June 2, 2025 • 39 mins
Turkey hunting delivers heart-pounding excitement and crushing frustration in equal measure, as four rookie hunters discovered during their first-ever season in New Brunswick, Canada. Drawing one of just 500 available tags feels like winning the lottery, but that's only the beginning of the adventure.
"They're stupid, but they're smart," becomes the group's mantra as they navigate the complexities of pursuing these wild birds with remarkable eyesight and hearing abilities. When Lane watches a turkey spot his movement from 400 yards away despite perfect camouflage, the challenge becomes crystal clear. These birds demand respect.
The podcast captures raw, authentic first-timer experiences - from sleeping through alarms on opening morning to the absolute thrill of a gobbling tom responding to calls. Lane and Brody's success comes unexpectedly when they're so focused on calling a distant turkey that they miss another bird sneaking in just 10 yards away. Meanwhile, Ken and Kyle's persistence pays off after multiple failed attempts and a steep learning curve with calling techniques.
The hunters detail their equipment choices, calling strategies, and decoy setups with candid assessments of what worked and what didn't. Their debates about jake versus hen decoys, mouth calls versus slate calls, and the best positioning strategies provide valuable insights for anyone planning their own turkey hunt.
Beyond the tactics, it's the emotional journey that resonates - the frustration of busted stalks, the comedy of rookie mistakes, and the pure adrenaline rush when birds finally respond to calls. The hunters' enthusiasm is contagious as they describe watching toms strut toward their decoys, creating moments of hunting magic they'll never forget.
Ready to test your skills against one of hunting's most challenging and interactive pursuits? Listen now to learn from our mistakes and successes, then share your own turkey hunting experiences with us on Facebook at Hunt Sun Outfitting or email huntsonoutfitting@gmail.com.
Check us out on Facebook and instagram Hunts On Outfitting, and also our YouTube page Hunts On Outfitting Podcast. Tell your hunting buddies about the podcast if you like it, Thanks!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
this is hunt sun outfitting podcast.
I'm your host and rookie guide,ken marr.
I love everything hunting theoutdoors and all things
associated with it, from storiesto how-tos.
You'll find it here.
Welcome to the podcast.
All right, thanks for joiningus on this podcast episode.
(00:31):
We're happy to have you hereand listening.
If you want to reach out to us,you can on Facebook Hunts on
Outfitting or by email,huntsonoutfitting at gmailcom
gmailcom.
So for a lot of places inCanada and the United States the
New England states we justwrapped up our wrapping up
turkey season, and sitting herewith me today I've got some
(00:56):
people that experienced that,some of my friends and we are
going to talk and compare noteson all of our first turkey
seasons.
I've got Lane Lewis sittingnext to me, who took Brody
Garnett out hunting.
You guys took each other.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
It was a group.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
It was a group yeah, and then across from me is Kyle
Gillies, who I helped guide andI learned a lot myself because
this is my first time guidingand Kyle, we had an adventure,
yeah we did.
We learned a lot, and I thinkthis is your first podcast, kyle
, that you haven't been on atrivia.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
it's always a trivia no, I did one the archery yes,
that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yep, you get your own mic and stuff.
So that's good.
Yeah, you did do the archeryone.
Um, so lane is, uh, thebackbone of the city of monkton,
new brunswick, canada.
Works in the city.
Brody is a paramedic here inNew Brunswick, canada, kyle's a
welder and I'm a fireman truckdriver.
Just so you guys get a littlebackstory on us, alright.
So do you guys want to startour individual stories?
(01:53):
Do you guys want to talk aboutthe turkeys?
What we learned I'll tell you.
Remember Kyle didn't believe me.
I was like telling Kyle Likeyeah, no, they can fly really
well, because they don't look it, but they can fly.
And then we saw one take off.
We're like holy shit, they canfly.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, it was kind of unfortunate when we watched it
take off.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, I know, but they, I had other circumstances,
but they surprise you though.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
I knew that they could fly up to go, that you
were with me the night before.
I was looking and this one flew, Felt like from the middle of
the field way up into this tree.
I'm like, oh, that's prettygood.
That's why I was like no, I'mtelling you, Kyle, they can fly
and they all right, I'm going tosay it, they're frustrating
bastards, honestly.
So that's what I learned aboutthem, Everything I was told
(02:42):
about them.
They're stupid, but they'resmart.
They're really quick.
Their eyesight is as good asthey say, and so is their
hearing.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, it was pretty good.
I've never hunted turkeysbefore and I didn't really know
anything about them at all, tobe honest, but I just treated it
as a hunt, as I would any hunt,and it went pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Well, you guys did something a little different,
you guys.
So in New Brunswick, here youhad to put it's a draw system.
There's only 500 tags for thewhole province.
So Kyle got his for zone 22,and I know that his odds of that
wildlife management zone 22,were 11.2% of getting it.
Kyle's like I'm never lucky.
I'm like, oh, this is prettylucky.
(03:21):
You guys put up in an areawhere there's higher numbers,
but still they cross the wholeprovince.
I think it's 500 resident tagsand then another 50 non-resident
tags for the outfitters to get.
It's not that many.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
No, there's not.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So the population is starting to grow.
So you guys put up what threehours from here, from where you
live?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, give or take Yep Up towards Woodstock.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
And then you guys well, I'll let you take it from
here, but you guys still had tocamp out.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, we tented out.
It was pretty good.
We only had two days to do it,had the bear hunt coming up, so
didn't really expect to get theturkey tag, but you always apply
for it anyways.
This year, I guess, was thefirst year I applied up to zone
15, so when I got the tag, umdidn't have much time so we only
took two days.
So we were going to go up thereand camp for two days, figured
(04:13):
we could do it.
Well, I didn't know if we coulddo it because we've never done
it before, but did you guys goout and scout some before?
Speaker 1 (04:20):
we went up sunday night you were in close contact
with the farmer.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Yeah, so we had a contact.
Well, I didn't meet the guyuntil we got up there, but once
we did meet him.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
He told you to get the hell off his land.
Shout out to him he's a goodguy.
No, no, I'm the guy.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Felt like an old friend, so yeah, there you go.
Yeah, it was good.
Thanks if he's listening.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Camp on your land.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Let us treat it like it was our own Shout out.
Not too often you get a farmerwho gives you a free range of
everything.
So it was pretty good.
But yeah, we went up Sundaynight and we scouted a bit and
he pretty much just showed usall the land where the birds
were.
We didn't really roost anybirds.
We saw some going towards theroost but we never saw them go
(05:03):
up into a roost.
But there was only so much areafor them to go.
So we had an idea of where toset up in the morning, but we
only had two mornings to reallyhunt.
First morning went pretty good.
We woke up late.
It was daylight when we woke up.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
That is pretty good.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, that's a great way to start out.
Rushed in, set some decoys up.
What are you using for decoys?
Whatever was on sale, cabela'stwo weeks before the season.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
No, but you guys were using hens.
Toms, jakes, it was two hens,okay.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Because that's all they had left, Because of course
, you procrastinate and youdon't get anything Would you
have gone with a tom or jake,you think, if they.
Well, what I wanted was a was ajake and a hen.
That had a nice set and that'swhat I was hoping for.
But I guess the hens worked inthe end.
But, um, I didn't really knowanything about turkey hunting,
but so you guys slept in weslept in.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Well, I thought brody said in his alarm he thought I
did.
I woke up, check my watch.
It was 5 o'clock.
We were supposed to get up at 4.
So I yelled at him.
I said we better get up becausewe're late, and grabbed our
stuff and we went to the field.
But we didn't want to set upwhere we originally planned on
it because we thought if thebirds were up or down off the
(06:18):
roost they're going to see usset the decoys up.
So we set down the field alittle bit farther, just below
the knoll, just to try to stayout of the eyesight, cause we
always heard their eyesight'sincredible.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
And Now you'd kind of been on a turkey hunt.
Before right Lane you taggedalong, but that was more of a
just watching kind of learn, orwas that like a shit luck hunt?
The turkey season was reallynew here.
The turkeys didn't know whatwas going on.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
A little of both.
Yeah, I didn't do any of thecalling or anything on that hunt
, I was just tagging along.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Was there much calling being done on that one?
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Or was it just set up in the right spot?
I called a little bit, but notnear as much as Brody and I did
on this hunt.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Okay, all right.
So you guys Like Brody get offme.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
I didn't go off at all, I just happened to wake up.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Oh okay, I froze Hunter's intuition, but now
we're off, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
But we got set up.
We have the decoys set up.
It's kind of like rolling hillsand when we were set up we had
the decoys out.
Start calling a bit, we canhear some gobbles.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Some response coming from below us.
You're hunting farmland.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
This is all field, yep, and we're set up in a in a
tree line separating uh like agrass field from uh from like a
dirt field.
So, um, we could get somegobbles coming from the bottom.
We could hear the birds startto work their way up, but
obviously we can't see downcause there was so many rolling
hills and, uh, they only workedup so far.
We could hear them coming,coming, coming, and then they
(07:46):
stopped responding.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
When you talked, they talked back.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Oh yeah, it was pretty good this Tom every time.
I'd chirp, he'd cut me right offand he'd gobble and you could
hear him coming closer and I'mguessing he was probably about
80 yards away along the treeline, and then behind him you
could hear the hens rightchirping back and I'm like, and
then I started gettingaggressive with it, like well
(08:10):
I'm an aggressive guy well, youcan't call a real turkey and if
anyone listening to this iswondering, we are hunting the
eastern wild turkey I don't knowmuch about turkeys but, um, I
figured when that turkey cameand he was looking for a hen,
when he popped his head up overthe hill and he didn't see the
hen because we had it set up onthe wrong side of the dip.
