April 29, 2017 by Shawn Chittim
We all know it was a wet spring season but in between the storms, we had some excellent spring turkey hunting. While the general season is a wrap, we couldn't have been happier with how it turned out for our clients.
If you ask we'll tell you our favorite is what is open at the time of the question, but if you know us, you know that we are fanatics when it comes to battling spring longbeards. The truth be known 1A is Spring Turkey, 1B is elk in the bugle season archery or rifle, 1C is everything else. They all do run neck in neck but if you pinned us down to hunting only one season a year it would have to be in the spring.
It was a season that left the calendar scribbled with changes, in fact our very first hunt for the opener was cancelled at the last minute and our hunt for the last day of the season was a cancel due to a family emergency. The rest of the month was scribbled out and hunts moved to accommodate mainly because of weather. We manage our hunts very conservatively and it was a blessing this year, it gives us the flexibility to ensure that our clients have the best hunt and a little edge to increase their chance for success. We did complete six hunts throughout the 2017 season and we ended with 100% success.
As I expressed we are turkey fanatics, normally we hunt turkeys in several states a year and work around our booked clients, this year when we got that last-minute cancellation on Friday evening, it was like having a prom and no date. So, I asked Shelley to get behind the gun and we’d film us a hunt for the website, of course she agreed. The events that played out were exactly why we love Spring Turkey Hunting.
This monster gobbler finally submitted to our lonesome yelps at 10:55 a.m. and we filmed him every step of the way to the decoys. He was 21.56 lbs., 10 ¼” Beard, 1 3/8” & 1 7/16 spurs, a super Tom.
Our second hunt of the season was with Kara P., we had to put a move in on a flock of turkeys that changed roosts during the storms. This joker came in behind us and got face to face with the DSD’s when he realized something was out of place. Too late, Kara made a great shot as he turned to leave, it all happened so quick that no video was rolling, that was my fault.
He was also a great Tom, at 20.68 lbs., 9 ¾” beard, 1” & 1 1/8” spurs.
Our third hunt was with Michael P., this was by far our toughest hunt to date. The birds were starting to break up and we were facing 25 mph plus winds and gusts. We had no shortage of birds gobbling in the darkness. Mid-morning, we had a call in and a spook, my fault again… We worked a tough stubborn bird at from 12:00 – 1:00 that hung up at 70 yards and demanded he wasn’t coming any further. In the end at 2:20 p.m. we had an epic call in on this old tom, which we filmed all the way. However, after we let him destroy the DSD’s and I was about to give the okay to kill him, the video read out of memory. Now that was really bad on my end, but Michael did a great job while I tried to dig in my pocket frantically for another memory card.
This crazy gobbler weighed 19.85 lbs., 10” beard and had exactly “no spurs” none.
Our fourth hunt of the year was to be the first of two booked by Dave R., we had been texting and trying to get this hunt to go off between weather and his work schedule. It finally all came together, when we spent this day calling gobblers. We had a total gang riot when 7 jakes came in and violated the entire DSD spread. I literally had to get up and chase them off, I really thought I was going to need to send them back for new paint to finish the season.
We called in numerous birds throughout the day, including the most beautiful and vociferous hen, I’ve ever seen in my 35 years of turkey hunting. Finally, around 12:35 p.m. and emptying every call in my vest at this tom, he finally came in for a date with Dave.
He was a handful of a 2-year-old at 19.60 lbs., 8 ¾” & a 2” beard, 7/8” & 7/8” spurs.
The fifth hunt ended up being our toughest hunt of the year. I probably wanted the most out of this hunt for any client. We finally got Rob P., up for his first every spring turkey hunt. You probably recognize Rob as he took a monster bull with us in 2016. Rob is the epitome of a gentleman and a true sportsman, he doesn’t just talk it, he walks it. He embodies the balance between hunting and conservation the way we should all strive to replicate.
I wanted to show Rob why we are crazy for the thunder chicken, the birds were tough. We managed to get several shock gobbles throughout the day, and finally called in 5 jakes. I guess I was on a different page even though it was his first ever turkey hunt, I guess I was the only one between Shelley, Rob and I that was holding out for a longbeard, so I didn’t call for the shot and let them walk. I missed the memo and I had a videographer and a hunter looking at me a little sideways.
Sunday, morning the gobbling was off the hook, while we had 2 flocks pass us up with gobblers in tow, the third flock brought the same 5 jakes and this time I called the shot, and in my book, it might as well have been a longbeard. He tipped the scale at 16.90 lbs., 4 ¾” beard and nubs for spurs.
Our sixth hunt of the year would wind up being our last and once again we had Dave R, manning the Benelli. The birds were really broken up and acting more like birds in the late 2nd week of a normal season, but we managed luck out and find ourselves between several small flocks and a 3-year-old whose ladies didn’t come home to roost.
I set up the DSD flock and employed the “Strutter” and this was our quickest hunt of the entire year, fly down was at 5:50 and he was “dead in the spread” at 6:08 a.m. Once again, we filmed him all the way in, Shelley managed the camera in the early dawn, while this super Tom strutted from 400 yards right past Dave and proceeded the attempt to steal our imposters hen’s.
The final gobbler did not disappoint, 18.12 lbs., 10” beard, 1” & 1” curly spurs.
We have 5 of our 8 spring gobbler hunts booked for our 2018 season, we currently have 3 spots excluding any cancellations available. If you’re looking for an Epic Spring Turkey hunt in California, we’d love to have you give us a call.
With the 2017, General Spring Turkey season wrapped up we are looking forward to summer wild pig hunts. We’ll keep you posted on those hunts.
Posted in: California Spring Wild Turkey Hunting
