Incredible Turkey Season
Ozark Revelations
Bill Cooper
Sometimes the stars align themselves perfectly. Such has been the case with my 2016 spring turkey season.
I began my season at a small media camp in Eminence, Missouri. Jim Anderson, owner of Shady Lane Motel and Cabins hosted myself, Kansas City writer Ryan Miloshewski and Land Agent Joey Purpura, from Kansas.
We toured the beautiful Eminence area and traversed hills, hollows and Current River in search of gobblers. We all had close encounters, but no one connected.
I spent opening day with old friend retired National Park Service ranger Bill Terry. He had heard numerous gobblers at our spot the day, before, but lockjaw befell the gobblers the day we hunted together. That proved just fine. Bill and I caught up.
Tuesday morning I hunted with “Ray Eye the turkey spy.” Often called a “Living Legend,” Eye is an incredible turkey hunter. He coaxed a gobbler off the limb. It landed 60 yards away. A hen landed next to it and she lead the gobbler straight away. Again, it was good to catch up.
Wednesday morning I stopped by to check in with Bill Terry. The gobbler had not recovered from their lockjaw malady. Bill wanted to make a move, so I headed home.
Terry’s e-mail beat me home. He killed a big gobbler at 8 a.m.
Thursday night Dian and traveled to Licking, Missouri to hook up again with Ray Eye and a host of outdoor writers ann personalities including, former trout biologist Spence Turner, Linda Powell of Mossberg, Melanie Swearingen, of the National Wild Turkey Federation, John Sabati, Hawaii turkey guide, Tony Caggiano, World Slam Adventures and Scott Davis, host of “Urban Hunting TV,” out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Davis made the trip home with me. I called and filmed the next day while he hunted on Jim DiPardo’s “Rosati Whitetails” property. Overcast weather held the birds down, but I managed to call in four gobblers using a lost call, which is commonly used in the fall. Scott harvested his first Missouri Gobbler.
I returned to “Rosati Whitetails” on Saturday and hunted alone. Very few times, if ever, have I herd so many gobblers sounding off in one location. They shook the leaves on the trees.
I came close to scoring early, but hens stole my gobblers away. Around 8:30 a.m., I heard 4 gobblers sounding off a half mile away. I called and they gobbled, Each time they sounded closer. I began a move towards them.
I called and both me and the birds closed ten distance. I didn’t realize how fast the birds were coming. They had to have run most of the distance. I figured I could advance another two hundred yards.
Total surprise overwhelmed me as I cleared a cedar tree. ll four gobblers stood 30 yards away. They bolted, obviously more surprised than me.
Three went to my left into brush. One bolted to the right, in the clear. I rolled it.
Fried turkey breast never tasted better.
Monday morning, of the second week of turkey season, I returned, again, to “Rosati Whitetails.” DiPardo agreed to video for me.
The early morning scenario played out much like my Saturday hunt. Gobbler seemed to be everywhere. We heard birds in every direction, but none were close.
Birds gobbled on ten roost for 30 minutes, then went completely silent. DiPardo mentioned food. I informed him that the birds would not gobble again until 9a.m. or so. We had plenty of time for breakfast.
We sat down to a fabulous breakfast of bacon, sausage, egg, toast, biscuits and gravy and American fries at Country Bob’s Cafe. We left with full bellies and extra heavy eyelids. Naps in the woods appeared eminent.
We walked to a point, set up and I began calling. Immediately two gobblers replied, across Jim’s lake and far over a hill.
On my next series of calls, three, maybe four gobblers, bellowed from a ridge not far away. We hustled towards the ridge, stopping every 100 yards to call again. We got response every time we called and the birds were traveling fast.
We stopped within 200 yards of the birds and called. The gobbled, but seemed to have stopped their advance. we moved up anther 50 yards and reset.
I cackled on my Bean Creek mouth call. All three birds doubled gobbled less than 100 yards away. Within two minutes I caught movement of black bodies with red crowns. The gobbler close din quickly.
The lead gobbler trend sideways at 55 yards. Along, black beard as thick as a paint brush swung as the bird walked. I knew immediately that I wanted to kill that bird. I have killed 91 turkeys in my career, but have never taken one over 23 pounds. this bird looked to easily be in the 25 pound class.
I may have been able to kill the giant bird, but 55 yards is a little further than I like to shoot. I had great confidence in the Spectra Shot White Lightning #6’s in my shotgun, but reasoned that here was a little too much brush between me and the patriarch.
The trio of grand gobblers became nervous, flipping their massive wings and ambling to ten left.
In an attempt to regain their attention, I clucked sharply on a Bean Creek glass call. A thundering gobble roared from 30 yards, directly behind our location.
I spotted the majestic tom, still in full strut. As it strutted behind a big black oak tree, I turned quickly on my seat cushion to face the gobbler.
Incredibly, the gobbler strutted to within three yards of Jim’s location. I could not shoot.
I moved just slightly, hoping to get the bird’s attention. My tactic worked like charm. The big tom, caught my movement and began slowly moving away from Jim’s location.
When the gobbler put a safe distance between himself and Jim, I sent a load of White Lightning in his direction and the strike put my second gobbler of the 2016 season on the ground.
We loaded my bird and our equipment in a Can-Am Defender UTV, provided by Cowtown USA and headed to the house, to very happy turkey hunters.
You can follow Bill Cooper and Outside Agin Adventures at: www.aoutdoortv.com, www.Facebook/Outsidealways, www.outsideagainadventures.blogspot.com and the St. James Leader Journal and their Community blogs.