(08:32):
Yeah, I think it.
Just he just lost interest andwent back to where he knew it
was safe to see the other handsI think he was already around to
that as well.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Yeah, we had what five hens with on that morning
it was.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
It ended up because uh, we because I took a look up
through the field and went downto see if I could get a shot,
because I had my bow thatmorning and there was two toms
and five hens, so they werealready henned up.
It was tough to try to pullbirds that are with other birds.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
I've been told that if a ton's with live hens to try
to pull them off, them ontodummy ones.
Basically it's hard.
You have to bring the hens insomehow.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
You've got to get the hens going.
As soon as I heard those henssquawking I knew it was over,
and as soon as they did, thosetaunts stopped answering us.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Okay, yep.
So we just left them thatmorning.
We figured take the pressureoff them, let them relax,
because they probably saw mepoking my head up over the hill
a little bit right.
Yep, um.
So we just left them and wentlooking through the day.
But you can't find a turkey inthe middle of the day, can you?
They're out in the woods.
They're out, but yeah, they'reharder yeah yeah, so we didn't
(09:40):
get much during the day, but Idon't know do we haven't went
and had a good nap.
I we had a nap.
Went for a walk.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
That's why you couldn't find anyone.
We tried calling through theday.
We didn't see anyone when wewere sleeping.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Went to some hardwood ridges, tried to see if we
could get something Cruisingaround.
Never got any response and wewent to the same spot that night
and we set up Same spot.
We were and I get up I want tocheck the field behind us.
(10:11):
Anyway, I seen them in thefield that we were in the tree
line dividing and they were 400yards away and us moving in the
tree line spooked them.
Oh, yeah.
I would have never guessed theywere that far away.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
I would have never guessed Lane running through the
tree line like a bull moosewould scare off a turkey 400
yards away.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
It's crazy what they can see, I know, Wearing blaze
orange.
Now we have camo on Lane's,like I can't believe they saw me
.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Anyway, we just.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
They don't have ears that you can see, but they're
there, they're there.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
They're there and we just we had our chairs and we
just left them there.
We put the decoys in behind thechairs.
We're going to be here in themorning.
We're going to leave thesebirds alone.
We jumped in the truck andwe're like maybe we can see some
other birds put them to bed.
We put a stalk on that laterthat night.
What two more toms.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yeah well, I'm no turkey expert, like I said, but
the one that we found it had tobe a 40-pound tom.
By the looks of it, when wewere driving by, it was huge.
But anyways we put the stock toit and, uh, we tried to cut it
off, get turned walk downthrough the bottom of the field
as it was working up the treeline and then, by the time we
(11:23):
had got to the top I we have noidea where it went, but it
didn't come towards us, and thenit was too dark.
We just called her a night, atthat.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
That's quite a tall.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
No, but it wasn't a 40 pound, but it was a good size
.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
It was like 50.
When you're not used to them,they do look big.
It was bigger than the one thatI shot.
I'm pretty sure it was a it wasa big bird.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I mean like you know the size of a Turkey driving
through.
You're like, oh, those are allbig a dark spot and you think
it's a bear.
But when you actually see abear you know it's a bear.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Yeah, you don't have to like.
You know it's a big bird.
The turkeys definitely feelheavier, right, kyle, the longer
you walk with them in your hand.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
How do they feel they're like?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
When we first started , I thought it was like 20
pounds.
I'm thinking it's 40 now too,you know yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Cause, but all right, boys.
So the stock was busted.
Yep, turkey, it's married toyou, mm-hmm.
So that was it for day one andBrody and the Bull Moose.
Yeah, I was.
I was content.
After day one We've seen 14birds total.
It's pretty good and that'smore than I ever would expected
to see On TV.
The pressure was on because weknew the next day was we were
going home or the we had a birdor not.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Brody at work.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I had to go.
What was I doing?
I don't even remember.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
I had to go to work, you had to work.
I took two days off.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
But you had your thin line hunt, spare guiding thing
that was coming up.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I had to keep the bait fired up and get ready for
that, so it was a busy, busyweek for me Sne Busy, busy, busy
week for me Sneak peek into thenext episode coming up, All
right.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
So day two, day two, and we woke up on time.
Okay, we did set an alarm, welearned.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yes, we didn't even go to bed.
That's what we knew.
We'd be up on time, didn't?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
even sleep no it was good you started bro.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Well, what'd?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
we do.
We went to the exact same spot.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
We were the day before we left the chairs and
the decoys in the same spot, sowe didn't have to carry them in.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
But I'll tell you, we moved the decoys to the top of
the hill.
So if those turkeys workedtheir way back up, they'd have
something to see, because wefigured If we didn't trick them
the first time, we might trickthem the second time Doing the
exact same thing.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
And to start the hunt , I was supposed to be filming
and I got halfway across thefield, realized I forgot the
camera in the truck.
All three of them, yep.
So I said you know what?
Maybe that's a sign that I leftthe camera in the truck.
So I'm just going to keep going.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
You have three cameras in the truck.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, I left them all in the truck.
Okay, One understandable.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Two understandable too.
Yeah, well, you know, thathappens, but three I'm a hunter
first, film guy.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Second, we noticed you guys got a turkey also.
He also wasn't hunting, yeahyeah.
So you heard a hunter second,well yeah so we, we were set up
in the same spot and, um,obviously we got in a little
earlier that morning so we justkind of sat and let things play
out.
Where we were in the field, wecould hear the same turkeys
(14:17):
likely that we were talking tothe morning before at the bottom
of the field.
I don't know whether they werein the roost or down.
We never heard them come down,but we could hear them gobbling.
And then there was the turkeysthat we saw the day before in
the afternoon.
We could hear him roostingbehind us in the field.
Behind us he was gobbling, andthen I guess some other hunters
(14:40):
in the next field over above us.
They had killed a tom that waswith another tom.
The day before the morning weheard of the gunshot.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
The first morning he was double bearded too, okay,
cool.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
I guess he was a good bird, yes, but uh, so we could
hear, I would assume, because itwas all alone.
We could hear that turkeygoblin at the at the top of the
field.
So we just let them talk toeach other for a little bit.
Lane started easing into thecall um you guys using uh yeah,
talk about your calling becauseit sounded good just a a second.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I'm going to hit record.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
I got a custom slate over glass pot call from River
Edge Game Calls.
Shout out, shout out.
It is made with beautiful tigerwood.
He said that was the call toget because I didn't know a
single thing about them.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Because he's all out of line wood.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Yeah, I told him I wanted a good call and that's
what he got for me, and aftergetting some videos sent to me
from him on how to use it, I wasplaying around the yard.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
There's a little bit to it.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
There's a little bit to it, but I got it sounding
pretty good All right, good guy,he gave us some mouth calls on
the way down.
Yeah, we met him on the way up.
He gave us.
Now, did you?
Speaker 1 (15:54):
guys use mouth calls.
See, I practiced for about twomonths before, with mouth calls
and Kyle, you said you're good.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I had used.
I practiced a couple years agowhen I first started applying to
turkeys.
I bought some calls and startedusing mouth call then and it
was just a cheap one.
It came in a kit and you knowyou get okay with them, you
think I don't know right, nobodytaught me about youtube, so.
But when I put one of his callsin, like it didn't take long and
(16:21):
it was sounding pretty good,like when you, when you get a
good call, compared to like acheap oh yeah, yeah, you can,
yeah, we're all the differenceit really is.
I like to play around.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So I I gotta get one from kenneth.
But I had the slate call fromhim which we did use part of it.
That worked great.
And then I also had, like youknow, bone collector, one off
amazon.
But then I really liked the.
Uh, the bow brooks power callsyou, you can tell.
Putting those into you canreally feel.
And then I learned to call.
I got a good one too from uh,nature's voice games, west
(16:51):
Virginia Shout out boys.
That one helped me learn how tocall because it was a double
read and now I've got like thetriples.
But they said, don't start withthe triples, it's a little more
frustrating.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
I can't get it.
I try, I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
It's fun once you get going with it, I get going, you
try to do it and I get goingagain.
Well, you don't play with yourtonsils Lane.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Oh, I just can't.
I've tried.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Don't you tickle your tonsils on?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
the latex.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Nope, that's weird.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
But as far as hunting goes, it is so much fun to sit
there and call and have turkeysgobble back and respond.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
They call it a poor man's elk hunt.
Yeah, it is cool.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
But the morning of the last day, I guess we hunted
the second day, set up the samespot.
We were getting the turkeysresponding all around us.
The ones at the bottom werekind of fired up again but they
went quiet.
But the one that was up aboveus, the way the field worked,
(17:51):
the field that we were in wentup probably 400 yards, maybe 300
yards, and then there was atree line and the field kept
going up maybe another 600 or700 yards.
And that turkey we could hearfor quite a while he was
gobbling, but over 45 minutes toan hour you could hear him
getting closer and closer and Iwas watching the corner of the
(18:18):
tree line just expecting him towalk out, and I probably watched
it for half an hour and then,uh, finally, after calling him a
little bit slowly bringing himin, um, I could just see his
head start to bobble as he camearound that corner and he was
just, he was just kind oflooking around, looking around,
he wasn't doing much, justwalking.
And then I was trying to tellLane, like, get on the call.
He's looking for something outhere, but we're also like what,
(18:39):
20 feet apart from?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
each other.
Yeah, we weren't close to eachother.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
We were facing like 45-degree angles.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Or you didn't, lane's TikTok-ing and Brody's
TikTok-ing.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
Looking in opposite directions, Like I'm looking the
direction.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I'm looking at my phone and Brody's looking at the
turkey.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
I'm looking down where we had the birds coming
from yesterday and he's lookingthe opposite direction, so I
can't see.
