Turkey Hunting In Arkansas
April 1, 2007
by HNTING1
Not having much success this year, but I would like to share my hunt from last year. I won't divulge my location, other than to say it is Arkansas and very near a ridge close to Paragould.I awoke at 5am and knew it would be a good day to turkey hunt. I had planned ever so slightly the night before,by gathering up my supplies, clothing, and calls, checking my license prior to bed.
I drive to my secret spot and walked down the deer trial to a spot I had been seeing turkey in during the fall. I went deep in the woods and made a hoot owl call (locater call) bingo the turkey gobbled back. The gobbles sounded like 3-4 turkey answering me. I felt the turkeys were towards my left so I head that direction which is near a field. I had suspected this might be where they would be, I had been scouting early in the week and had noticed many turkey signs (tracks and scratchings). I set down in the woods near the field, I then got my turkey call out and started calling, this worked very well they answered back and I could tell they were getting closer. In a few minutes I can clearly see turkeys, fast and furiously heading my way. I gather my composure and prepare myself to take a shot. (If you've been turkey hunting you know why I needed to gather my composure turkey hunting can become a fast paced hunt when the turkey's respond to your calls) I used my range finder and the range was 35 yards. I have my gun and turkey load patterned to very good at 40 yards. Three turkeys are with in my kill zone....I am getting very excited, all three are males, two look to be jakes (immature males) and the other one a definite tom(mature male bird). As I steady myself for a good shot. I wait on the birds to present me an opportunity to harvest one of them.( Arkansas law allows a jake or a gobbler in my zone) Anyone of them that presents me a shot is mine for the taking...Here it comes one of the bird steps towards my direction away from the other two.....my shot is presented and I squeeze the trigger on my shotgun ( okay everything happenend so fast but I'm sure I squeezed the trigger maybe I didn't cause I missed the turkey I had my sights on) Even though I missed the birds just run around a bit and gather back up so I hit the call again and they come at me. I wait, I wait, trying to calm myself I keep say squeeze the trigger, I prepare to take another shot, blam I see a turkey go down the other two start attacking him....(I don't get why they do that but turkey do) I get up to go get my bird and it is a nice jake. I am proud of this bird it was fun hunt lasted maybe 30 minutes and If you've never hunted turkey before you have to try it just once....then you'll see the quick pace at which things can happen with turkey.