For me, another successful spring turkey season has quickly come and gone. It was a particularly warm beginning with March having temperatures one would find in late April. The unusually warm March accelerated the habits of the turkeys and the vegetation growth. One of the best days of the year was opening day of the Kansas spring archery season where Pro Staffer Justin Sherfick and I headed to the field. We had some quick action with Justin face-to-face with 4 charging toms at 10 yards, but a yucca and a gusty crosswind wouldn't allow him to loose and arrow.
Later that morning when it was my turn to tote the deke, we bailed out on a group of birds easing their way through a creek bottom to an open pasture near the road. Justin and I maneuvered our way down the creek where I ascended the bank into the open pasture to show the decoy. I left my call in the truck so I had to hang there silent. I eased up in the direction where we first saw the birds and patiently waited for the birds to work their way out of the bottom. The hens soon emerged and weaved up the subtle slope towards the road with the toms close behind. A landowner, for once, had a timely drive-by and nudged the birds back down the slope which was just what I needed to get the toms fired up with my presence. The two birds came in gobbling and strutting. When I came to full draw, the birds barely flinched. A slight pause to allow the front bird to clear the bird behind and a perfectly placed Grim Reaper made quick work of him.
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| Evan Williams of Rokslide.com with a KS double |
Some of the quick highlights of the season were the many pictures and comments on Facebook we received from successful bowhunters using the Heads Up Tom Turkey Decoy. My oldest brother Steve had some great action and bagged his first turkey ever in open country. Later that day, my brother Steve, after crawling all over God's creation trying to get a bird to charge him, passed and let me try my luck. 45 seconds later my season was done and Steve was in disbelief. However, I was amused.
Since hunting turkeys with a decoy mounted to your bow is not mainstream, we get tons of comments and questions on the how's and why's. There is no one answer to why or how it works and the results vary from not putting any work into a hunt to having to crawl for miles...and sometimes sprint for a hundred yards or so. The key is getting the decoy where the bird can see it and staying behind the fan without getting too impatient and showing your entire head from behind the decoy. Don't pay attention to hens, they will walk right up to you and ask you what you had for breakfast. Hen calling is something I always use to get the birds to come my way or to raise the level of interest. We are always hunting birds we see. Don't get to0 caught up in the science, the technique works often and the more you use it, the more encounters you will have.
Remember, Heads Up Decoys are the most versatile and effective decoys on the market. At times it takes some effort, but the encounters and experiences with these decoys are worth it. Be Mobile...Stay Mobile.
Later that morning when it was my turn to tote the deke, we bailed out on a group of birds easing their way through a creek bottom to an open pasture near the road. Justin and I maneuvered our way down the creek where I ascended the bank into the open pasture to show the decoy. I left my call in the truck so I had to hang there silent. I eased up in the direction where we first saw the birds and patiently waited for the birds to work their way out of the bottom. The hens soon emerged and weaved up the subtle slope towards the road with the toms close behind. A landowner, for once, had a timely drive-by and nudged the birds back down the slope which was just what I needed to get the toms fired up with my presence. The two birds came in gobbling and strutting. When I came to full draw, the birds barely flinched. A slight pause to allow the front bird to clear the bird behind and a perfectly placed Grim Reaper made quick work of him.
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