And he's trying to make thesehand gestures and looking at me.
I'm like what are you talkingabout?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Are you having a stroke?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Well, anyways, lane hits that slate and that turkey
just starts to strut instantlyLike he locked onto the hen
decoys and he's just flexing up.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
I want a visual of that, your interpretation of it
after the podcast.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I'll give you one.
Yeah, I don't want to turn youon too much, though, because it
was a pretty good looking turkey.
It starts strutting at the topof the field there and then he
starts working his way down thetree line and we lose sight of
him because of the hill and thenjust went silent on him and we
figured I've, or I figured Idon't know what lane was
(19:38):
thinking he usually doesn't, butthat turk.
I figured it was going tofollow the tree line right down,
but it came up and crested thehill and started running down
the field towards us.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
so I can't see the bird at this point.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
He goes down into a little dip because it's just
rolling hills on that field,right.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
And I kind of scoot myself a little bit to set up a
little bit better.
I have my shotgun today becausewe only have two days, so I
didn't want to blow it,unintended, yeah.
So I scooted myself a littlebit just to get lined up better
for him.
Yeah, and I had it set up sothe minute he walked between my
decoys I'd be able to kill him.
Well, he came up, he wasprobably 40 yards away and came
(20:17):
up out of the dip and he startsstrutting towards us and he got
maybe 30 yards and I couldn'teven see him because I'm still
looking at my phone.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
I have my shoulder too, like he's over my shoulder
and I don't want to move becauseI always hear how good of
eyesight they have.
And I didn't want to movebecause I always hear how good
of eyesight they have and Ididn't want to see him move my
hand to that call, because everytime I'm calling he's cut.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
That is where the mouth calls come in handy.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
He's cutting me off, like we had this bird fired up,
because every time I'm chirpinghe's cutting me off and he's
full strutting and I did get aglimpse of him over my shoulder
and I'm like, okay, like I knewhe was coming.
Every time he gobbled I'd chirpright back.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
He's cutting me off nonstop.
It's almost annoying becauseyou're calling, You're like, hey
, come here.
They're like I'm coming.
Let me finish.
It's half rude.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Like I said, he came in, he was 40 yards.
Once he got 30 yards, of coursewe're fixated on this bird.
We're thinking it's going down.
We're course we're fixated onthis bird right because we're
thinking it's going down, likewe're so excited we watch this
bird come 200 yards across thefield.
It's been taking them an hourto come in and then to our left
we hear this like gobble.
It sounded like it was right ontop of us and I can't I can't
(21:25):
move right, but lane can see,and that bird was like 10 yards
to my left as soon as it gobbledI looked up and he's full strut
15 yards on the other side ofBrody and I'm like big beard,
good spurs.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
I'm like shoot, shoot him.
He's right there.
I didn't know how good of anopportunity we were going to
have.
So what had?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
happened was that we were so fixated on calling this
bird in from the top of thefield that the two toms that
were at the bottom of the fieldthe day before they had worked
up the tree line towards us.
We had no idea and I saw him.
He was probably 10 yards awayfrom me.
I just turned a little bit andjust shot him because I just saw
(22:06):
a beard and I was like that'sgood enough for me, so killed
that bird.
We had no idea he was eventhere.
So it was pretty fun.
If it wasn't my first turkey, Iprobably would have let them
fight a little bit.
Yeah, because that would havebeen pretty cool.
But you don't know.
I figured that what hadhappened when that bird that was
coming from the top of thefield crested that hill and
started running down the fieldtowards us.
(22:26):
You probably wanted to beatthose two toms of the hens yeah
that's probably what changedthem from walking the tree line.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
So and we didn't even know.
The second bird was there untilhe shot and I was heard.
When you shoot a bird you gottarun after it.
So we ran out into the fieldand we're yelling.
We realized he wasn't goinganywhere actually you see them.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
I guess you do see them almost always yeah, so
we're yelling and jumping around.
We're hugging.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
We're all pumped and there was a second Tom with it.
We're like, yes, well, wedidn't know he was there.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I had no idea what was the bigger bird or what but
I was happy, it was a good.
Tom Nine-inch beard,three-quarter-inch spur.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Not bad, not bad at all.
I'll take it Absolutely Firstturkey hunt.
You guys were in an area With alot of turkeys too.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I'll tell you that was probably the most exciting
hunt I've ever been on.
That was pretty good yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Alright, kyle, should we take it away?
Where do we begin?
The year was 2025, on a cold,crisp morning, no, kyle.
I told Kyle to To apply for histurkey tag and Kyle was like I
don't know, I'm not very lucky,but I will.
And uh, you got it.
And I was like all right, Isaid I'll guide you.
Why am I qualified?
I'm not, but I will try to getuh, qualified.
(23:40):
So I did get the mouth callsand I was practicing.
I was two, three months.
I'm a truck driver, so I'm justgoing around like squawking at
everybody all day, just givingthem the weirdest looks it is
yeah because they think you'recompletely out of your mind and
I don't like to tell them anydifferently.
No, but so, anyways, I keep thewindows up most of the time
Because it's weird in traffic.
So the squawking way, and I gotbetter at that, and with the
(24:04):
slate, call, you know,scratchpot.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
A little harder when you're driving.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
That is.
That's when I got pulled over,swerving a lot back there like,
well, this takes two hands.
No, um, I practiced that athome, um, and then, uh, I got a,
uh, a hen and a jake decoy anda good set of binoculars and
started scouting.
(24:28):
And so the zone, the wildlifemanagement zone that Kyle had
his tag for not a lot of turkeysin it, really, there's pockets.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Small pockets.
So we had this.
I had two places scattered out.
One was this farm where there'sactually not too bad number of
birds there, and like one nightI went and saw four.
A few nights later I saw 16there.
The night we were out androosted them, we saw what Five,
four, five.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
The night before, I think there was 14?
.
Oh yeah, that was the night wesaw okay, yeah.
And then we had intentions onsetting up at the top of the
hill.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yes, well, we'll back it up.
So I had these two placesscouted out.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I don't want to cut you off, but it sounds like the
zone you guys are in the.
It sounds like the zone youguys are in the turkeys are kind
of huddled together still,because everybody up where we
were at the turkeys are insmaller groups.
Now Everybody was talking abouthow they were all spread out
over the zone.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
It's kind of a change .
Yeah, it did seem like ourswere kind of grouped up.
They were, but we did have,didn't we have?
A time we had a group of likefour.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, we did.
Yeah, okay, I think that mighthave been the night before.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
That's what I thought was the night before.
No, we can't have 14 the nightbefore because we're all excited
.
We're like holy crap, likewe're gonna be piled up in birds
tomorrow yeah and then it'slike think the afternoon of the
first day we saw like four thefirst morning yes, oh yeah three
or four, yeah, four, yeah,there's four yeah there's just
(26:00):
turkeys everywhere, kind of notreally um, that's a lot of land,
though somemoments there was and there
wasn't, and so I had two placesscouted out.
One was this farm and, uh, theother place I'd scouted out, uh,
it's about half an hour away.
Sometimes I'd go there there'sturkeys, sometimes there's
nothing that wasn't promising no, not nearly as promising.
So we, we set up there, weroosted the birds, uh, but one
(26:20):
big tom, yeah, roosted him stuff, and then we're like, all right
, we're gonna come back in themorning and yeah, that changed
our plans kind of all togethertoo, once we because there's
this field and it was allsurrounded by woods and we were
going to set up at the top ofthe field because we figured the
turkeys were going to go upthere or come from there after
they roosted.
But they didn't.
They roosted at a couple thatwe saw roosted at the bottom and
(26:41):
um, so we're like all right,we'll set up there.
So we got up early the nextmorning on time.
Uh, kyle and I were likeputting together these decoys
and all that before bed thatnight.
I was like, well, well, kyle,it's about midnight and we're
getting up at 3.30.
So I was like, yeah, I probablywon't sleep much, I'll go home.
I'm like all right.
Then I end up, I don't know,doing something with the cows in
(27:01):
the barn and all that.
We didn't really sleep thatnight no no.
So I put some Red Bull in mycoffee and met Kyle there he
drove behind me.
No, I didn't run, I walked.
So we got there early in themorning, we got all set up and I
started calling, and then youcould hear them fly down, though
we were all set up camouflagedin, but we had the decoys up.
(27:25):
I don't think they could seethem.
I didn't dare come out anymorebecause the sun was coming up
fast.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yeah, well, we could see him still, yeah, yeah, where
he had roosted the night beforeI was calling and they
responded back every time, andthen we had crows.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
I mean a lot of crows Felt like they spoiled the hunt
.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Kind of eh, Kyle and I looked at each other.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
There must have been at least 30 of them that just
kept circling, yeah, and justcalling the whole time and I was
like what I looked at, kyle,and I'm like what Is?
Speaker 3 (27:57):
this a turkey call or a crow call?
Yeah, I've never seen the likesof that before in my life.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
No.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
I know a lot of guys when they're looking for birds,
they'll make a crow call.
They'll use a crow call as alocator.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Yeah, well, there's about about 30 or 40 crow calls
going off.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
No I said, one Did you ever consider shooting a
crow?
Speaker 1 (28:17):
It crossed our mind.
Kyle and I were looking at himlike maybe I kept waving the gun
up towards them.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
You ever try and shoot a crow.
It's almost as if they can tell.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
They're a smart bird, they'll remember faces.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
I don't know if they could see us there and we were
near a nest or something.
They're pissed off.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
I don't know Well, Buddy had the gut pile.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
He had a gut pile near there.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
But I don't think that they would have been
further.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Because me and Kyle were around there.
They were just upset that theyspotted us or something.
