Giggles and Gobbles

Giggles and Gobbles

By Ray Howell

Long-time Kicking Bear mentee, Kaylie Bass, needed one thing to complete the trifecta for Kicking Bear youth hunts. She had gotten a bear and deer with her mentor, Abbi Burke, in the past, but the turkey had eluded her. This year Kaylie is transitioning from mentee to mentor so she only had one more shot to get that bird before starting to guide younger hunters this fall. With prom and soccer and just being a busy teenager, she had very little time to hunt this spring and it ended up that we only had one afternoon to go after a turkey for her.

It was really late in the turkey season and there was not much gobbling going on, so I started watching birds and hunting them like whitetail deer. I found where they were roosting and where they were feeding, so if we had the opportunity to take Kaylie on the hunt, I would know where to set up. We were able to lock in one afternoon so that we could get out in the blind. Talk about pressure! But, I knew exactly where to set up, so hopes were high. I recruited my friend Sally Johnson to come on the hunt and help guide Kaylie. Sally is a wonderful person and a great mentor for kids. When we got to the school to pick up Kaylie, we handed the principal the ‘get out of school to turkey hunt’ note. He had a big smile on his face and said have fun.

Sally and Kaylie hit it off quickly and were talking and giggling about stuff all the way to the area where we were hunting. When we got in the blind I had set up, it was even more of the same, making funny faces, laughing, and joking. I personally did not think we were going to have a chance to even see any birds with all the noise. I mean the giggles were definitely going to be louder than the gobbles at that point!

I told the girls that the birds would be coming through around 5:15 pm. It was a guess but an educated guess because of the work scouting the area before the hunt. I was able to call in a hen but the girls for some reason did not see it. Immediately they started telling me I was seeing things or I wasn’t telling the truth. When 5:15 was on the clock and no turkeys were to be seen, I was being persecuted even worse. Funny stuff! I was having a wonderful afternoon, laughing and joking in the turkey blind with the girls.

Then I saw the redhead of a tom in the distance coming our way. He was with a hen and jake. I told the girls there were more turkeys coming and immediately they started harassing me and telling me I was seeing things. But I’ll tell you what, it got really quiet and serious when Sally saw the birds. When Kaylie saw them her eyes were as big as saucers. She started trembling with excitement.

As the birds worked their way toward us I talked Kaylie through the shot to help keep her calm. When the bird got into range and at just the right spot, Kaylie squeezed the trigger, and instantly the big tom was flopping on the ground. Sally yelled out, “Nice shot! You got him, congratulations!” Kaylie was so excited she was jumping up and down while hugging Sally. Kaylie said her dream had come true, that she finally got a turkey, completing her trifecta! For myself, I have not had that much fun in a long time as giggles turned into gobbles. We pinched!