A legend in the making - naming a turkey!

 For several years, I like many turkey hunters have named birds that we had great duels with.  For me however, a name is a curse, I have never killed a bird that I named.  I avoid it like the plague now, but every once in a while one still earns a name.  These are my journal entries from the past 7 days and the story as how this bird earned its name.

April 23, 2012:

My dad and I started after a bird I had heard several times in a creek bottom. I called fairly aggressively and he was definitely responding to my calls on the roost, but when he flew down he was on the far side of the creek. At times he would get to where he sounded just out of sight in the bottom, then he would turn and walk back the other way. Never going 20 minutes without gobbling.

I continued occasional calling as I tried to decide what to do when a lone hen came in and jumped up on the gate on the fence before crossing over to talk to the DSD decoy. I finally ran her off as the gobbler was working the other direction and we worked across the creek to head after him. He was moving East down the bottom and we set up on him 3 additional times, but he would never come back towards us. We slid up to the edge of a field and just as we were within 10 yards of setting up, I spotted him right on the crest of the hill. Big ole longbeard in full strut. He noticed us but didn't spook. He had us pinned down just standing like statues for several minutes before he finally went over the hill. Dad slid up to a tree and I was on my back in the weeds behind him with the decoy in front of me. Hit the call and no answer. Hit the call again...no answer. Finally cut and he hammered back at us. But instead of moving towards us I hear him fly a ditch and walk south into the next cornfield over. I can see him over there, and for the next 15 minutes he would answer me, but never budged. An old veteran bird for sure. He was safe in the open and he knew the hen should be coming.

Headed for another farm, where we did not hear any gobbling, but got the treat of the season for me. My six year old Cannon was sitting in my gobbler lounger and whispered to me that he heard something walking. He used his voice to yelp and was immediately answered by a hen. Before I know it there is a loan hen standing five yards away exchanging hen talk with my boy! It was classic, cannon would yelp, the hen would cluck and purr and cannon would imitate.

April 26, 2012:

Based on scouting and hunting, I knew that big bird from the first day was hitting the ground and going to the same field on regular basis. So this day we got in early and set in his field and waited for him. He gobbled on schedule and then flew down...and went to a different location.

We moved into a ravine and he gobbled just up on the hill, less than 150 yards, so we set up in the timber. He shut up for about 10 minutes and the next time he gobbled he was quite a ways away in the next draw over. We hustled that way , I just knew he was headed to the field again and just as we were rounding a bend, he gobbled in the field, headed right at us. He was coming too fast and we had to just lay down in the grass. We set up my gobbler lounger and dad hid behind it with his gun rested on the back of it. The bird gobbled again and I just had to lay flat on the ground with the decoy still on my back!

I hit the call 4 notes, he gobbled and appeared at the crest of the field. Looking right at us. There was nothing we could do. He strutted and gobbled and strutted and gobbled with the rising sun on him. Beautiful sight. As we lay there caught in the open getting attacked by gnats, he finally lost interest and headed back towards the timber. He is just an old bird that knows the hen is supposed to come to him. We didn't hear him or any other bird again.

April 27, 2012:

Dad's season was over so I went in after that big bird again. Crept in down the ridge and set up on an opening in the bottom. The bird gobbled at 5:15 A.M. and he was directly down my gun barrell approximately 70 yards away. He gobbled heavily as always and just before fly down I hit a very quiet tree call on my slate. He immediately double gobbled. Then I heard clucking and looked to see a loan hen, headed directly to where he was at, still in the tree. He gobbled 3 times from the ground and then I did not hear him. I assumed he was breeding that hen, he finally gobbled again and was just past a brush pile still about 70 yards away, but seemed to be working my way. I hit one quiet series on the mouth call and he answered.

15 minutes with no sound at all, I am just waiting to catch a glimpse of a white head coming through the dark timber...when I suddenly hear multiple alarm putts, and see two turkeys jump up and fly towards me, obviously spooked by something. The gobbler went to my right, the hen to my left....I never saw a person, but I suspect it was a neighboring hunter trying to move in on the bird, but it could of been a yote.

Headed for another farm, set up in the bottom pasture near the ditch that leads into neighbors creek. Hit the call and immediately heard a faint gobble. It was extremely windy so I wasn't sure how far out it was, but of course it was across the fence, across the deep creek, and in the neighbors field. Hit the box call again and he gobbled closer but still faint. Waited a few minutes and I hit the call and he HAMMERED right behind me 40 yards away right on the field edge. I started convincing myself that maybe he would fly the creek and fence...when I suddenly catch movement to my right...and see a hen pop out. She walks right to the DSD and purrs at it a bit then starts feeding less than 15 yards from me. He gobbles again and seems like he is right on top of me, but still across the fence and creek...directly behind me...when the unthinkable happens...I hear a cracking sound, and then out of nowhere a TREE falls to the ground with a huge crash. The hen freaks out but stays put, but I never heard the gobbler again for an hour.