I don't know, but it wasannoying.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah, they're a strange bird.
Yeah it was weird.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Yeah, so then that first morning so I was calling
and then finally crows got outof there and then we just left
the decoys there and we're likewe're just going to go up here
because we can still hear somecalling, but they weren't coming
in.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
Well, we had them, we spotted them, yes they started
to come over.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Yeah, that's right, I forgot about't.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
They were just kind of on the other side of a blind
knoll.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
We kind of knew where they were at, but they just
wouldn't make an appearance.
And then after I don't know,how probably an hour.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
I would say yeah, I was like, let's make a move on
them.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
We tried to put a stop on them.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
We like belly crawling up this little knoll
right.
And then communication error onmy part as the guide and I
didn't know what Kyle was doing.
I'm like, all right, let's go,like get up there.
And then, kyle, you're justsurprised they were there, yeah.
And then we were going to tryto get up a bit closer and I
couldn't believe they for oncethey were letting us, shocked as
we were.
They were shocked to see us andwe were shocked to still see
(29:53):
them there when we came up overthis knoll.
And then, anyways, stretched ashot.
Yeah, the bird was safe.
We then I I showed come up seethey.
Uh, they can fly really well.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Yeah, that's where we learned that they could fly
quite well and pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I was impressed, yeah so yeah, they were safe.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
And then I'm like, all right, well, try again.
So we went out that night andthen we set up on the hill,
right yeah.
And then we had a great setup.
And then I was like I don't seeanything.
I saw some Canada geese downthere.
We were sitting in this groundblind.
We had the decoys out, but Ithink Well they'd be.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
yeah, maybe 400 yards , yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
So I guess they're down the hill.
They seem further, so I startedcalling and sure enough, they
turned.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
Just like they were on a string.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, and I was calling.
I'm like Kyle, this is it, likewe're you know, get the stew
ready because we're going to beputting a turkey into it.
I'm just like reeling them inlike the fishermen I'm not, but
they're coming right in.
I'm like we got them and thenthe farmer takes a dead cow from
way down there and goes to putit into the gut pile.
Then these bald eagles andeverything come in and all that
(31:06):
and the turkey's like boop andthey're just what happened, kyle
.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Well, I think they went in the woods.
They started to come up theknoll another blind knoll.
They started up.
We could see them from thebottom of the hill.
They were coming straighttowards us and we kind of
figured they're going to comeout either in front of us or
just kind of like off to oneside or the other.
And they seemed like they justkind of went right around that
knoll and went into the woodsbehind us.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
And that was that.
And then we had a hen walkingand purring, yeah, which was
kind of cool.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
It almost seemed like she was like straight from the
rest of the group she was tryingto find yeah, yeah, yeah,
getting like a low-key thing itwas kind of neat to hear her
going and stuff, and then thatwas that.
Yeah, they fooled us that nightfor sure.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
And then so Kyle and stuff, so we didn't go out then.
Then we only got out a few dayslater and I told kyle.
I was like, well, I said we'regonna try this other spot and
see.
And then so we get out thereand there we saw the farmers
that we had permission his kidwas out, uh, walking their dogs
and everything.
And I'm like, well, thisdoesn't look too promising so
far.
Um, and it was really windy andalmost rainy not quite, it's,
just wasn't raining that night,but it was it was windy, it was
(32:16):
windy, it was a nice night, itwas just windy.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
Oh, was it just okay?
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Maybe I'm thinking of a different.
I'm thinking of the other nightwhen I had with Caitlin Yep, so
then, uh, yep, it was raining,then we got a, so then we go up.
So I'm looking.
I was like I don't know, I wasnot feeling too optimistic.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
No, I wasn't either.
I was like, well, go up here.
And then I figured what do wehave to lose?
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Three nights left.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
So I was told by some people to use the Jake decoy.
I don't know they're saying usethe Jakes.
Okay, For me it makes sense,because it's a.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Not even the hen.
Not even the hen, just the Jake.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
So I was like okay.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
Now we were told the complete opposite up there.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Well, we were second week of the season, Kyle.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
They were saying that it's so late into their
breeding season.
They've been fighting for weeksand a lot of toms.
If they see the tom and the hendecoys, they're like it's not
worth my time.
I'm tired of this.
But if they see just decoys,they're like it's not worth my
time.
I'm tired of this.
But if they see just hens,they're like well, there's no
competition to go in.
Well, it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
It does, but we're that's what I was told and it
did work.
So we were going up and I waslike, well, I know they kind of
come out here.
We had to go up this big hill.
And then Kyle's like well,can't we just set up down here?
I'm like no, we got to walk tothe top of this hill.
I can hear Kyle cussing behindme.
I was like no, I said I want togo up here, kyle, so we can see
both sides from this hill reallywell, anyway, so I put out the
(33:50):
Jake decoy there and I'm like Iknow I was not feeling
optimistic.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
I think I was showing Kyle some stuff on my phone and
all that, but we were hit inreally well, though there's a
really good setup actually, yeah, we were hit in really well.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Kyle's like laying down on his stomach, prone like
ready to friggin rumble.
He's gonna like throw the gunto me and charge out of there
and grab it.
But I was like, no, no, kyle,you shoot it.
We had a 12 gauge.
Uh, what were you shooting,kyle?
For shells?
Because they worked.
You get them from a guy at work, were they?
Speaker 3 (34:16):
they were, they're number four I think they were
but it's a turkey load no, itwasn't a turkey load oh, it
wasn't okay.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
I thought it wasn't no, it was just something they
were.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
They were old shells that he had yeah but they were
two ounce shot.
I think they hit what they.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Yeah, yeah okay because you bought turkey load.
That's right yeah.
And then you end up trying outthese after Okay, yep.
And so we're there and I'mcalling I was calling with my
mouth and scratching on the pot,nothing and we're just kind of
like throwing rocks around, likeI don't know, it's a waste of
time.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Well, yeah, we never had an answer, or nothing.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
No, I didn't see anything.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
It was so windy too.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
And then, all of a sudden, I looked to my right,
just up on the sill.
I'm like Kyle.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Kind of behind you, yeah, like you had your back to
them, yeah, yeah, and I was likeI see turkeys.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
He's like really I'm like, yeah, we were heading in
so well.
So, anyways, I was like callingwith my mouth and scratching
the pot and like they're coming.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
I was thinking two things.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
I'm like I hope they don't see us.
I hope Kyle doesn't miss.
I'm just like hoping.
And then I was like Kyle.
They are like flying towards us.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
They're coming.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
But they're not flying, but they can't, they're
running.
And then, anyways, they comeright in and uh, we probably
could have watched them fightthe decoy or whatever, but kyle
and I were just we almost shouldhave, yeah, but we were, it was
getting a little down to thewire and stuff, and we'd already
realized these birds aresmarter than we thought, because
there's some other little huntsin there that after the first
(35:52):
day you know.
We got a little bit more, though, and you know, nothing to write
home about, but realize they'resmart, smart and Kyle shot
flattened him.
We're like holy shit, that was.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Yeah, it was a short hunt really.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
That was.
But I said to Kyle when we gotthe bird I said if that had
happened the first morning, Isaid would this feel like as
gratifying or whatever?
And Kyle's like, no, itwouldn't have like this.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
It feels good on the second morning.
Okay, on the second morning.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Okay, Anyway.
So yeah, that was our turkeyseason.
Learned a lot.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
It's fun.
It is fun.
I really hope I get a tag nextyear, but we'll see.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
I like the interacting with them.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
It's really slow, and then it's very high paced and
it's frustrating though, too,you had them on a string.
Why aren't you guys like comeon, come here If you could go
into the woods and rattleantlers and have eight bucks run
in every time.
It's so fun.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Yeah, I'm not huge on staying still, but I can for
that.
But I get to call, I get tocall.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
You're doing something, I'm doing something,
you're occupied.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Because the old A-double-D kicks in.
But you know the turkey huntingit is.
Yeah, it's fun, but they can.
Yeah, they can see well andthey can hear so well, yeah,
it's surprising for not beingable to see.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
ear on the damn thing , and yet they'll come in and
fight a plastic bird in front ofyou.
See, that's the dumb part, thetag still flapping on it, or
whatever made in china.
They're actually a lot, a lotbigger than I had expected,
because I had never, I mean,been on a turkey hunt, or
anything.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
No, no same, I've never tagged along or anything I
don't call.
Got that we?
We did go out and we're just soexcited I'm like I just want to
grab it, just to like.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
You know it's possible we can get them, you
know, because but now when I seepictures online and I see
somebody holding up a turkey,I'm like like that's a huge
turkey I wouldn't have knownbefore.
But now, like the turkey I shotwas like probably your average
adult, like nothing to like betoo proud about.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
That was mine too, really, yeah, I mean I'm really
proud of them shooting it.
And it had a nice handle.
It's not a trophy, and that'swhat everybody said.
That's seen it too.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
They're like oh my god, that's huge.
Eh like, no, actually it's not,it's not.
Yeah, well, it is and it isn't.
It's bigger than I thought theywere, but it's like when I see
other people's online now, I'mlike that's a, that's a trophy
compared to a dove I find themto be, uh yeah, they're way
bigger than a hummingbird, forsure, oh yeah yeah I.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I noticed that um kyle agreed with me, so yeah Did
you eat any of it yet Not yet Ihaven't either.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
no.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
I don't know what to do with it.
I'm waiting for Jacob Armstrongif he's listening to this, to
help us.
Oh, maybe he'll do a cookingshow.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah Well, army, if you're out there, I got some
turkey for you to fry up, orsomething.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Yeah, jacob's been on before and talking about his
cooking.
He is really good at it too,and wild game is his specialty.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
So I've heard it's good.
