Turkeys in the Snow

This year Utah had its first general season turkey hunt. I spent a lot of time during April scouting for turkeys and didn’t have much luck finding birds. However, as May approached I couldn’t resist the urge to by an over-the-counter turkey tag. I headed out the first week of the hunt ready to shoot the first bearded turkey I saw…I wasn’t going to be picky. The first weekend I did call in a flock of 6 turkeys that included 3 jakes. The entire flock showed up in my decoys a mere 15 yards away without ever making a sound as they approached. Believe it or not, I was pinned down with my gun lying on the ground and never got a shot. At one point I attempted to lift my gun, but a hen spotted the movement and took off running which caused every other bird to sprint away.

turkey tag, utah merriams turkey general hunt
            You gotta love a detached tag!

 

Several more days of searching and calling left me wondering if I’d ever see another turkey, let alone a shooter. Finally I came across a wooded area where it was apparent by the sign that turkeys frequented this spot. The turkey tracks and fresh droppings were the sign I’d been looking for! With sunset approaching, I grabbed my decoys, set up and started calling. Unfortunately the next hour was uneventful as I never heard or saw anything.

 

Morning came quickly, but the anticipation of hunting this area was enough to drag me out of my warm sleeping bag. Even though it was well below freezing this particular May morning, I was up and had my decoys set by 5:45 am. A disappointing hour and fifteen minutes had passed without my hearing a peep. I figured there was no point in wasting anymore time in this area, so I packed up and headed for my truck. By the time I put my decoys back in my truck, it was still frozen hard at 25 degrees. Decked out in all my camo, I hopped on my 4 wheeler and headed up the mountain. My next hour and forty five minutes was all work as I moved half a dozen or so fallen trees from across the trail. Now that I had peeled off all of my camo, the cold of the altitude caused me to put on my hoodie as I reached the top of the canyon. There was snow everywhere. I decided that since I had worked so hard to get here that I might as well explore the snow packed roads.

 

turkey hunting, miles snow covered roads
                             Miles of snow covered roads, what was I thinking?

 

Off I went. I had gone a couple of miles when I came around a shady corner and realized that I was riding on a fairly deep snow drift. As I passed a big old pine tree I could see down to the ground 4 feet below where the snow had melted near the trunk of the tree. Suddenly I felt worried. If I sank even a foot, I'd be stuck for hours. I made it around that corner and came to a stop in a clearing where the snow was only 18 or so inches deep. I looked at my tracks and noticed that I wasn't sinking at all, but figured I better get out of here before I got stuck. I started back toward the shady corner, but stopped short. Since I had made it this far and was passed the worst of my travels, I decided that I would go another 15 minutes before turning back.

Cruising at 30 miles per hour I covered the next 2 miles pretty fast. I slowed to look at some coyote tracks in the snow and noticed some other interesting tracks. I hit the brakes. There in the frozen mud next to the road where one, two, three, four, five sets of turkey tracks! The tracks led right onto the snow packed road where I was now stopped, preserved for me to find! I could hardly believe my eyes, turkey tracks way up here in the frozen waste land. What the heck, I broke out my box call and yelped across the valley. I listened for a response...nothing. What did I expect…a turkey to answer? I belted out another set of yelps. Within seconds I heard a gobbler loud and clear! I couldn’t believe my ears! I looked in the direction of the gobble and called again. This time when I heard the gobbler answer I could see a dark spot 300 yards away on a snow covered hillside. I quickly threw up my binoculars and right there in plain view was a big ol’ strutting tom! And guess what…he wasn’t alone…two more turkeys were marching around the snow covered hill and one of them happened to be another big old long beard!

 

merriams turkey, long beard, gobbler in the snow, utah
300 yards across the way on the snow covered hillside is where I spotted the gobblers!

 

My heart was racing. With my camouflage still strapped to my 4 wheeler, I couldn’t help but wonder if the turkeys had spotted me? I ducked behind my 4 wheeler and quickly started to camo up. While barely halfway dressed in camo, I couldn’t help myself…I stopped and let out another series of yelps. Perfect, the long beard answered with a thunderous gobble.

 

My excitement must have gotten the best of me because as soon as I finished putting on my last piece of camo, I dropped straight to the snow covered road…ready to call. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was in a horrible calling position, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I scrambled to the edge of the road and took up a position there and let out a series of calls. Again the turkeys responded! Sitting there I again realized I had no cover. However, 30 yards away stood a few bare branched aspens along with some nice 2 ft. high pieces of sage brush that would provide perfect cover. I crouched down and quickly made my way to a nice wall of sage brush.

 

Once settled I started calling. Fifteen minutes passed…no answer. The thought crossed my mind to go back and hop on the 4 wheeler and continue further down the road towards them…but I quickly dismissed that dumb idea…who in their right mind would go chase off a bunch of turkeys by riding straight towards them? Anyway, I continued to call for another 10 minutes…nothing. 

When adrenaline levels are high, it must take at least ten times longer to realize simple facts. Specifically, the calls which echoed so clearly across the valley when made from my 4 wheeler now seemed completely muffled. Was it possible that I couldn’t hear the turkeys answering my calls due to the lay of the land? Another two minutes of calling…finally…music to my ears…a gobble. Clearly the gobble came from an area further to my right and unless the terrain was playing tricks with the sound, the tom was moving closer.

utah turkey hunt, gobbler, long beard  tom turkey 8 inch beard, long beard gobbler

            Nice gobbler taken on Utah's general hunt                               Not bad, 8 inch beard on this tom


Another 5 minutes of calling and listening passed, then at an estimated 80 yards away a loud gobble. Yes, they are coming right at me! A few soft clucks and purrs from my mouth and crystal calls and there at 65 yards in full strut was a gobbler! A couple more soft calls and the long beard let out another gobble and started toward me, angling slightly to my right. At that moment I told myself “I’m going to get a turkey”!

Closer and closer he came. Several times during his approach the gobbler lifted his head high as he peered over the sparse sage brush looking for the seemingly nonexistent mate. I hunkered down, but continued peering through the brush. Up ahead several yards was a perfect opening where I planned to take the shot. Slowly I eased my gun into position and waited for the gobbler to make his way into the opening. The big ol’ tom didn’t disappoint. The blast of my 12 gauge broke the silence of the clear cool frozen stillness of the morning as my shot hit home. I let out a whoop, “yes, I got him”! It was 9:00 am and I was standing in the midst of the snow covered mountain with my turkey. Some might find it hard to comprehend how a bird can bring so much excitement, happiness, satisfaction and joy to a grown man…all I can say is I can’t wait to go again!