# 2011 Turkey Hunt for My family.



## Chuck Smith (Feb 22, 2005)

Well I need to preface this topic a little. There are three turkey hunters in my family....My dad, my twin brother Lee (who has cerebral palsy), and myself. We all got drawn in MN for the second season. That started yesterday. If any of you look at the weather....it is snowing now here and we could expect 7 ins in the next two days. So not ideal turkey conditions. So with that we all decided any legal bird was going to be a great victory. We all think any turkey is a trophy.

Now to the stories....

I was on a different farm hunting and as I was just starting to leave my truck another vehicle pulls up. It is another hunter who gained permission the night before. So we talked and I told him my game plan. Then he informed me he had a blind set up in the direction I was going to head. So I changed my plan and told him we will divide the property for safety reasons in 1/2 and I will button hook around to the over fence line and stay over there with a valley in between us. So now I am a little depressed but still I am hunting and not in my office so the depression soon went away.

So I go to a very nice strut zone I scouted out before hand (this was going to be option 2 of my original game plan) so I set up the decoys (two hens and one strutter) and was waiting to hear some birds sound off...... I never heard one gobble. So time just keeps ticking away. About 9 am I hear a few yelps in the distance. So I get hunkered into a dead fall and position myself to bring this yelping bird into my decoys hoping either it is a hen with a tom on her tail or a jake. So I let loose with a series of yelps and excited cutting. Soon I see 50 yards away pop out of the cedars 5 jakes and they come a running into the decoys. I try to stop them at 25 yards with a couple clucks to get that Alert head up shot......but they keep coming and hit 15 yards and stop....then of course group up so I can pick one out. I let out a cluck again....one separates from the pack and whammy..... I am done. I harvested a 17 lb jake with a 4 in beard. I did not have my camera with so no pictures.

Now I get back to town and meet up with my dad and twin brother for lunch. They did not see a thing. Heard a bunch of gobbling in the distance but nothing close to the blind. They head back out at 1:30 pm. I am back at the office working when I get a call at 3 pm. My dad tells me they are done. I said lee got his bird....he said we doubled on two toms! They called in three birds and hammered two of them. Lee's was 23 lbs with 11 in beard and just shy of an inch spurs. My dads was 24 lbs and 10 inch beard with just shy of an inch spurs.

Now I have to live a full year with my twin bragging about the big bird he shot...LOL. Brotherly love I guess. I will just need to shoot a bigger buck to quiet him down a little. HAHA.

Hope all have a great turkey season as we did. Be safe and have fun. Pulling the trigger is only 1% of hunting 99% is the experience.


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## sndhillshntr (Sep 8, 2005)

Nice birds, great story. Thanks


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## jonnyr7 (Jan 5, 2010)

Thanks for sharing your story. I really enjoyed reading it and I am glad you guys had a successful, fun hunt and got a chance to spend time with your family!


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

Very cool story. Way to not give up when that other hunter showed up and way to work with him so that both of you could hunt.


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