He's done them before too,right.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, he has.
Yeah, because he got a tag.
He was going up with anoutfitter up northern.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Yeah, it was 16.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
So it was good.
I definitely plan on trying toturkey hunt every year, either
here or in maine so yeah, that'sfun.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
You still have a tag for maine, dude I do I.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
So I went down, uh, to maine with a friend of mine
who's not a turkey hunter.
He said he'd take me out turkeyhunting but it's later in the
season there.
So, uh, we saw some hens andall that.
And then, uh, he doesn't likesitting still or anything much
more than I do.
He's like you want to go runhounds exercise?
I'm like, yeah, I do, so mytag's still good for the fall
there.
So they have a fall season inMaine.
(39:24):
I guess that's no calling oranything, really, because
they're not going to answer.
It's just setting up where youthink they're going to be eating
.
I'll give her a whirl.
I got my tag.
Yeah, so, boys, thanks forcoming out.
this is hunt sun outfitting podcast.
I'm your host and rookie guide,ken marr.
I love everything hunting theoutdoors and all things
associated with it, from storiesto how-tos.
You'll find it here.
Welcome to the podcast.
All right, thanks for joiningus on this podcast episode.
(00:31):
We're happy to have you hereand listening.
If you want to reach out to us,you can on Facebook Hunts on
Outfitting or by email,huntsonoutfitting at gmailcom
gmailcom.
So for a lot of places inCanada and the United States the
New England states we justwrapped up our wrapping up
turkey season, and sitting herewith me today I've got some
(00:56):
people that experienced that,some of my friends and we are
going to talk and compare noteson all of our first turkey
seasons.
I've got Lane Lewis sittingnext to me, who took Brody
Garnett out hunting.
You guys took each other.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
It was a group.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
It was a group yeah, and then across from me is Kyle
Gillies, who I helped guide andI learned a lot myself because
this is my first time guidingand Kyle, we had an adventure,
yeah we did.
We learned a lot, and I thinkthis is your first podcast, kyle
, that you haven't been on atrivia.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
it's always a trivia no, I did one the archery yes,
that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Yep, you get your own mic and stuff.
So that's good.
Yeah, you did do the archeryone.
Um, so lane is, uh, thebackbone of the city of monkton,
new brunswick, canada.
Works in the city.
Brody is a paramedic here inNew Brunswick, canada, kyle's a
welder and I'm a fireman truckdriver.
Just so you guys get a littlebackstory on us, alright.
So do you guys want to startour individual stories?
(01:53):
Do you guys want to talk aboutthe turkeys?
What we learned I'll tell you.
Remember Kyle didn't believe me.
I was like telling Kyle Likeyeah, no, they can fly really
well, because they don't look it, but they can fly.
And then we saw one take off.
We're like holy shit, they canfly.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, it was kind of unfortunate when we watched it
take off.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, I know, but they, I had other circumstances,
but they surprise you though.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Yeah, sure.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
I knew that they could fly up to go, that you
were with me the night before.
I was looking and this one flew, Felt like from the middle of
the field way up into this tree.
I'm like, oh, that's prettygood.
That's why I was like no, I'mtelling you, Kyle, they can fly
and they all right, I'm going tosay it, they're frustrating
bastards, honestly.
So that's what I learned aboutthem, Everything I was told
(02:42):
about them.
They're stupid, but they'resmart.
They're really quick.
Their eyesight is as good asthey say, and so is their
hearing.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yeah, it was pretty good.
I've never hunted turkeysbefore and I didn't really know
anything about them at all, tobe honest, but I just treated it
as a hunt, as I would any hunt,and it went pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Well, you guys did something a little different,
you guys.
So in New Brunswick, here youhad to put it's a draw system.
There's only 500 tags for thewhole province.
So Kyle got his for zone 22,and I know that his odds of that
wildlife management zone 22,were 11.2% of getting it.
Kyle's like I'm never lucky.
I'm like, oh, this is prettylucky.
(03:21):
You guys put up in an areawhere there's higher numbers,
but still they cross the wholeprovince.
I think it's 500 resident tagsand then another 50 non-resident
tags for the outfitters to get.
It's not that many.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
No, there's not.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So the population is starting to grow.
So you guys put up what threehours from here, from where you
live?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, give or take Yep Up towards Woodstock.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
And then you guys well, I'll let you take it from
here, but you guys still had tocamp out.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah, we tented out.
It was pretty good.
We only had two days to do it,had the bear hunt coming up, so
didn't really expect to get theturkey tag, but you always apply
for it anyways.
This year, I guess, was thefirst year I applied up to zone
15, so when I got the tag, umdidn't have much time so we only
took two days.
So we were going to go up thereand camp for two days, figured
(04:13):
we could do it.
Well, I didn't know if we coulddo it because we've never done
it before, but did you guys goout and scout some before?
Speaker 1 (04:20):
we went up sunday night you were in close contact
with the farmer.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Yeah, so we had a contact.
Well, I didn't meet the guyuntil we got up there, but once
we did meet him.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
He told you to get the hell off his land.
Shout out to him he's a goodguy.
No, no, I'm the guy.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Felt like an old friend, so yeah, there you go.
Yeah, it was good.
Thanks if he's listening.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Camp on your land.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Let us treat it like it was our own Shout out.
Not too often you get a farmerwho gives you a free range of
everything.
So it was pretty good.
But yeah, we went up Sundaynight and we scouted a bit and
he pretty much just showed usall the land where the birds
were.
We didn't really roost anybirds.
We saw some going towards theroost but we never saw them go
(05:03):
up into a roost.
But there was only so much areafor them to go.
So we had an idea of where toset up in the morning, but we
only had two mornings to reallyhunt.
First morning went pretty good.
We woke up late.
It was daylight when we woke up.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
That is pretty good.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, that's a great way to start out.
Rushed in, set some decoys up.
What are you using for decoys?
Whatever was on sale, cabela'stwo weeks before the season.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
No, but you guys were using hens.
Toms, jakes, it was two hens,okay.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Because that's all they had left, Because of course
, you procrastinate and youdon't get anything Would you
have gone with a tom or jake,you think, if they.
Well, what I wanted was a was ajake and a hen.
That had a nice set and that'swhat I was hoping for.
But I guess the hens worked inthe end.
But, um, I didn't really knowanything about turkey hunting,
but so you guys slept in weslept in.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Well, I thought brody said in his alarm he thought I
did.
I woke up, check my watch.
It was 5 o'clock.
We were supposed to get up at 4.
So I yelled at him.
I said we better get up becausewe're late, and grabbed our
stuff and we went to the field.
But we didn't want to set upwhere we originally planned on
it because we thought if thebirds were up or down off the
(06:18):
roost they're going to see usset the decoys up.
So we set down the field alittle bit farther, just below
the knoll, just to try to stayout of the eyesight, cause we
always heard their eyesight'sincredible.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
And Now you'd kind of been on a turkey hunt.
Before right Lane you taggedalong, but that was more of a
just watching kind of learn, orwas that like a shit luck hunt?
The turkey season was reallynew here.
The turkeys didn't know whatwas going on.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
A little of both.
Yeah, I didn't do any of thecalling or anything on that hunt
, I was just tagging along.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Was there much calling being done on that one?
Speaker 4 (06:53):
Or was it just set up in the right spot?
I called a little bit, but notnear as much as Brody and I did
on this hunt.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Okay, all right.
So you guys Like Brody get offme.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
I didn't go off at all, I just happened to wake up.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Oh okay, I froze Hunter's intuition, but now
we're off, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
But we got set up.
We have the decoys set up.
It's kind of like rolling hillsand when we were set up we had
the decoys out.
Start calling a bit, we canhear some gobbles.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Some response coming from below us.
You're hunting farmland.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
This is all field, yep, and we're set up in a in a
tree line separating uh like agrass field from uh from like a
dirt field.
So, um, we could get somegobbles coming from the bottom.
We could hear the birds startto work their way up, but
obviously we can't see downcause there was so many rolling
hills and, uh, they only workedup so far.
We could hear them coming,coming, coming, and then they
(07:46):
stopped responding.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
When you talked, they talked back.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Oh yeah, it was pretty good this Tom every time.
I'd chirp, he'd cut me right offand he'd gobble and you could
hear him coming closer and I'mguessing he was probably about
80 yards away along the treeline, and then behind him you
could hear the hens rightchirping back and I'm like, and
then I started gettingaggressive with it, like well
(08:10):
I'm an aggressive guy well, youcan't call a real turkey and if
anyone listening to this iswondering, we are hunting the
eastern wild turkey I don't knowmuch about turkeys but, um, I
figured when that turkey cameand he was looking for a hen,
when he popped his head up overthe hill and he didn't see the
hen because we had it set up onthe wrong side of the dip.
(08:32):
Yeah, I think it.
Just he just lost interest andwent back to where he knew it
was safe to see the other handsI think he was already around to
that as well.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Yeah, we had what five hens with on that morning
it was.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
It ended up because uh, we because I took a look up
through the field and went downto see if I could get a shot,
because I had my bow thatmorning and there was two toms
and five hens, so they werealready henned up.
It was tough to try to pullbirds that are with other birds.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
I've been told that if a ton's with live hens to try
to pull them off, them ontodummy ones.
Basically it's hard.
You have to bring the hens insomehow.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
You've got to get the hens going.
As soon as I heard those henssquawking I knew it was over,
and as soon as they did, thosetaunts stopped answering us.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Okay, yep.
So we just left them thatmorning.
We figured take the pressureoff them, let them relax,
because they probably saw mepoking my head up over the hill
a little bit right.
Yep, um.
So we just left them and wentlooking through the day.
But you can't find a turkey inthe middle of the day, can you?
