The Most Thrilling Turkey Hunt: Working a Gobbling Tom for Hours

At 50 yds, the bird circled behind Wyatt who couldn’t take a shot. As he continued east, I found myself literally face to face as he closed the distance, spitting, drumming and gobbling. At a mere 3 yds as I laid in a giant yucca, the bird looked me dead in the masked eyes and gobbled the loudest, chest vibrating gobble I’ve ever heard. When he went behind some trees as he continued east, I snuck over to Wyatt and we switched positions. A soft yelp brought a thunderous gobble and a backtracking bird. At 35 yds Wyatt was able to stone his 2nd Merriam gobbler in 2 yrs. The elation and gratitude is indescribable. This is certainly a hunt I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Can’t thank @Gobbler enough for alerting us to a bird he could’ve done the same thing too. Also can’t thank @Nate , @Dallas and the rest of their family for the amazing hospitality and friendships.

Lastly, while cleaning this bird, we found 9’s, 6’s, 7 1/2’s and 5 shot in his breasts and legs. I’d be skittish and difficult to work too! 🤪

Y’all are making some awesome memories! Congrats on getting it done 👊

@John Thanks John, lifetime memories, no doubt!

Awesome story and great hunt. Y’all have the freezers full.

So glad Wyatt got to connect on one. I really enjoy young hunters getting their birds. Praise should go to Rick @Gobbler too, he worked his bird for 4 or 5 days with no luck and it was the bird he needed for his grand slam. I still feel bad about that. As for you Mike, you just let your bird get too close I guess. 😆 I hope all of you can make it back sometime in the future. I’d really like to see @Gobbler get his slam and for one of you, it will be a hunt of redemption (not mentioning any names)😆.

@Tom Yessir, unbelievable memories and great eats to boot! Thanks👊

It definitely was the toughest hunting for turkeys we have ever seen.

@Dallas if the good Lord ever allows us another invitation, we’d be there for the camaraderie and scenery alone. Birds are just bonuses. The challenge makes this bird even sweeter! Thanks so much again.

Just know you have an open invitation anytime.

@Dallas likewise sir, we appreciate your whole family!

Nice 💪💪

Man that's awesome! He's a better man than I am, I'd have shot that bird 🤣

Nope, we didn't stay long cause it got real windy

Incredible story! Congrats to all of you all!

Congratulations to all on your hunt, some awesome memories are being made. 👊👍

I am so proud to have been a part of this epic adventure! Wyatt Larsen scored on a slammer of a Merriams!

@Tyler 👍👊

@Adam hahaha, it was just slow enough that I wouldn’t have blamed him.

@Appalachian ?🤣?

@Derek dude….. absolutely my favorite hunt of all time

@Brian tons!

@Gobbler yessir, a definite tank. And obviously wise! The ol Rick Larnerd pot call was just too much though💪🦃💥👊

@Mike this bird was a warrior! I’m proud to have been a part of this memory!

@Mike Whoops that was supposed to be a text to my mom asking about pictures from fishing with my boy today. Guess the text popped up but I responded on here 🤣

But buy all the hearsay it sounds like you owe somebody a shirtail???

@Appalachian hahaha, Dallas let the cat out of the bag early. That story is coming, but I’ll tell ya what. The preceding 20 minutes to that were more than enough to preserve my ego🤣. I’d take that kind of accomplishment followed by that type of “failure” 9 days out of 10. I just didn’t have 10 days on this hunt 🤪.

@Gobbler “Warrior” is the best descriptor I can think of for this bird. So proud of Wyatt for keeping it together and making it happen after that bird literally breathed in both of us.

@Appalachian 🤣🤣

@Appalachian going through the comments I was trying to figure out what that meant and who you were responding to. 🤣🤣

Wow! What a thrilling story! And to have all that different shot in him, definitely a warrior of the plains. To literally have him eye to eye like that must've been something.
Congratulations Wyatt on getting that Merriams tom! 🦃👍👊

@David I’m telling ya man, I will NEVER forget being eye to eye with that bugger and watching his snood flop around while he gobbled at 8 or 9 feet. No drug in the world could produce that high….

@Mike Hey there's not anyone that's turkey hunted any amount of time that's not let one slip through the gaps in the pattern 😉

@Appalachian spoiler alert… this one was so close that it wasn’t even a pattern yet, haha.

@Mike right? it's a gamble that close for sure. I was telling a story of one I shot at 7 steps with the old Winchester XXs. I was flabbergasted when It's head wasn't gone, yet it was flopping. Only thing I can figure was I hit it with the wadding or a gas seal.

Man this sounds like it could be addicting…

@Appalachian the only part I’m frustrated with is that I wasn’t more patient. I’ll post the video later. With all that lead up to it, my brain caused me to panic as I believed he was. We’ll see if you agree with our assessment of what he was really doing and everything would’ve worked out.

@Kevin my name is Mike and I’m a turkeyholic….

@Kevin most definitely. I don't turkey hunt, but when I hear them out in the woods when I'm fishing, I get goose bumps at times.

@Mike I've been around a domestic turkey when he struts, spit, drummed and gobbled, but I doubt it comes close to having a wild one do it almost in your lap.

@Mike the first step is admitting you have an addiction. 😁👏👏👏

Amazing story, Amazing hunt, I can only imagine him gobbling in my face at 3 yards, Beautiful bird, congratulations 🦃. That’s my bucket list bird

Great story of your hunt. Nothing better in hunting than interacting with gobbling

Turkeys

@David definitely a big difference with a wild one!

@Ricky thanks, get out there and make it happen 👊

@Craig it’s definitely addicting

@Mike I'd love to see, my buddy swears that I shot one once that "was coming straight to him", I keep telling him there's certain body language that a turkey does that makes me swing and shoot, no questions asked 🤣

@David I’ve never come across them!

@Mike hiiii mike 🙋🏼‍♂️

@Kevin 🤣🤣👊🚫🥃😔

A big congratulations to Wyatt!! As well as you and Rick!!
🦃💥
🤜🏼🤛🏼

@Lisa thx Lisa! My favorite subspecies in a beautiful area is hard to beat

Congrats! that's awesome and a special hunt! pics are great really like the one by the creek! congrats again on a great hunt!

@David thanks man👊. Definitely lifetime memories. I miss it already!

Congratulations to y’all

@Wade thanks Wade, awesome trip!