My First Turkey!!!

I can’t tell you how excited I was to be waking up knowing I’m going on my first turkey hunt! It was like Christmas morning, my energy was high and my motivation to get a gobbler was even higher! I had asked Koby the night before if there was anything I needed to know before the hunt. His response was “You can shoot, can’t you! You’ll be just fine Robin!” That morning on the way to the ranch we talked about what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. I was so nervous I felt like I should be taking notes just so I could remember! I did not want to screw this up!

We parked the truck and started walking. Greg suggested that we walk under the roost and pretend to be cows! The funny thing is that he's done it, and it worked!! Koby insisted that we walk as far around the roost as possible so we wouldn’t spook the turkeys. At one point while we were walking Koby glassed the roost and said there had to be at least 60 birds there! It excited me…but all I saw was a big dark blob (of coarse I didn’t admit it at the time!) Once we finally found our way to the stand in the dark it was time to get ready!

Koby, Chris, and I were in the blind. Chris was filming the hunt from inside the blind, while Greg was down the road, ready to get the action outside the blind! I was nervous. What if I wasn’t still enough, what if I hit the blind with my gun as I raise it out the window, what if I miss! Since we own a hunting business I had heard ALL the horror stories of things that could go wrong! Not only was I hunting with my perfectionist Outfitter husband, it was all going to be on video! Yikes!
As dawn broke, and my nerves started to settle, we must have heard 30 different gobblers all around. After they flew off the roost it seemed like none of them headed our way. I waited patiently. I knew it wasn’t a guarantee that I would get one that morning. I began seeing hens, probably about 20 in all. They would come and go as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Things slowed down for a bit, I wondered if that was it. Was that all the birds we were going to see? Then, I heard it! It wasn’t a gobble, it was Koby whispering “Here we go baby!” I lifted my binoculars up again and glassed the furthest bushes down the road. There they were! One popular hen with 2 huge gobblers following!

With my shaking arms I tried to get my 20 gauge in place as quietly and as slowly as I could. We had visually marked a cactus about 35 yards out, in hopes that he would come all the way in and that’s where he would be when I shot him. As I patiently watch the two old birds strut up the road I didn’t think they would ever get within my 35 yard mark. But as they approached 50 yard I new it was going to happen! I had my gun out the window, my head down and my finger on the trigger! When they reached my mark Chris cut at the gobbler and as he lifted his head to find the hen I got him! He didn’t make a move once he hit the ground! I was so excited! I took off running down the road like a kid! He was 4 years old with 1 3/8" spurs and most importantly, beautiful tail feathers!

After a quick interview and some pictures I grabbed my big bird and we headed to the truck. It couldn’t have been a more perfect morning!

Robin Howell...professional turkey hunter!