They're out in the woods.
They're out, but yeah, they'reharder yeah yeah, so we didn't
(09:40):
get much during the day, but Idon't know do we haven't went
and had a good nap.
I we had a nap.
Went for a walk.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
That's why you couldn't find anyone.
We tried calling through theday.
We didn't see anyone when wewere sleeping.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Went to some hardwood ridges, tried to see if we
could get something Cruisingaround.
Never got any response and wewent to the same spot that night
and we set up Same spot.
We were and I get up I want tocheck the field behind us.
(10:11):
Anyway, I seen them in thefield that we were in the tree
line dividing and they were 400yards away and us moving in the
tree line spooked them.
Oh, yeah.
I would have never guessed theywere that far away.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
I would have never guessed Lane running through the
tree line like a bull moosewould scare off a turkey 400
yards away.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
It's crazy what they can see, I know, Wearing blaze
orange.
Now we have camo on Lane's,like I can't believe they saw me
.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Anyway, we just.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
They don't have ears that you can see, but they're
there, they're there.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
They're there and we just we had our chairs and we
just left them there.
We put the decoys in behind thechairs.
We're going to be here in themorning.
We're going to leave thesebirds alone.
We jumped in the truck andwe're like maybe we can see some
other birds put them to bed.
We put a stalk on that laterthat night.
What two more toms.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yeah well, I'm no turkey expert, like I said, but
the one that we found it had tobe a 40-pound tom.
By the looks of it, when wewere driving by, it was huge.
But anyways we put the stock toit and, uh, we tried to cut it
off, get turned walk downthrough the bottom of the field
as it was working up the treeline and then, by the time we
(11:23):
had got to the top I we have noidea where it went, but it
didn't come towards us, and thenit was too dark.
We just called her a night, atthat.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
That's quite a tall.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
No, but it wasn't a 40 pound, but it was a good size
.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
It was like 50.
When you're not used to them,they do look big.
It was bigger than the one thatI shot.
I'm pretty sure it was a it wasa big bird.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I mean like you know the size of a Turkey driving
through.
You're like, oh, those are allbig a dark spot and you think
it's a bear.
But when you actually see abear you know it's a bear.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Yeah, you don't have to like.
You know it's a big bird.
The turkeys definitely feelheavier, right, kyle, the longer
you walk with them in your hand.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
How do they feel they're like?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
When we first started , I thought it was like 20
pounds.
I'm thinking it's 40 now too,you know yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Cause, but all right, boys.
So the stock was busted.
Yep, turkey, it's married toyou, mm-hmm.
So that was it for day one andBrody and the Bull Moose.
Yeah, I was.
I was content.
After day one We've seen 14birds total.
It's pretty good and that'smore than I ever would expected
to see On TV.
The pressure was on because weknew the next day was we were
going home or the we had a birdor not.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Brody at work.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I had to go.
What was I doing?
I don't even remember.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
I had to go to work, you had to work.
I took two days off.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
But you had your thin line hunt, spare guiding thing
that was coming up.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I had to keep the bait fired up and get ready for
that, so it was a busy, busyweek for me Sne Busy, busy, busy
week for me Sneak peek into thenext episode coming up, All
right.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
So day two, day two, and we woke up on time.
Okay, we did set an alarm, welearned.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Yes, we didn't even go to bed.
That's what we knew.
We'd be up on time, didn't?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
even sleep no it was good you started bro.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Well, what'd?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
we do.
We went to the exact same spot.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
We were the day before we left the chairs and
the decoys in the same spot, sowe didn't have to carry them in.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
But I'll tell you, we moved the decoys to the top of
the hill.
So if those turkeys workedtheir way back up, they'd have
something to see, because wefigured If we didn't trick them
the first time, we might trickthem the second time Doing the
exact same thing.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
And to start the hunt , I was supposed to be filming
and I got halfway across thefield, realized I forgot the
camera in the truck.
All three of them, yep.
So I said you know what?
Maybe that's a sign that I leftthe camera in the truck.
So I'm just going to keep going.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
You have three cameras in the truck.
Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, I left them all in the truck.
Okay, One understandable.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Two understandable too.
Yeah, well, you know, thathappens, but three I'm a hunter
first, film guy.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Second, we noticed you guys got a turkey also.
He also wasn't hunting, yeahyeah.
So you heard a hunter second,well yeah so we, we were set up
in the same spot and, um,obviously we got in a little
earlier that morning so we justkind of sat and let things play
out.
Where we were in the field, wecould hear the same turkeys
(14:17):
likely that we were talking tothe morning before at the bottom
of the field.
I don't know whether they werein the roost or down.
We never heard them come down,but we could hear them gobbling.
And then there was the turkeysthat we saw the day before in
the afternoon.
We could hear him roostingbehind us in the field.
Behind us he was gobbling, andthen I guess some other hunters
(14:40):
in the next field over above us.
They had killed a tom that waswith another tom.
The day before the morning weheard of the gunshot.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
The first morning he was double bearded too, okay,
cool.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
I guess he was a good bird, yes, but uh, so we could
hear, I would assume, because itwas all alone.
We could hear that turkeygoblin at the at the top of the
field.
So we just let them talk toeach other for a little bit.
Lane started easing into thecall um you guys using uh yeah,
talk about your calling becauseit sounded good just a a second.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I'm going to hit record.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
I got a custom slate over glass pot call from River
Edge Game Calls.
Shout out, shout out.
It is made with beautiful tigerwood.
He said that was the call toget because I didn't know a
single thing about them.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Because he's all out of line wood.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Yeah, I told him I wanted a good call and that's
what he got for me, and aftergetting some videos sent to me
from him on how to use it, I wasplaying around the yard.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
There's a little bit to it.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
There's a little bit to it, but I got it sounding
pretty good All right, good guy,he gave us some mouth calls on
the way down.
Yeah, we met him on the way up.
He gave us.
Now, did you?
Speaker 1 (15:54):
guys use mouth calls.
See, I practiced for about twomonths before, with mouth calls
and Kyle, you said you're good.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I had used.
I practiced a couple years agowhen I first started applying to
turkeys.
I bought some calls and startedusing mouth call then and it
was just a cheap one.
It came in a kit and you knowyou get okay with them, you
think I don't know right, nobodytaught me about youtube, so.
But when I put one of his callsin, like it didn't take long and
(16:21):
it was sounding pretty good,like when you, when you get a
good call, compared to like acheap oh yeah, yeah, you can,
yeah, we're all the differenceit really is.
I like to play around.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So I I gotta get one from kenneth.
But I had the slate call fromhim which we did use part of it.
That worked great.
And then I also had, like youknow, bone collector, one off
amazon.
But then I really liked the.
Uh, the bow brooks power callsyou, you can tell.
Putting those into you canreally feel.
And then I learned to call.
I got a good one too from uh,nature's voice games, west
(16:51):
Virginia Shout out boys.
That one helped me learn how tocall because it was a double
read and now I've got like thetriples.
But they said, don't start withthe triples, it's a little more
frustrating.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
I can't get it.
I try, I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
It's fun once you get going with it, I get going, you
try to do it and I get goingagain.
Well, you don't play with yourtonsils Lane.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Oh, I just can't.
I've tried.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Don't you tickle your tonsils on?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
the latex.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Nope, that's weird.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
But as far as hunting goes, it is so much fun to sit
there and call and have turkeysgobble back and respond.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
They call it a poor man's elk hunt.
Yeah, it is cool.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
But the morning of the last day, I guess we hunted
the second day, set up the samespot.
We were getting the turkeysresponding all around us.
The ones at the bottom werekind of fired up again but they
went quiet.
But the one that was up aboveus, the way the field worked,
(17:51):
the field that we were in wentup probably 400 yards, maybe 300
yards, and then there was atree line and the field kept
going up maybe another 600 or700 yards.
And that turkey we could hearfor quite a while he was
gobbling, but over 45 minutes toan hour you could hear him
getting closer and closer and Iwas watching the corner of the
(18:18):
tree line just expecting him towalk out, and I probably watched
it for half an hour and then,uh, finally, after calling him a
little bit slowly bringing himin, um, I could just see his
head start to bobble as he camearound that corner and he was
just, he was just kind oflooking around, looking around,
he wasn't doing much, justwalking.
And then I was trying to tellLane, like, get on the call.
He's looking for something outhere, but we're also like what,
(18:39):
20 feet apart from?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
each other.
Yeah, we weren't close to eachother.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
We were facing like 45-degree angles.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Or you didn't, lane's TikTok-ing and Brody's
TikTok-ing.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
Looking in opposite directions, Like I'm looking the
direction.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
I'm looking at my phone and Brody's looking at the
turkey.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
I'm looking down where we had the birds coming
from yesterday and he's lookingthe opposite direction, so I
can't see.
And he's trying to make thesehand gestures and looking at me.
I'm like what are you talkingabout?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Are you having a stroke?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Well, anyways, lane hits that slate and that turkey
just starts to strut instantlyLike he locked onto the hen
decoys and he's just flexing up.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
I want a visual of that, your interpretation of it
after the podcast.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
I'll give you one.
Yeah, I don't want to turn youon too much, though, because it
was a pretty good looking turkey.
It starts strutting at the topof the field there and then he
starts working his way down thetree line and we lose sight of
him because of the hill and thenjust went silent on him and we
figured I've, or I figured Idon't know what lane was
(19:38):
thinking he usually doesn't, butthat turk.
I figured it was going tofollow the tree line right down,
but it came up and crested thehill and started running down
the field towards us.
Speaker 4 (19:48):
so I can't see the bird at this point.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
He goes down into a little dip because it's just
rolling hills on that field,right.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
And I kind of scoot myself a little bit to set up a
little bit better.
