Rios.
A different species than we have here, but a turkey just the same.
I tried hunting these, went out with expert guides and callers (NWTF regional winners in the calling contests, guys that TALK TURKEY), and I have had them walk a few feet past me (hens, the motormouth of the flock, that can alert the rest).
I actually blew a shot at two gobblers once, two gobblers we’d spent all morning enticing, and finally had them strutting in front of us. My hunting companion WAS ACTUALLY a turkey hunter, and he shot at his bird and missed.
My bird looked up, like “WTH.”
I thought a turkey would fly when a bullet flew past its head. NOT SO.
My gobbler looked up and presented a perfect head shot. I thought it was over!!!
My hunting companion hesitated a moment, saw I was clueless, and then shot my gobbler!!!
I didn’t care, I was breathless from spending all morning enticing this beautiful bird from one field to another (our guide did with his calls), and watching them come at us to mate.
Awesome experience. I didn’t care if I killed anything at that point. I was enthralled by the process of fooling those old gobblers, the process of fooling a king of the forest!!! Those old gobblers didn’t get old from being stupid!!!
Of course, I’d rather be fishing (LOL). I am not kidding, I had a short course in hunting (too fast, furious and overwhelming for me), but my Dad had me fishing as long back as I can remember.
Give me some quality time with a fish (any species I’ve known so far) and I will keep it up till I win, or they beat me. Like my profile says (paraphrase) Fishing is perpetual hope, a series of opportunities to attain the elusive, but attainable.
I approach life, in general, that way.
Tell me I can’t, and I will. Make it harder to obtain, and I’ll work harder to obtain it. It is a lesson my father taught me while fishing.
My Dad left me something wonderful when he taught me that all men/women are equal when fishing. Battle a beast in a very different environment, and sometimes they, sometimes you win.
I have been humbled by many fish, and a few of them have humbled me. It is haunting to know there are fish out there you’ll never fool, never know.
I need to go fishing, quit talking about it!!!
You ever see them old cartoons where Elmer Fudd goes duck hunting. The ducks dance and sing along the gun wall of his boat while he waits for the season to open. Then they disappear?
That’s me and Turkey hunting. I’ve sat in a treestand deer hunting and counted 105 Turkeys around me and scratching in a field. I decided to take one and as soon as the thought enters my mind they scatter and run out of range.
They are like some clairvoyant bird. They live in some parallel dimension and only visit ours for grubs and earth worms