Turkey hunting with my nephew Cody
By Hubert Hoffman
Hubert is a great example of what mentoring and helping kids is all about. He has been to several of the Kicking Bear events—always helping and bringing kids from outside his own home. This story has been entered in the Kicking Bear story contest for 2005.
At 13, Cody had drawn his first turkey permit. He had deer hunted the last two years but without any luck. His season was May 11 to May 15, but he could only hunt the weekend because he had to go to school during the week.
The weekend of May 14th and 15th, 2005 was Cody's first chance to go turkey hunting. I had hunted the same area with his older brother Travis the weekend before but we only saw one lone tom and just couldn't get him to come in.
On Saturday, we were in the blind by 4:15 AM. As it got daylight, the woods began to sound. First, were the whippoorwills, then the songbirds, and then the turkeys. We even had a whippoorwill sit right on top of the blind and sing at us for a little while. We started seeing turkeys about 5:30 AM. We would get one or two toms to come out on the field, strut, and then walk off into the woods only to return 20 minutes later and do the whole thing over again. We played a game of first we see you then we don't with them until about 8:00 AM. At one point, we had seven (7) toms strutting together in the same field. They would go into the woods, where we could hear them fighting and then return to the
field in full strut (what a difference one week can make). At about 8:30 AM, one of the birds game in closer and Cody took the shot. Unfortunately, he missed and that about ended turkey hunting for the day.
On Sunday, we were set up in the area where we had seen the birds strutting the day before. Again, we were in the blind by 4:15 AM. At about 5:00 the toms started up again, just like the day before, but this time, we heard a tom gobble from the roost and it sounded like he was right in the blind with us. We heard his wings flap as he came off the roost, and we even heard him land on the ground, but we didn't hear a thing from him after that.
First, we saw a hen. She game out across the field from us, turned to our right, and walked into the woods exactly where our blind was the day before. All of a sudden, the woods went very quiet. Cody was wondering what would make every animal in the woods go silent. After a few minutes, this inquisitive boy had his question answered. It was a coyote, a big coyote. Cody had never seen one this close (75 yards) before, and neither had I. The coyote crisscrossed his way down the field, picked up the scent
of the hen, and was off to pursue her in a flash.
About twenty minutes after the coyote had moved on, we heard gobbling again, not from near us, but from across the field. After a few yelps from the slate, and Cody's Quaker Boy box call, the gobblers finally showed themselves, two nice toms. The toms strutted their stuff, but they wouldn't come in close enough for the shot. After strutting in the field
for several minutes, the toms strutted off to our left. Cody placed his gun back on the ground, turned to me and said, "that's OK uncle Hubert, they'll go around like they did yesterday and I'll get another chance at them in about 1/2 an hour." Then Cody sat down in the corner of the blind.
No sooner had Cody sat down, and a third tom appeared, just yards from the blind. This had to be the one we heard come off the roost. Cody got back up and brought up the gun. He was able to get the bead on him at 21 yards and took the shot. His Remington 870 express 20 gauge did the job. Just like on TV, the tom balled right up. We went to the bird, and Cody couldn't believe his eyes. This was his first time turkey hunting, his
first time harvesting any game, and he was able to take a trophy.
After a high five celebration, and a handshake, and many pictures, the real work began. Cody had a 500-yard hike in front of him with what I guessed to be about a twenty-pound bird. As an outdoorsmen, I have taken many an animal, but nothing ever got me as excited as seeing the look on my nephew Cody's face. I am certain he and I will both cherish this wonderful memory of turkey hunting for years to come.
The bird weighed 20 pounds, had a 10-inch beard, and 3/4 inch spurs. We took the bird off my parents' farm in northern Adams County, Wisconsin. Cody was using a 20 gauge Remington 870 express, full choke, and Federal 3" turkey loads. Cody had the bird in hand at 6:45 AM.
Thanks Hubert for all you do for the kids. That is a great Kicking Bear story!
Ray
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Ray
