunt Thursday to Sunday on opening week. Wednesday evening we arrived, set and camp and make a quick scouting trip. Almost to a spot we wanted to glass from and a big tom Turkey crossed in front of us! We were not prepared and simply watched as he made his way into the timber and disappeared. Had we been in hunting mode we might have had a chance... The one thing that struck us, with seeing a tom that close, was how impressive he looked. The coloration, size and overall look of the bird was really something. We did hear a tom gobble later that evening, and watched a hen cross an opening. An exciting start.
Next morning, we were just starting our hike in when a tom gobbled. We tried to get on him but he stopped making noise and, we assumed, walked up a drainage out of earshot. We continued on but, after a few hours of hiking and looking, didn't run across any sign or hear anything else. Finally we crested into a new drainage and sat down for a rest and a listen. I broke out my slate call and gave a few yelps. Didn't take long for a gobbler to respond! Pretty exciting! We worked the direction of the tom and set up (with decoys as well) a few times when we thought we were getting close. Despite having him gobble over the next few hours, he never did come in to our calls and we never did see him. Every time we set up, he seemed to circle around us by a few hundred yards. Exciting but frustrating, but we had found a bird!
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:08 PM
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The next couple of days consisted of lots of hiking and climbing - very much like Elk hunting. One evening I spotted a tom and hen working down a ridge edge. I put a stalk on the pair and got within 30 yards an hour before dark. When they put their heads up, the combination of a low gray sky and silhouettes only in that flat light, I couldn't be sure which was the tom and which was the hen. Certainly close enough to take a shot, but didn't want to shoot the wrong bird. I had to pass.
Another evening Keith located a tom gobbling along a big ridge, and tried to get in front of his direction of travel. Turned out there was a tom and a hen and they moved just above where he set up. Close, but not quite.

We did see over 30 birds those first days (some on property we didn't have permission on), so there were birds around. One tom sticks out in my mind. I spotted a group that was working along a tall ridge. One tom and five hens. I got fairly close and softly called to them. They looked in my direction, but the soft yelps I made seemed to have little effect. In only a few minutes they casually fed and walked over a half mile and out of sight. In the evening light, they were an impressive picture up on that ridge, but they seemed completely wild and unapproachable. We found them to be high strung, always on alert and our calls didn't make them throw caution to the wind and run over to us. Certainly fun, but this was going to be tough.
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:24 PM
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Keith couldn't make it out the next week, so I was solo on the next time I went out. At first light I crested a ridge in the dark and listened. Soon a bird gobbled to the west, then another to the north, and another....! Think I heard half a dozen birds sounding off! A great start to the day - there were birds in the area!
I started working towards the closest bird, but had to cross an open area to get there. Not far across and I spotted a couple of hens, and think they spotted me too, that slowly went into the timber. That tom stopped calling after that. Continuing further I stopped and listened often. Birds were calling, but always over a ridge or around the next hill. Eventually I made my way around a steep rock edge and heard 2 birds gobbling fairly close. One was on the ridge top and another was closer, in a shallow draw a few hundred yards ahead.
I started making my way closer to the bird in the draw, being careful to keep a ridge edge or clump of pines between us. I was getting close, 100 yards or so, and climbed into a thick clump of pines thinking I could set up. Not finding something I liked there, I looked higher. A steep rock bank was a little further up, with a pine growing at the bottom edge. I looked carefully to make sure I could get there without getting spotted, climbed up to the pine and tucked myself in beside the trunk. Another smaller pine was in front of me which gave even more cover if the bird came in. If he did come in, he would need to get within 20 yards to see where I was. It felt like a perfect setup.
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:28 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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Having trouble uploading a picture. Hope this works. This should show the spot I tucked into.
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File Type: jpg spot.jpg (67.3 KB, 250 views)
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:40 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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I waited a few minutes after settling in, then sent out some soft hen calls and clucks with my slate call. The tom gobbled back immediately from the same shallow draw. I guessed he was within 75 yards.

A few long minutes later and I hadn't heard anything more. A few more soft calls and he again responded right away. He was getting closer. I had the gun up and trained on the ridge edge when I caught movement. All I could see was his head as he moved first up, then down the ridge edge. I needed to see more for a clear shot, plus I needed to confirm he had a beard (the tag is for a bearded Turkey only). He hadn't gone far when he stuck his head up, way up it seemed(!). I was able to clearly see his beard now and, at 15 yards had a perfect clear shot at his head. The gun went off and the Turkey went bouncing down the ridge!
My first thought was "Wow, I got a Turkey"! My next thought was, he is getting away as he bounced and tumbled down the ridge! Feathers were flying every time he hit the ground and he went 100 yards before he finally came to rest at flatter spot on the ridge. It had worked out perfectly!
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:43 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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More pics of the Tom.
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File Type: jpg Bird 3.jpg (127.7 KB, 194 views)
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  #10  
Old 05-24-2023, 03:47 PM
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The morning had a heavy dew, so the feathers on the bird were fairly wet. When he tumbled down the ridge he got himself full of dirt. I tried to clean him up to get some nice pictures, but he still looked pretty dirty. Still, amazing looking birds. Feathers of bronze, orange, green, purple and other colors that a slightly colorblind guy like me can't see. But what a bird!
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File Type: jpg Feathers.jpg (71.0 KB, 130 views)
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:50 PM
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He had only one spur.
Hanging in camp.
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File Type: jpg hanging.jpg (86.8 KB, 184 views)
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:53 PM
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I had watched a couple of videos on how to display a Turkey fan. The one I liked the best was by a taxidermist named Rodney Elmer. The feathers needed a lot of cleaning after his tumble down the ridge but they came out clean and relatively undamaged. Pretty happy with how the fan turned out.
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Old 05-24-2023, 03:56 PM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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The month is not over and Keith hasn't had a chance to get out again. But he will be going out this weekend and I am planning on joining him to help track down one more. Here's hoping we can find another.
Hope you enjoyed the story. Figured, with a once in a lifetime tag, I would share what turned out to be a pretty exciting Turkey experience.
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Old 05-24-2023, 04:02 PM
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Thanks for sharing Darren and congrats on your Thunder Chicken
Not an easy tag to fill
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Old 05-24-2023, 04:17 PM
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Well written about a great adventure, congrats!


