Chasing Turkeys Across Rivers: A Tale of Pride and Embarrassment

@Rick thanks again for the devastatingly beautiful sounding call!!! 👊

Awesome video! Never heard you can’t call them across (x,y,z). I got two to cross a river this season. They didn’t come to me anyway though 😂 bad wind for me

@Fergus thanks! It would’ve been better with a flop at the end🤣🤷🏼‍♂️. Yeah, I’ve heard and read a lot of people using that as an excuse. This is by far the craziest crossing I’ve called, but not the first or last hopefully. Good luck out there!👊

Cool share Mike! Thanks

@Dave just keeping it real. Real frustrating 🤣👊

The feat of calling this bird across a terrain feature which stymies most callers is a huge success in and of itself. In all the years I’ve chased these birds, I’ve never done it. Missing the bird aside, that experience shared with Wyatt will go down as one of your most memorable. 😎

@Mike making the call is only a part of that. The way you used on this bird is what convinced him to cross. I bow to you. ☺️

@Gobbler hahaha, appreciate that man. The only thing this day missed was that old gobbler taking his final bow. But that doesn’t detract from the day or week one bit👊🥃

@Mike there’s always next year…. 😉

@Gobbler yes sir!

I can't tell much about the body language but man it was sweet to watch him pitch across the river. And I agree with you about the BS. I've had plenty of birds go kamikaze over the years. One of which coasted nearly a quarter mile with my dad as a witness. I've had em come through blow down tree tops, duck under barbed wire, flutter over woven wire, cross roads and wade water. That being said I do try to get as level and obstacle free as possible but sometimes those imaginary lines get in the way 🤣

That happened to me once he would cross a fence

@Appalachian from my angle, he came in from my right to left and the flare took him straight away from me when he landed. I had the bead on the back of his head and should’ve just waited for him to settle down and turn back toward me. But…… nope…. I’ve had many similar encounters but this was the furthest crossing by far. If it wasn’t the next ranch over across that river, I’d have definitely set up on his side. Dang, it would’ve felt good to lure one of the neighbors like that and bring him home in the cooler🤦‍♂️

@Bentley hopefully you made a better shot than I did👊

@Mike it'd make for a romantic story for sure, but hey I know the feeling well, if it makes you feel better I wouldn't trust anyone that claimed to never miss a turkey 😉 Who knows one day it may be the start of a story of redemption 👊

@Appalachian true… either that or they have very few encounters under their belt. Thought I was gonna get redemption quick. Wyatt and I hit some public ground later this day and had one coming on a string until a hen waltzed in from behind us and met up with him first. Talked his fool head off asking us to join his harem but we couldn’t get the angle. I’m sure looking forward to getting back there.

@Mike That's right, now I'm just working with a 12 year career but I've managed to scratch out a 4 bird limit most of them up until the decreased limit we have now. I've missed twice in that time and they were both wide open gimmie shots at 30 yards 🤦
And yeah nothing like a live hen to throw a wrench in the best of scenarios, anymore I do my best to give them a soft bump if I know the gobbler can't see me yet. Not enough to send her putting and flying but enough to make her leave in a hurry 🤣

@Appalachian my best birds were after bumping those pesky hens. I wish we had more than a 1 bird limit

@Mike Oh man, ours just dropped to two and I'm hating it. I'm definitely going to buy some non resident tags somewhere next year, can't stand not chasing them. our season was pushed back 2 weeks as well 🥲

That’s so cool yet so painful at the same time. Unfortunately I’ve been there myself. I called a bird in from the other side of a holler this year and he made it to 35 yards. I misread his body language as well and so I forced a shot where I had to swing to my right(right handed) and shoot over the log next to me. I then got to watch him fly back across the holler and out of my life forever.

@Appalachian you’re welcome to put in for Michigan any time. I would suggest a public land tag. That’s good for both public and private. Be glad to take you out

@Matt I feel your pain brother, but there’s always next time, right? 👊

@Mike absolutely! I know the feeling of redemption when I get my next chance is gonna be very fulfilling.

@Matt yes sir, adds to the gratitude for sure.

Hey when we fail we learn and ultimately succeed down the road! I shot my decoy a few years back, so chalk it up in that same embarrassed grouping - lol

@John hahaha, yep. If everything went perfectly every time, it really wouldn’t be as much fun either

@Mike well if it’s any consolation. I told an old timer a general area to go, he took me up on it the next morning. I called a Tom to 35 yrds behind me and 4 herbs pegged me out front, so I couldn’t turn to shoot. Tom went right and Boom! The guy I gave some insight to got him. Oh well I think God thought he needed it more than me :)

@John haha, Yessir, we can’t control everything. But it’s sure fun trying👊

@Mike yeah I may do that one of these days, when does it open up there?

@Appalachian usually the 3rd week of April and it runs til June 7, but the public land hunts are not the whole time. It’s broken into several hunts from 1-2 weeks, depending on the unit and whether it’s 1st, 2nd or later seasons. I would suggest the last week of April or later. Better weather and birds are more cooperative. Apps are due by February 1. Get with me mid-January and I can give you a better idea of availability

@Mike Nice, I like how some states break it into shorter segments throughout the spring, Seems to me it would give them more breeding opportunity and increase the quality of the hunts. Alot of the well advertised public here gets absolutely bombarded with a very low success rate after opening weekend.

@Appalachian yessir, and I also like that the private land only season for me runs for 5 weeks. Makes it easier to get out than if it fell during a 7 day period where I may be too busy.

@Mike Yeah that's nice, we still have the same amount of season but can you imagine hunting two weeks later than you did last year? It's basically summer at that point 🤣

@Appalachian right. The foliage bloom alone adds to the challenge, but to mention the bugs

@Mike Good grief, they are rough in the shady woods. I'll never forget having a 3 hour standoff with one on the last weekend. He finally slipped into 20 or so and stood behind a big pine for forever. No less than 4 mosquitoes landed on my thumb and drank their fill in that time, but I held still and rolled him with the blackpowder shotgun when he stepped out

@Appalachian hahaha, I shot one on the edge of a buddy’s swamp once when they were chewing on my face and hands for a prolonged time. I think I hit myself harder than the turkey after finally closing the deal. Bought me a thermacell that night!

@Mike might have to get one of those one of these days but not anytime soon cause I just ordered a new bow😁

@Appalachian nice! Looking forward to seeing what ya got and what ya get🤣

@Mike 😁👊 Called another turkey bird to the gun today, my buddy was moping about his slow season as the morning was gobble free till 11:30, he gobbled 3 times in 4 hours and left with us. I'll post the whole thing later.

@Appalachian excellent!👊

@Mike 👊