Incredible Turkey Season
Ozark Revelations
Bill Cooper
Sometimes the stars align themselves perfectly. Such has been the case with my 2016 spring turkey season.
I began my season at a small media camp in Eminence, Missouri. Jim Anderson, owner of Shady Lane Motel and Cabins hosted myself, Kansas City writer Ryan Miloshewski and Land Agent Joey Purpura, from Kansas.
We toured the beautiful Eminence area and traversed hills, hollows and Current River in search of gobblers. We all had close encounters, but no one connected.
I spent opening day with old friend retired National Park Service ranger Bill Terry. He had heard numerous gobblers at our spot the day, before, but lockjaw befell the gobblers the day we hunted together. That proved just fine. Bill and I caught up.
Tuesday morning I hunted with “Ray Eye the turkey spy.” Often called a “Living Legend,” Eye is an incredible turkey hunter. He coaxed a gobbler off the limb. It landed 60 yards away. A hen landed next to it and she lead the gobbler straight away. Again, it was good to catch up.
Wednesday morning I stopped by to check in with Bill Terry. The gobbler had not recovered from their lockjaw malady. Bill wanted to make a move, so I headed home.
Terry’s e-mail beat me home. He killed a big gobbler at 8 a.m.
Thursday night Dian and traveled to Licking, Missouri to hook up again with Ray Eye and a host of outdoor writers ann personalities including, former trout biologist Spence Turner, Linda Powell of Mossberg, Melanie Swearingen, of the National Wild Turkey Federation, John Sabati, Hawaii turkey guide, Tony Caggiano, World Slam Adventures and Scott Davis, host of “Urban Hunting TV,” out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Davis made the trip home with me. I called and filmed the next day while he hunted on Jim DiPardo’s “Rosati Whitetails” property. Overcast weather held the birds down, but I managed to call in four gobblers using a lost call, which is commonly used in the fall. Scott harvested his first Missouri Gobbler.
I returned to “Rosati Whitetails” on Saturday and hunted alone. Very few times, if ever, have I herd so many gobblers sounding off in one location. They shook the leaves on the trees.
I came close to scoring early, but hens stole my gobblers away. Around 8:30 a.m., I heard 4 gobblers sounding off a half mile away. I called and they gobbled, Each time they sounded closer. I began a move towards them.
I called and both me and the birds closed ten distance. I didn’t realize how fast the birds were coming. They had to have run most of the distance. I figured I could advance another two hundred yards.
Total surprise overwhelmed me as I cleared a cedar tree. ll four gobblers stood 30 yards away. They bolted, obviously more surprised than me.
Three went to my left into brush. One bolted to the right, in the clear. I rolled it.
Fried turkey breast never tasted better.
Monday morning, of the second week of turkey season, I returned, again, to “Rosati Whitetails.” DiPardo agreed to video for me.
The early morning scenario played out much like my Saturday hunt. Gobbler seemed to be everywhere. We heard birds in every direction, but none were close.
Birds gobbled on ten roost for 30 minutes, then went completely silent. DiPardo mentioned food. I informed him that the birds would not gobble again until 9a.m. or so. We had plenty of time for breakfast.
We sat down to a fabulous breakfast of bacon, sausage, egg, toast, biscuits and gravy and American fries at Country Bob’s Cafe. We left with full bellies and extra heavy eyelids. Naps in the woods appeared eminent.
We walked to a point, set up and I began calling. Immediately two gobblers replied, across Jim’s lake and far over a hill.
On my next series of calls, three, maybe four gobblers, bellowed from a ridge not far away. We hustled towards the ridge, stopping every 100 yards to call again. We got response every time we called and the birds were traveling fast.
We stopped within 200 yards of the birds and called. The gobbled, but seemed to have stopped their advance. we moved up anther 50 yards and reset.
I cackled on my Bean Creek mouth call. All three birds doubled gobbled less than 100 yards away. Within two minutes I caught movement of black bodies with red crowns. The gobbler close din quickly.
The lead gobbler trend sideways at 55 yards. Along, black beard as thick as a paint brush swung as the bird walked. I knew immediately that I wanted to kill that bird. I have killed 91 turkeys in my career, but have never taken one over 23 pounds. this bird looked to easily be in the 25 pound class.
I may have been able to kill the giant bird, but 55 yards is a little further than I like to shoot. I had great confidence in the Spectra Shot White Lightning #6’s in my shotgun, but reasoned that here was a little too much brush between me and the patriarch.
The trio of grand gobblers became nervous, flipping their massive wings and ambling to ten left.
In an attempt to regain their attention, I clucked sharply on a Bean Creek glass call. A thundering gobble roared from 30 yards, directly behind our location.
I spotted the majestic tom, still in full strut. As it strutted behind a big black oak tree, I turned quickly on my seat cushion to face the gobbler.
Incredibly, the gobbler strutted to within three yards of Jim’s location. I could not shoot.
I moved just slightly, hoping to get the bird’s attention. My tactic worked like charm. The big tom, caught my movement and began slowly moving away from Jim’s location.
When the gobbler put a safe distance between himself and Jim, I sent a load of White Lightning in his direction and the strike put my second gobbler of the 2016 season on the ground.
We loaded my bird and our equipment in a Can-Am Defender UTV, provided by Cowtown USA and headed to the house, to very happy turkey hunters.
You can follow Bill Cooper and Outside Agin Adventures at: www.aoutdoortv.com, www.Facebook/Outsidealways, www.outsideagainadventures.blogspot.com and the St. James Leader Journal and their Community blogs.
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