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Old 05-24-2023, 05:51 PM
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Well done, very exciting hunt!!
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Old 05-24-2023, 10:41 PM
DRhunter DRhunter is offline
 
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Great write up and glad you had some success! It’s a great hunt and awesome time of year to be out.

Thanks for sharing!

DR
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Old 05-25-2023, 12:16 AM
PH Trekker PH Trekker is offline
 
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Great story and pictures of a beautiful bird. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 05-25-2023, 09:50 AM
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That was some quality writing! Thanks for taking us along on your turkey journey. Congratulations on your tom!

Looking forward to the next instalment.
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Old 05-25-2023, 10:39 AM
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Pierre Tessier Pierre Tessier is offline
 
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Way to go on filling your tag! You put some good effort into it and did very well. Many birds live away from private and away from ag fields just have to put in some work to find them.
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Old 05-25-2023, 03:19 PM
4x4bowhunter 4x4bowhunter is offline
 
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Default Congrats

You guys definitely did your homework and put in the time and were well rewarded. Huge congratulations and hopefully your buddy can get it done this weekend.
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Old 05-25-2023, 03:28 PM
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Big congrats on your Tom! And thanks for taking the time to do a write up. Fun read!
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Old 05-25-2023, 03:51 PM
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Enjoyed the read, thank you for posting a great hunt story
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Old 05-25-2023, 05:21 PM
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Awesome story! Congrats

My grandpa was involved in the original f&g plan to bring turkeys here. He passed away last year. While I was born at the wrong time to ever draw a tag, it’s pretty cool to see a his influence carried on through the years.
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Old 05-25-2023, 07:18 PM
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Great story! Thank for sharing, mate. Sounds like a solid adventure!
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Old 05-26-2023, 06:52 AM
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Well done! Sounds like a great adventure. Thanks for sharing
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Old 05-29-2023, 11:39 AM
Bigfeet Bigfeet is offline
 
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Had a few more days out trying to find a Turkey with Keith. He spent a rainy, windy day in the area I got mine but found no birds except for one hen. The next day I joined him. Much nicer weather so we tried the same spot, but the same results. We saw a hen, likely the same he saw the day before, but that was all.
The last couple of days we tried a few different spots. One area we had found birds before, but now found none. The other we did find a few birds, but they weren't very responsive. A far off gobble here and there. We closed the distance when we heard them, but they went quiet or had moved off by the time we got there. The closest we got was a group of 4 birds we stumbled across on our walk out on the last day. They came over a small rise, walking towards us, but we were caught in the open. Keith thought they were jakes based on their red heads (something I couldn't tell). 60 yards was too far for a shot or confirming any beards in the group. Still was exciting to see.
We felt, with most hens nesting, the toms seemed to be less responsive. Hard to draw conclusions based on just a little experience, but it did seem the breeding season was over and chances of calling one in weren't as good as earlier. Keith didn't get a bird. Still a fun season. We hiked a lot of miles, got to experience some beautiful country and had fun trying to figure them out. Certainly something we would do again, although with the tag availability at the moment, that isn't likely.
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Old 05-29-2023, 11:56 AM
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We did have an exciting encounter one day. We had found a large meadow where there were fresh droppings, dust baths and a few feathers. After sitting for a few hours near the sign, we decided to circle the meadow and do some calling into the adjacent timber. Halfway around, with no responses yet, Keith again blew loudly on the crow call. Immediately the brush erupted 20 yards away and we caught a glimpse of brown fur. Initially I thought we jumped an Elk, but it came running right at us instead of away. Turned out it was a red cinnamon phase Black Bear, that charged up to 10-15 feet! Thankfully it wasn't a Grizzly, which briefly went through both our minds based on the color. He stopped, leaned toward us for a brief moment (as if to continue coming at us), then turned and ran off. The whole incident was over in 30 seconds, probably much less. Our guess is he was dozing, was startled by the sound and rushed in instinctively, looking for a meal. I think if it was only one of us, there could have been a different outcome, but what seemed to stop him was when he looked and noticed 2 of us. Hard to say that was his thought process, but that seemed to be his reaction.
Both of us did have bear tags, but it was over much too quickly for me to unclip my rifle from my pack (which takes only a few seconds). Keith had his shotgun leveled at the bear and it was clear one of two things would quickly happen - either he would run off in a few seconds, or he would come at us and Keith would fire. No chance for me with the rifle in that scenario. Maybe we should have been more scared by the encounter but, overall, it was a really exciting experience. Pretty darn nice bear - gorgeous coat and color plus a decent size. An experience that we will never forget!
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