Conservation Currents
Turkey Hunting
May 2009
by Jim Henderson
I've had a variety of obsessions with hunting since passing my hunter's education course 30 years ago. My obsession with waterfowl hunting throughout high school led to a perfect forgery of my father's signature on many tardy notes. My obsession with bagging my first buck led to over a decade of ridicule and joke gifts from my siblings and parents. My current obsession, turkey hunting, leaves me walking around like a zombie after rising at 4:00 AM throughout the month of May.
Turkeys - Two Toms
Photo: Vermont Fish & Wildlife, Tom Evans
A friend recently inquired about my turkey hunting obsession. "There's nothing like the sights, sounds and smells of spring turkey hunting," I replied. Indeed, turkey hunting does stimulate all your senses.
The speedy transformation of northern hardwood forests throughout the month of May is truly amazing Ð if you stop to see the forest for the trees. How many shades of green do you suppose there are from one day to the next? Contrast these greens with the bright red, white and blue head of a displaying tom turkey and you have a sight to behold!
Mother Nature's Northern Hardwood Forest Orchestra strikes up each May morning. It begins with a chirp here and a chirp there while it's still too dark to see. By dawn the songs of hundreds of love-sick birds can almost seem deafening. Then of course there are the many sounds of the wild turkey. Hopefully your best efforts of imitating the cluck, yelp, cackle and purr of a lonely hen will be answered by the deep throated gobble of a geared up tom. If he comes close enough, you might hear him spitting while the vibrations of hundreds of erect feathers make a distinct humming noise. This is a truly amazing sound that most often means the bird has gotten too close and you've blown it. Only a seasoned turkey hunter will understand how this could be.
We all love the fresh smell of a soft spring rain. Mix this scent with the fragrance of the blooming apple tree you may be sitting near and you will become convinced that the muck of mud season was well worth it.
The concealment of head to toe camouflage has offered me some wonderful wildlife moments. I've watched a coyote stalk and attack my decoys, had birds perch on my head, and I've reached out and touched a young deer. Then there are the many emotional feelings that come with hunting turkeys. There is the feeling of anticipation as you grasp your wooden box call, slate friction call or the smooth bone of a wing bone call while contemplating your first cluck, yelp or purr of the day. Hopefully, an adrenaline rush and the pounding of your heart will follow as a boss tom approaches with a series of gobbles. Quite often these feelings give way to frustration as you helplessly watch the dainty dance of your bird just outside of shot gun range.
Finally, if you persevere, there is the sweet taste of fresh spring tom turkey stuffed with apples and served with sautéed fiddleheads, asparagus and wild rice. My favorite meal!
Jim Henderson is the GIS-Senior Planner for the Bennington County Regional Commision, and the vice-chair of the Bennington County Conservation District. The district's mission is promoting rural livelihoods and protecting natural resources in southwestern Vermont.
This column appeared in the Bennington Banner in May 2009, as one of the BCCD's
Conservation Currents pieces, a bi-weekly feature written by BCCD board and staff
members since August 2006.