Tall Tales of Long Beards: 4 Toms in 5 Days
Back in 2020 my dad and I tossed around the idea of doing an out of state turkey hunting trip. We ended up going to western Kansas, getting permission from a local farmer to camp on his property, as well as to hunt it, in addition to a few other farms we gained permission on. The first few days, we spent a lot of time trying to learn the properties and had lots of close encounters with turkeys, but we couldn't quite seal the deal.
Two Evenings, Two Toms
During those first few days, we had heard some birds gobbling right outside of our campsite towards dusk, so on the evening of day three, we decided to try an evening hunt right by our campsite. We set up on a green alfalfa field that we thought the birds might be using on their way back to roost. As it turned out, the birds did exactly what we suspected they might be doing. Dad and I both ended up harvesting beautiful Rio Grande turkeys over the next two evenings.
Campsite Surprise
On the morning of our fifth day, we hunted a different farm nearby but didn't have any luck, so we decided to head back to camp for lunch and a midday nap. As we pulled into our campsite, we looked out into the field and saw a huge group of turkeys about 200 yards away. They slowly worked off the field into the timber, and we scrambled to gather our stuff and set up the blind and decoys.
A Memorable Ending
About 15 minutes after we got set up, the whole group came back into the field. After a few soft yelps, several of the hens started working our way, followed by the jakes, and finally four big toms came strutting and drumming all the way into the decoys. Dad shot the lead tom, and I was able to sneak an arrow into one of the other toms as the group was trying to sort out what had happened. After the dust had settled, the high fives began, capping off one of the best hunting trips I've ever experienced.
Though we have killed lots of turkeys together throughout the years, this was our first archery double! It was an experience I won't soon forget. We learned a lot, laughed a lot more, and harvesting four turkeys in five days was just the icing on the cake.
About our Experts
Conrad has been hunting ever since he was old enough to walk. No matter if it's deer, turkey, waterfowl, predators, or anything in between, Conrad's expertise and passion for hunting is year round. With over 20 years of experience in the field, he knows what gear you need to be successful outdoors, no matter what your pursuit is.