"The Tale of Two Turkeys, and the Gobblers They Got"
First published in "The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters" (May/June 2023)
My first turkey “hunt” was on an early Thanksgiving morning in the late 1990’s. My parents and I were at our family ranch in Dimmit County, located in Southwest Texas. We were about to go on a walk, when we saw a large group of turkeys making their way across a sendero (pathway, trail, or in this case, a dirt road) about 100 yards down from the house. I went inside, grabbed my 12 gauge and put two turkey loads in the magazine, and stuffed a couple more in my pocket, along with my hunting license. I sprinted down an adjoining sendero, and found a clump of mesquite that might provide some cover. Now I had to wait and see if the turkeys had continued in the direction I hoped they would. After a very long minute, the first line of turkeys crossed about 25 yards away from me. I racked the shotgun and fired immediately, as mass hysteria ensued. The cluster of turkeys, running in every direction, swirled up a tornado of dust. After the chaos settled, I could see my first turkey - a very robust longbeard was on the ground!
After that morning, I vowed that I would always keep a shotgun with some turkey loads nearby during turkey season for any more “hunts” that may come up. You never know when you might see a flock (also known as a gaggle or rafter) passing through. Most of my turkey kills have been a result of driving the property and spotting a group to sneak up on. I’ve taken a couple in South Texas from a deer blind, when one happened to pop out within range.
The majority of my turkeys have come off my ranch in Central Texas, located in the Post Oak Savannah region. It is patchworked with post oaks, pecans, mesquites, and a variety of other trees – some native, some non-indigenous. A handful of years back, we took a big step forward in our Wildlife Management Program. We worked with our local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to re-established roughly 23 acres of non-native growth into flourishing fields of native grasses and forbs, through their Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Many of our choices were designed to directly benefit the turkeys. It has become commonplace to see turkeys in one of the five newly planted fields. We love seeing the positive impacts within the local wildlife by implementing these habitat improvements, and we thoroughly enjoy sharing this experience with family and friends.
Three years ago, my wife, Meg, and our youngest daughter, Ellie, planned a weekend trip to the ranch in the middle of April. We invited our good friends, Matthew and Elaine Mitchell, and their daughter, Charlotte, to join us. Once the families were unpacked and all settled in, Matthew and I went on a drive to pick up the SD cards from our game trail cameras. It was in the middle of the Spring turkey season, so we each grabbed our shotguns for the drive. Matthew has been one of my main hunting partners, since we became close friends, years before. He didn’t have many opportunities to hunt turkeys in his past, but we were hoping to change that, soon. After discussing our plans, in case we saw any, Matthew said for me to go ahead and have the first shot.
We were driving down a fence line and turned down a road going into the property. Immediately, we saw two massive gobblers about 100 yards down the road. I turned off the ignition, grabbed my shotgun, and tried to cut the distance. Before I could get close enough, they dove into the thick brush, out of range.
We started walking back and noticed a few other turkeys about 90 yards away, down a separate clearing. We hugged the brush line and crept up towards them. The grass was high which played to our advantage when we were approaching them. This particular pursuit made it difficult to identify the individual turkeys. The spring season only allows for one gobbler in our county and I hoped there was one in this group. Matthew had stayed behind, witnessing the action up close through his binoculars, watching me inch closer and closer, as I started to make my final approach. I got within 30-35 yards of the group. After a couple minutes, I could see one of the turkeys breaking through the grass into a clearing. I could tell it was a healthy gobbler! A few seconds later, I took the safety off and fired. He fell immediately, flopped around for a bit and then drew still. I turned around to see Matthew, who was walking up, saying, “okay, that was freaking awesome!” Indeed, it was!
After I tagged the gobbler, we took a couple pics and headed back to tell our ladies the story. I promised Matthew he had first shot on the next gobbler. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any lucky run-ins, or “hunts” the rest of that trip. Matthew would have to wait another season for his first Central Texas Rio Grande gobbler.
After that morning, I vowed that I would always keep a shotgun with some turkey loads nearby during turkey season for any more “hunts” that may come up. You never know when you might see a flock (also known as a gaggle or rafter) passing through. Most of my turkey kills have been a result of driving the property and spotting a group to sneak up on. I’ve taken a couple in South Texas from a deer blind, when one happened to pop out within range.
The majority of my turkeys have come off my ranch in Central Texas, located in the Post Oak Savannah region. It is patchworked with post oaks, pecans, mesquites, and a variety of other trees – some native, some non-indigenous. A handful of years back, we took a big step forward in our Wildlife Management Program. We worked with our local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to re-established roughly 23 acres of non-native growth into flourishing fields of native grasses and forbs, through their Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Many of our choices were designed to directly benefit the turkeys. It has become commonplace to see turkeys in one of the five newly planted fields. We love seeing the positive impacts within the local wildlife by implementing these habitat improvements, and we thoroughly enjoy sharing this experience with family and friends.