I have my shotgun today becausewe only have two days, so I
didn't want to blow it,unintended, yeah.
So I scooted myself a littlebit just to get lined up better
for him.
Yeah, and I had it set up sothe minute he walked between my
decoys I'd be able to kill him.
Well, he came up, he wasprobably 40 yards away and came
(20:17):
up out of the dip and he startsstrutting towards us and he got
maybe 30 yards and I couldn'teven see him because I'm still
looking at my phone.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
I have my shoulder too, like he's over my shoulder
and I don't want to move becauseI always hear how good of
eyesight they have.
And I didn't want to movebecause I always hear how good
of eyesight they have and Ididn't want to see him move my
hand to that call, because everytime I'm calling he's cut.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
That is where the mouth calls come in handy.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
He's cutting me off, like we had this bird fired up,
because every time I'm chirpinghe's cutting me off and he's
full strutting and I did get aglimpse of him over my shoulder
and I'm like, okay, like I knewhe was coming.
Every time he gobbled I'd chirpright back.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
He's cutting me off nonstop.
It's almost annoying becauseyou're calling, You're like, hey
, come here.
They're like I'm coming.
Let me finish.
It's half rude.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Like I said, he came in, he was 40 yards.
Once he got 30 yards, of coursewe're fixated on this bird.
We're thinking it's going down.
We're course we're fixated onthis bird right because we're
thinking it's going down, likewe're so excited we watch this
bird come 200 yards across thefield.
It's been taking them an hourto come in and then to our left
we hear this like gobble.
It sounded like it was right ontop of us and I can't I can't
(21:25):
move right, but lane can see,and that bird was like 10 yards
to my left as soon as it gobbledI looked up and he's full strut
15 yards on the other side ofBrody and I'm like big beard,
good spurs.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
I'm like shoot, shoot him.
He's right there.
I didn't know how good of anopportunity we were going to
have.
So what had?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
happened was that we were so fixated on calling this
bird in from the top of thefield that the two toms that
were at the bottom of the fieldthe day before they had worked
up the tree line towards us.
We had no idea and I saw him.
He was probably 10 yards awayfrom me.
I just turned a little bit andjust shot him because I just saw
(22:06):
a beard and I was like that'sgood enough for me, so killed
that bird.
We had no idea he was eventhere.
So it was pretty fun.
If it wasn't my first turkey, Iprobably would have let them
fight a little bit.
Yeah, because that would havebeen pretty cool.
But you don't know.
I figured that what hadhappened when that bird that was
coming from the top of thefield crested that hill and
started running down the fieldtowards us.
(22:26):
You probably wanted to beatthose two toms of the hens yeah
that's probably what changedthem from walking the tree line.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
So and we didn't even know.
The second bird was there untilhe shot and I was heard.
When you shoot a bird you gottarun after it.
So we ran out into the fieldand we're yelling.
We realized he wasn't goinganywhere actually you see them.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
I guess you do see them almost always yeah, so
we're yelling and jumping around.
We're hugging.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
We're all pumped and there was a second Tom with it.
We're like, yes, well, wedidn't know he was there.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
I had no idea what was the bigger bird or what but
I was happy, it was a good.
Tom Nine-inch beard,three-quarter-inch spur.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Not bad, not bad at all.
I'll take it Absolutely Firstturkey hunt.
You guys were in an area With alot of turkeys too.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
I'll tell you that was probably the most exciting
hunt I've ever been on.
That was pretty good yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Alright, kyle, should we take it away?
Where do we begin?
The year was 2025, on a cold,crisp morning, no, kyle.
I told Kyle to To apply for histurkey tag and Kyle was like I
don't know, I'm not very lucky,but I will.
And uh, you got it.
And I was like all right, Isaid I'll guide you.
Why am I qualified?
I'm not, but I will try to getuh, qualified.
(23:40):
So I did get the mouth callsand I was practicing.
I was two, three months.
I'm a truck driver, so I'm justgoing around like squawking at
everybody all day, just givingthem the weirdest looks it is
yeah because they think you'recompletely out of your mind and
I don't like to tell them anydifferently.
No, but so, anyways, I keep thewindows up most of the time
Because it's weird in traffic.
So the squawking way, and I gotbetter at that, and with the
(24:04):
slate, call, you know,scratchpot.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
A little harder when you're driving.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
That is.
That's when I got pulled over,swerving a lot back there like,
well, this takes two hands.
No, um, I practiced that athome, um, and then, uh, I got a,
uh, a hen and a jake decoy anda good set of binoculars and
started scouting.
(24:28):
And so the zone, the wildlifemanagement zone that Kyle had
his tag for not a lot of turkeysin it, really, there's pockets.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Small pockets.
So we had this.
I had two places scattered out.
One was this farm where there'sactually not too bad number of
birds there, and like one nightI went and saw four.
A few nights later I saw 16there.
The night we were out androosted them, we saw what Five,
four, five.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
The night before, I think there was 14?
.
Oh yeah, that was the night wesaw okay, yeah.
And then we had intentions onsetting up at the top of the
hill.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yes, well, we'll back it up.
So I had these two placesscouted out.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I don't want to cut you off, but it sounds like the
zone you guys are in the.
It sounds like the zone youguys are in the turkeys are kind
of huddled together still,because everybody up where we
were at the turkeys are insmaller groups.
Now Everybody was talking abouthow they were all spread out
over the zone.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
It's kind of a change .
Yeah, it did seem like ourswere kind of grouped up.
They were, but we did have,didn't we have?
A time we had a group of likefour.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, we did.
Yeah, okay, I think that mighthave been the night before.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
That's what I thought was the night before.
No, we can't have 14 the nightbefore because we're all excited
.
We're like holy crap, likewe're gonna be piled up in birds
tomorrow yeah and then it'slike think the afternoon of the
first day we saw like four thefirst morning yes, oh yeah three
or four, yeah, four, yeah,there's four yeah there's just
(26:00):
turkeys everywhere, kind of notreally um, that's a lot of land,
though somemoments there was and there
wasn't, and so I had two placesscouted out.
One was this farm and, uh, theother place I'd scouted out, uh,
it's about half an hour away.
Sometimes I'd go there there'sturkeys, sometimes there's
nothing that wasn't promising no, not nearly as promising.
So we, we set up there, weroosted the birds, uh, but one
(26:20):
big tom, yeah, roosted him stuff, and then we're like, all right
, we're gonna come back in themorning and yeah, that changed
our plans kind of all togethertoo, once we because there's
this field and it was allsurrounded by woods and we were
going to set up at the top ofthe field because we figured the
turkeys were going to go upthere or come from there after
they roosted.
But they didn't.
They roosted at a couple thatwe saw roosted at the bottom and
(26:41):
um, so we're like all right,we'll set up there.
So we got up early the nextmorning on time.
Uh, kyle and I were likeputting together these decoys
and all that before bed thatnight.
I was like, well, well, kyle,it's about midnight and we're
getting up at 3.30.
So I was like, yeah, I probablywon't sleep much, I'll go home.
I'm like all right.
Then I end up, I don't know,doing something with the cows in
(27:01):
the barn and all that.
We didn't really sleep thatnight no no.
So I put some Red Bull in mycoffee and met Kyle there he
drove behind me.
No, I didn't run, I walked.
So we got there early in themorning, we got all set up and I
started calling, and then youcould hear them fly down, though
we were all set up camouflagedin, but we had the decoys up.
(27:25):
I don't think they could seethem.
I didn't dare come out anymorebecause the sun was coming up
fast.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yeah, well, we could see him still, yeah, yeah, where
he had roosted the night beforeI was calling and they
responded back every time, andthen we had crows.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
I mean a lot of crows Felt like they spoiled the hunt
.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Kind of eh, Kyle and I looked at each other.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
There must have been at least 30 of them that just
kept circling, yeah, and justcalling the whole time and I was
like what I looked at, kyle,and I'm like what Is?
Speaker 3 (27:57):
this a turkey call or a crow call?
Yeah, I've never seen the likesof that before in my life.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
No.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
I know a lot of guys when they're looking for birds,
they'll make a crow call.
They'll use a crow call as alocator.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Yeah, well, there's about about 30 or 40 crow calls
going off.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
No I said, one Did you ever consider shooting a
crow?
Speaker 1 (28:17):
It crossed our mind.
Kyle and I were looking at himlike maybe I kept waving the gun
up towards them.
Speaker 3 (28:23):
You ever try and shoot a crow.
It's almost as if they can tell.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
They're a smart bird, they'll remember faces.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
I don't know if they could see us there and we were
near a nest or something.
They're pissed off.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
I don't know Well, Buddy had the gut pile.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
He had a gut pile near there.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
But I don't think that they would have been
further.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Because me and Kyle were around there.
They were just upset that theyspotted us or something.
I don't know, but it wasannoying.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah, they're a strange bird.
Yeah it was weird.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
Yeah, so then that first morning so I was calling
and then finally crows got outof there and then we just left
the decoys there and we're likewe're just going to go up here
because we can still hear somecalling, but they weren't coming
in.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
Well, we had them, we spotted them, yes they started
to come over.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Yeah, that's right, I forgot about't.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
They were just kind of on the other side of a blind
knoll.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
We kind of knew where they were at, but they just
wouldn't make an appearance.
And then after I don't know,how probably an hour.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
I would say yeah, I was like, let's make a move on
them.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
We tried to put a stop on them.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
We like belly crawling up this little knoll
right.
And then communication error onmy part as the guide and I
didn't know what Kyle was doing.
I'm like, all right, let's go,like get up there.
And then, kyle, you're justsurprised they were there, yeah.
And then we were going to tryto get up a bit closer and I
couldn't believe they for oncethey were letting us, shocked as
we were.
