See! Proof is in the pudding, on this piece of land in East Florida, we couldn't have asked for better signs, especially off our game camera footage. The snap shots along with unmistakable turkey tracks in the East Florida sugar sand, gave us the clear indication that this would be a great Osceola year, and it was....for some.
After many days were spent tracking and treeing these Osceola birds, the big day, Opening day, had arrived, and we hit it early! Decoys were down, blind was up and butts were in seats, all in great anticipation of whether our gobblers would cooperate! Boy did they ever! That first morning we called in not one but TWO separate groups of gobblers with Jakes in tow. They came at us from the East and West! At one point a big ole' Tom flew right over our heads, and I kid you not, for a second I mistook the sound reverberating from that bird as a Boeing 757. After we had all these birds in range, all that was left to do was wait for the perfect shot and pull. Well this Girl Outdoors is sad to report that, that perfect shot never came, and she in the midst of all the excitement pulled the trigger too early, and then again too late, and all that fell on the ground was a hand full of tail feathers as that bird hauled beak back to wherever he came from. After all the commotion was over we realized that our good pal Jack, however, had managed to knock one down!
See the bird on the far right, high tailing it out of there, that was my bird! lol!
However seeing as how Jack had managed to close the deal, we celebrated despite our frustration for how the morning had played out. Our good buddy Jack was knocking down big spurs that morning and we were thrilled!
So as to not put too much stress on our East Florida Osceola population, we decided it was best to pack up the truck and head north to our little spot in south Georgia! His and hers Yeti cups in route of course, filled to the brim with sweet tea, we were on our way! After all, we were still in need of the Illusive Eastern wild turkey on that Grand Slam Pursuit list!
Yet again when we arrived the beauty of the woods never ceased to amaze. It was the perfect scene at the perfect time of day in those Georgia pines, and we just knew a big old Gobbelator wasn't far behind!
Well after only hearing one gobble far off in the distance and seeing as how it was not a few, but several hours later we decided to change venues to see if we would have better luck. Those Eastern's are notoriously stomping their spurs in the Georgia clay, and so we waited to see just why, and if, the thunder chicken would actually cross the road. Spoiler alert, he didn't.
At least we always have our crew to keep us company in the truck. Rollin' with my homies!
The first day was a bust, but in order to prepare for the second day, we did some scouting, and we found some big scratches in Georgia!
Unfortunately later that afternoon we were hit by a rather large and ominous thunderstorm, and what do you do when you have to wait out bad weather?? Battleship and Banana-grams of course! P.S. I'm reigning champ of banana-grams!
The next day, yet again, we couldn't help but be struck in awe by the beauty of the Lords creations here on earth!
It was almost hard to be upset that there were no gobbles with this view!
That evening was more of the same, but It was a lot better weather wise, still no turkeys though, so at some point you just have to cut your losses for the day and build an nice warm campfire and get your grub on! So that's what we did.
On the last morning of our Georgia adventure we made a nice hot thermos full of coffee and busted out the granola bars for one last 4 hour sit and call session, before heading home! You won this one Tom, but we will be back again next year! Cheers!
So now it's two missed shots in East Florida, and we couldn't even get a turkey to come with in 100 yards of us in Georgia! When learning of our bad luck, our good buddy Fred, (you will remember him from our very first Osceola adventure as "Coach Fred") invited us out to his property in North Florida, for one last shot at an Eastern Turkey, and seeing as how we had gotten so good at packing up the truck, we did so and headed North again!
The first morning Fred took us out to a little spot behind his place that a creek ran beside, and that was pretty heavily wooded. Fred's famous turkey hunting secret weapon is his FUNK-Y chicken decoy. Or as he is more affectionately known as "What in the Gods name is that thing, Fred?" TFC is featured below, try not to be too intimidated! ;) Even in North Florida still no eastern's, no turkeys, at all, AGAIN! I would have settled for a frozen butterball at this point!
Over and over again throughout this whole season, only one thing had remained constant, the beauty of all the nature that surrounded us.
The last day of our North Florida turkey adventure, this was as close as we got! Dem' some niiiice tracks dou'!
Another positive from this horrendous season was that we got plenty of practice on our calls, man we are starting to sound like a whole flock if I do say so myself!
The husband is mad because there are no turkeys, or it might be because he hates having his picture taken! LOL :)
Ok so lets recap, Two misses in East Florida, Bad weather bummer in Georgia, and not a peep in North Florida! Good night!! "Thats it pack it up, or in, lets just start over next year!"....Is what we should have said, but curiosity got the better of us, and we saw a good deal for a guided Kansas turkey hunt, and away we went! One last chance, one very last chance for glory, this one was for all the tomatoes (or is it marbles?) , one for all the ages, last chance at a stinking turkey for 2016!!!!!
A Rio Grande wild turkey to be exact.
I think it was safe to say at this point we were desperate! hahaha!
Ya'll this Kansas trip was just that, we have never had a bigger adventure in the woods chasing turkeys in our entire lives. We got stuck in the mud, slid down steep creek banks, barrel rolled down grassy knolls and belly crawled in a wheat field, as far as the eye could see! We almost forgot we were hunting because we were having so much fun just runnin' and gunnin'!
By now you all know what I'm going to say here, Kansas is a beautiful state, and its woods are no disappointment. Even though we didn't end up with any birds from this trip or any other, I couldn't help but be reminded by the Lord time and time again, to stop and take in the beauty and the magnificence that we had the honor and privilege of standing in.
We watched a baby doe walk with her mother, and play with a decoy we had put out.
We counted endless numbers of Pheasant calling at each other in the early morning hours.
We cast our eyes on some of Gods most breathtaking country.
We napped in some of the softest tall grass you could ever feel in your life.
We made new friends and met some awesome people along the way. Most important of all, my wonderful husband and I had a once in a lifetime adventure.
Because after its all said and done, hunting really isn't about just killing and animal, at least not anymore. Its about connecting with nature and the comradeship that comes with all outdoors sports.
Patience, preservation, ethics, sustainability, confidence, appreciation, and hard work. These are just a few things that hunting teaches us. I will always be this kind of girl outdoors. I will always love being a huntress, even if it doesn't always pan out perfectly. I will always be proud of it. I will always teach it, and always write it! Until next time, happy trails to ya'll.
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:3