Three years ago, my wife, Meg, and our youngest daughter, Ellie, planned a weekend trip to the ranch in the middle of April. We invited our good friends, Matthew and Elaine Mitchell, and their daughter, Charlotte, to join us. Once the families were unpacked and all settled in, Matthew and I went on a drive to pick up the SD cards from our game trail cameras. It was in the middle of the Spring turkey season, so we each grabbed our shotguns for the drive. Matthew has been one of my main hunting partners, since we became close friends, years before. He didn’t have many opportunities to hunt turkeys in his past, but we were hoping to change that, soon. After discussing our plans, in case we saw any, Matthew said for me to go ahead and have the first shot.
We were driving down a fence line and turned down a road going into the property. Immediately, we saw two massive gobblers about 100 yards down the road. I turned off the ignition, grabbed my shotgun, and tried to cut the distance. Before I could get close enough, they dove into the thick brush, out of range.
We started walking back and noticed a few other turkeys about 90 yards away, down a separate clearing. We hugged the brush line and crept up towards them. The grass was high which played to our advantage when we were approaching them. This particular pursuit made it difficult to identify the individual turkeys. The spring season only allows for one gobbler in our county and I hoped there was one in this group. Matthew had stayed behind, witnessing the action up close through his binoculars, watching me inch closer and closer, as I started to make my final approach. I got within 30-35 yards of the group. After a couple minutes, I could see one of the turkeys breaking through the grass into a clearing. I could tell it was a healthy gobbler! A few seconds later, I took the safety off and fired. He fell immediately, flopped around for a bit and then drew still. I turned around to see Matthew, who was walking up, saying, “okay, that was freaking awesome!” Indeed, it was!
After I tagged the gobbler, we took a couple pics and headed back to tell our ladies the story. I promised Matthew he had first shot on the next gobbler. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any lucky run-ins, or “hunts” the rest of that trip. Matthew would have to wait another season for his first Central Texas Rio Grande gobbler.
As you all know, the spring of 2020 brought about a bit of change. We never had a chance to meet up at the ranch during the spring turkey season. I did get a gobbler when I was there with my wife and our daughters. I hope the Turkey Cordon Bleu I prepared for our families would help soothe the sting of a missed season. The next spring provided similar results, as we couldn’t quite get our schedules to overlap. Matthew was extremely busy with his Architecture business, and my plate was also fairly full. We vowed that we would not let April 2022 go by without having a trip out to the ranch to try to hunt some turkeys.
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Matthew and I share a birthday on the 6th of April. While I was celebrating my 43rd in 2022, Matthew was hitting the big 4-0! We celebrated with our own families on the 6th, and planned a quick 24-hour work trip to the ranch the following day. After arriving and tending to some chores around the property, we came back to the house to meet up with Jacob Spradling. If you are familiar with my story, “Black Beauty,” that appeared in the May/June 2018 edition of the Journal, then you’ve met Jacob before. He's a great friend and fellow hunter. We told him we wanted to take a quick lap and see if we could spot some turkeys for Matthew. He was game for the “hunt”.
I got behind the wheel of our side by side. Matthew took the passenger seat, while Jacob centered up in the backseat. We decided to go check out a field that we often see turkeys in, on the far side of the property. As we approached the field, I told Matthew to get his shotgun ready. He put a couple rounds in the magazine, and a few more rounds in the ammo sleeve on his stock.
As we turned into the field, Matthew and I looked down a sendero on our left that hugged a row of massive oaks and pecans. We were both so focused on trying to see any sign of movement along the wood's edge, we didn’t even think to look down an overgrown road to our right. Luckily, Jacob did!
“Turkeys! Turkeys! Turkeys to the right,” Jacob whispered. I coasted behind some brush and killed the engine. Jacob explained where he saw the group, which was about 150 yards down the overgrown road. Matthew racked one, made sure his shotgun was on safety, and started to creep up towards the turkeys. He was concealed by the brush line between the two roads. He had no idea when he cleared the final stretch of brush, if the turkeys would even still be there. Jacob and I stayed back, as not to get in Matthew’s way. We saw him stealthily make his way to the edge of the brush, stand up, and slowly bring his shotgun up to his shoulder. We waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, we heard the echoing announcement of his shot. He reported back, proudly, through a giddy grin, “I got him!!!”