I went running and gunning and at about 12:30 I decided to head back to the same spot just for the heck of it. Hit the call and was answered immediately....in the same darn field. He wasn't making much ground this time so I let him be and headed out at 1 p.m. quitting time. At that particular spot I had visited four times and had turkeys in the neighbors field four times. Time to find permission!!!

April 28, 2012:

Wanted to get that big bird off my so I headed for a farm where Hollywood killed his bird, that is traditionally our best turkey farm...

Started the morning out set up on the field where Hollywood killed his bird. Did not hear a single gobble, only one hen which later flew down to the North and headed towards the sycamore tree area. The highlight of the morning was a pair of young bucks that both came in and sniffed the DSD decoy. Packed up early and headed for the big bird. The bird was gobbling on his own. Made an aggressive move to get in there, called and he hammered to me, but left the timber and went straight to the open field (his main move). I was easing in and he continued to gobble from his favorite field. I was within 150 yards when a bunch of deer jumped up and ran right across the field he was in. He did not make another sound. I had soccer for Cannon today so had to quit at 9:30

April 29, 2012:

Started out on the farm I nicknamed mission impossible because the birds are always on the neighbors. Heard two birds gobble near the north end of the neighbors ground, and was seeing a bunch of lightning. With no birds on the property I jumped in the truck and headed back towards home hoping to miss the storm by moving 20 miles north. By the time I got into big bird country, he was in his favorite field gobbling at thunder. I moved in and got all the way to his field. He gobbled just over the crest, I was able to set the DSD and get hidden. I let him gobble 3 more times before I made any calls, then I made one quiet series of calls. He did not respond. I waited 15 minutes and he gobbled again and sounded slightly farther away. I hit the call again, he did not respond. 10 more minutes and he gobbles in the timber across the field. I am thinking classic old bird tactic, he is gonna circle and take a peek.

SIDE BAR: To summarize this bird...he has gone to same spot in same field every day except the one day we set up there. When called to he leaves the timber and goes to the open field and gobbles his butt off. At this point...I start thinking a thought I have thought for 4 hunts now...this bird is worthy of a name...but I know if I name him, I will never kill him...its just how it works with me. At this point...as he gobbles even farther away, I feel beaten, and think about his tactics...he never worries about going to a hen, he always seems to expect the hen to come to him...and hence the name Hakuna Matata popped in my head. Yes from lion king...and from this day forward he is known as Hakuna to me for short.

Back to the action: Snap out of it, I head for the truck and drive around to the east side of the farm to see where he was headed...and low and behold there is the newly named and immortalized Hakuna standing in the freakin ditch with a hen. I had visions of 14 beards and triple spurs, but I drove within 5 yards of him AS HE GOBBLED. He was standing in the field edge and I could see his spurs and his thick paint brush beard before he ran off. His biggest feature is his body, he is a huge bodied bird. A few fair words for him and I was on my way.

Feeling defeated, I pulled my wild card out, with storms coming and rain everywhere, I decided to head to a distant farm where I rarely hunt but always seem to do well...go figure. The plan was to pop up the blind and just sit in the rain. I drove the 20 minutes to the farm, parked the truck and realized...the blind is in the garage at home. I literally hit 2 series of box calls with no response before is started pouring. I headed back to the truck and drove the 20 minutes back to my house. Visited with the family for a while and then decided, I am gonna make good on a crappy day. Grabbed the blind and decided to go to a farm where I can see far and have seen birds in the rain before.

I packed the blind 2 miles on foot, crossed the fence, and the deep ravine and set up on the field edge. Naturally it was the first day that I haven't seen or heard a bird in that particular field. Lucky for me, I was able to enjoy a lightning storm and heavy rain which pinned me down for over an hour after legal shooting time was over!



To add insult to injury, I obtained permission to hunt a new farm and cannot hunt it again this year due to coaching and family duties.

Just to be sure on the injury/insult thing...I drove by the haunt of Hakuna this morning...way out of my way, on the way to work...and he was standing next to the road again!!!

Of course the turkey hunter popped out in me...if I just had one more morning. Luckily my friend Jeff will have a shot...he is next up. Maybe he can kill my nemesis!!!