I got behind the wheel of our side by side. Matthew took the passenger seat, while Jacob centered up in the backseat. We decided to go check out a field that we often see turkeys in, on the far side of the property. As we approached the field, I told Matthew to get his shotgun ready. He put a couple rounds in the magazine, and a few more rounds in the ammo sleeve on his stock.
As we turned into the field, Matthew and I looked down a sendero on our left that hugged a row of massive oaks and pecans. We were both so focused on trying to see any sign of movement along the wood's edge, we didn’t even think to look down an overgrown road to our right. Luckily, Jacob did!
“Turkeys! Turkeys! Turkeys to the right,” Jacob whispered. I coasted behind some brush and killed the engine. Jacob explained where he saw the group, which was about 150 yards down the overgrown road. Matthew racked one, made sure his shotgun was on safety, and started to creep up towards the turkeys. He was concealed by the brush line between the two roads. He had no idea when he cleared the final stretch of brush, if the turkeys would even still be there. Jacob and I stayed back, as not to get in Matthew’s way. We saw him stealthily make his way to the edge of the brush, stand up, and slowly bring his shotgun up to his shoulder. We waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, we heard the echoing announcement of his shot. He reported back, proudly, through a giddy grin, “I got him!!!”
Jacob and I walked up to congratulate Matthew and to check out his turkey. “Now that’s how you start off your forties!” I said. He smiled, and declared he was now “40 and one turkey day old.” Matthew began filling out his turkey tag, as he recounted the tale of his hunt.
When Matthew reached the edge of the brush line, he told us he saw three gobblers. Two were a little further out of range, but one was strutting behind a cluster of trees, well within range. After what seemed like a very long minute, it moved into a slight clearing, 33 yards away. Matthew didn’t hesitate when he saw this window of opportunity. He aimed at the base of the neck and his shot held true. It definitely helped that Matthew took the time earlier in the day to pattern his shotgun with some new 3.5” turkey loads at 25-40 yards. I strongly suggest that you test out your firearms anytime you change ammo. Most of you probably adhere to this routine, but it’s always a good reminder, I’ve found. As a result of doing this, Matthew knew exactly where his shotgun was patterning at various distances. By using a turkey target, he could see how many vital hits he could get at various ranges. It made him confident when the turkey came within the range he had been practicing at. Matthew was using a Benelli Nova that his father had gifted to him, recently. I know that made the experience extra special, and I was very excited for Matthew to relay the details of the hunt with his father.
Matthew's first turkey was the perfect finale to a very successful 2021-2022 hunting season. Earlier, in December 2021, he and I took a four-day hunting trip to my family ranch in Dimmit County. Matthew connected with two does, a ferral hog, a javelina, two sandhill cranes, and his first mature Texas buck, a massive ten point! His freezers were full and we both added some amazing stories to share over some delicious wild game meals, which are always served best with a side of family and friends.
When Matthew reached the edge of the brush line, he told us he saw three gobblers. Two were a little further out of range, but one was strutting behind a cluster of trees, well within range. After what seemed like a very long minute, it moved into a slight clearing, 33 yards away. Matthew didn’t hesitate when he saw this window of opportunity. He aimed at the base of the neck and his shot held true. It definitely helped that Matthew took the time earlier in the day to pattern his shotgun with some new 3.5” turkey loads at 25-40 yards. I strongly suggest that you test out your firearms anytime you change ammo. Most of you probably adhere to this routine, but it’s always a good reminder, I’ve found. As a result of doing this, Matthew knew exactly where his shotgun was patterning at various distances. By using a turkey target, he could see how many vital hits he could get at various ranges. It made him confident when the turkey came within the range he had been practicing at. Matthew was using a Benelli Nova that his father had gifted to him, recently. I know that made the experience extra special, and I was very excited for Matthew to relay the details of the hunt with his father.
Matthew's first turkey was the perfect finale to a very successful 2021-2022 hunting season. Earlier, in December 2021, he and I took a four-day hunting trip to my family ranch in Dimmit County. Matthew connected with two does, a ferral hog, a javelina, two sandhill cranes, and his first mature Texas buck, a massive ten point! His freezers were full and we both added some amazing stories to share over some delicious wild game meals, which are always served best with a side of family and friends.
"Son of a Blitch" Podcast Episodes w/ George & Matthew
Head on over to the "Son of a Blitch" YouTube page to check out some of the podcasts that George and Matthew have produced together. They have interviewed Doug Duren (Duren Farm, Sharing The Land, & MeatEater contributor), Jeremiah Doughty (Field to Plate), Larry White (The Wildgame Gourmet), with many more great guests to come! They also do a podcast to recap their hunts and their hunting seasons, which are incredibly entertaining and educational.
www.youtube.com/@sonofablitch