They were shocked to see us andwe were shocked to still see
(29:53):
them there when we came up overthis knoll.
And then, anyways, stretched ashot.
Yeah, the bird was safe.
We then I I showed come up seethey.
Uh, they can fly really well.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Yeah, that's where we learned that they could fly
quite well and pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I was impressed, yeah so yeah, they were safe.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
And then I'm like, all right, well, try again.
So we went out that night andthen we set up on the hill,
right yeah.
And then we had a great setup.
And then I was like I don't seeanything.
I saw some Canada geese downthere.
We were sitting in this groundblind.
We had the decoys out, but Ithink Well they'd be.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
yeah, maybe 400 yards , yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
So I guess they're down the hill.
They seem further, so I startedcalling and sure enough, they
turned.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
Just like they were on a string.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, and I was calling.
I'm like Kyle, this is it, likewe're you know, get the stew
ready because we're going to beputting a turkey into it.
I'm just like reeling them inlike the fishermen I'm not, but
they're coming right in.
I'm like we got them and thenthe farmer takes a dead cow from
way down there and goes to putit into the gut pile.
Then these bald eagles andeverything come in and all that
(31:06):
and the turkey's like boop andthey're just what happened, kyle
.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Well, I think they went in the woods.
They started to come up theknoll another blind knoll.
They started up.
We could see them from thebottom of the hill.
They were coming straighttowards us and we kind of
figured they're going to comeout either in front of us or
just kind of like off to oneside or the other.
And they seemed like they justkind of went right around that
knoll and went into the woodsbehind us.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
And that was that.
And then we had a hen walkingand purring, yeah, which was
kind of cool.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
It almost seemed like she was like straight from the
rest of the group she was tryingto find yeah, yeah, yeah,
getting like a low-key thing itwas kind of neat to hear her
going and stuff, and then thatwas that.
Yeah, they fooled us that nightfor sure.
Speaker 1 (31:54):
And then so Kyle and stuff, so we didn't go out then.
Then we only got out a few dayslater and I told kyle.
I was like, well, I said we'regonna try this other spot and
see.
And then so we get out thereand there we saw the farmers
that we had permission his kidwas out, uh, walking their dogs
and everything.
And I'm like, well, thisdoesn't look too promising so
far.
Um, and it was really windy andalmost rainy not quite, it's,
just wasn't raining that night,but it was it was windy, it was
(32:16):
windy, it was a nice night, itwas just windy.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
Oh, was it just okay?
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Maybe I'm thinking of a different.
I'm thinking of the other nightwhen I had with Caitlin Yep, so
then, uh, yep, it was raining,then we got a, so then we go up.
So I'm looking.
I was like I don't know, I wasnot feeling too optimistic.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
No, I wasn't either.
I was like, well, go up here.
And then I figured what do wehave to lose?
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Three nights left.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
So I was told by some people to use the Jake decoy.
I don't know they're saying usethe Jakes.
Okay, For me it makes sense,because it's a.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Not even the hen.
Not even the hen, just the Jake.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
So I was like okay.
Speaker 4 (32:58):
Now we were told the complete opposite up there.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Well, we were second week of the season, Kyle.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
They were saying that it's so late into their
breeding season.
They've been fighting for weeksand a lot of toms.
If they see the tom and the hendecoys, they're like it's not
worth my time.
I'm tired of this.
But if they see just decoys,they're like it's not worth my
time.
I'm tired of this.
But if they see just hens,they're like well, there's no
competition to go in.
Well, it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
It does, but we're that's what I was told and it
did work.
So we were going up and I waslike, well, I know they kind of
come out here.
We had to go up this big hill.
And then Kyle's like well,can't we just set up down here?
I'm like no, we got to walk tothe top of this hill.
I can hear Kyle cussing behindme.
I was like no, I said I want togo up here, kyle, so we can see
both sides from this hill reallywell, anyway, so I put out the
(33:50):
Jake decoy there and I'm like Iknow I was not feeling
optimistic.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
I think I was showing Kyle some stuff on my phone and
all that, but we were hit inreally well, though there's a
really good setup actually, yeah, we were hit in really well.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Kyle's like laying down on his stomach, prone like
ready to friggin rumble.
He's gonna like throw the gunto me and charge out of there
and grab it.
But I was like, no, no, kyle,you shoot it.
We had a 12 gauge.
Uh, what were you shooting,kyle?
For shells?
Because they worked.
You get them from a guy at work, were they?
Speaker 3 (34:16):
they were, they're number four I think they were
but it's a turkey load no, itwasn't a turkey load oh, it
wasn't okay.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
I thought it wasn't no, it was just something they
were.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
They were old shells that he had yeah but they were
two ounce shot.
I think they hit what they.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Yeah, yeah okay because you bought turkey load.
That's right yeah.
And then you end up trying outthese after Okay, yep.
And so we're there and I'mcalling I was calling with my
mouth and scratching on the pot,nothing and we're just kind of
like throwing rocks around, likeI don't know, it's a waste of
time.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Well, yeah, we never had an answer, or nothing.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
No, I didn't see anything.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
It was so windy too.
Speaker 1 (34:55):
And then, all of a sudden, I looked to my right,
just up on the sill.
I'm like Kyle.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Kind of behind you, yeah, like you had your back to
them, yeah, yeah, and I was likeI see turkeys.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
He's like really I'm like, yeah, we were heading in
so well.
So, anyways, I was like callingwith my mouth and scratching
the pot and like they're coming.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
I was thinking two things.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
I'm like I hope they don't see us.
I hope Kyle doesn't miss.
I'm just like hoping.
And then I was like Kyle.
They are like flying towards us.
Speaker 3 (35:30):
They're coming.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
But they're not flying, but they can't, they're
running.
And then, anyways, they comeright in and uh, we probably
could have watched them fightthe decoy or whatever, but kyle
and I were just we almost shouldhave, yeah, but we were, it was
getting a little down to thewire and stuff, and we'd already
realized these birds aresmarter than we thought, because
there's some other little huntsin there that after the first
(35:52):
day you know.
We got a little bit more, though, and you know, nothing to write
home about, but realize they'resmart, smart and Kyle shot
flattened him.
We're like holy shit, that was.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Yeah, it was a short hunt really.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
That was.
But I said to Kyle when we gotthe bird I said if that had
happened the first morning, Isaid would this feel like as
gratifying or whatever?
And Kyle's like, no, itwouldn't have like this.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
It feels good on the second morning.
Okay, on the second morning.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Okay, Anyway.
So yeah, that was our turkeyseason.
Learned a lot.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
It's fun.
It is fun.
I really hope I get a tag nextyear, but we'll see.
Speaker 1 (36:30):
I like the interacting with them.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
It's really slow, and then it's very high paced and
it's frustrating though, too,you had them on a string.
Why aren't you guys like comeon, come here If you could go
into the woods and rattleantlers and have eight bucks run
in every time.
It's so fun.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
Yeah, I'm not huge on staying still, but I can for
that.
But I get to call, I get tocall.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
You're doing something, I'm doing something,
you're occupied.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Because the old A-double-D kicks in.
But you know the turkey huntingit is.
Yeah, it's fun, but they can.
Yeah, they can see well andthey can hear so well, yeah,
it's surprising for not beingable to see.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
ear on the damn thing , and yet they'll come in and
fight a plastic bird in front ofyou.
See, that's the dumb part, thetag still flapping on it, or
whatever made in china.
They're actually a lot, a lotbigger than I had expected,
because I had never, I mean,been on a turkey hunt, or
anything.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
No, no same, I've never tagged along or anything I
don't call.
Got that we?
We did go out and we're just soexcited I'm like I just want to
grab it, just to like.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
You know it's possible we can get them, you
know, because but now when I seepictures online and I see
somebody holding up a turkey,I'm like like that's a huge
turkey I wouldn't have knownbefore.
But now, like the turkey I shotwas like probably your average
adult, like nothing to like betoo proud about.
Speaker 3 (37:50):
That was mine too, really, yeah, I mean I'm really
proud of them shooting it.
And it had a nice handle.
It's not a trophy, and that'swhat everybody said.
That's seen it too.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
They're like oh my god, that's huge.
Eh like, no, actually it's not,it's not.
Yeah, well, it is and it isn't.
It's bigger than I thought theywere, but it's like when I see
other people's online now, I'mlike that's a, that's a trophy
compared to a dove I find themto be, uh yeah, they're way
bigger than a hummingbird, forsure, oh yeah yeah I.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
I noticed that um kyle agreed with me, so yeah Did
you eat any of it yet Not yet Ihaven't either.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
no.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
I don't know what to do with it.
I'm waiting for Jacob Armstrongif he's listening to this, to
help us.
Oh, maybe he'll do a cookingshow.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah Well, army, if you're out there, I got some
turkey for you to fry up, orsomething.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Yeah, jacob's been on before and talking about his
cooking.
He is really good at it too,and wild game is his specialty.
Speaker 3 (38:44):
So I've heard it's good.
He's done them before too,right.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Yeah, he has.
Yeah, because he got a tag.
He was going up with anoutfitter up northern.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Yeah, it was 16.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
So it was good.
I definitely plan on trying toturkey hunt every year, either
here or in maine so yeah, that'sfun.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
You still have a tag for maine, dude I do I.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
So I went down, uh, to maine with a friend of mine
who's not a turkey hunter.
He said he'd take me out turkeyhunting but it's later in the
season there.
So, uh, we saw some hens andall that.
And then, uh, he doesn't likesitting still or anything much
more than I do.
He's like you want to go runhounds exercise?
I'm like, yeah, I do, so mytag's still good for the fall
there.
So they have a fall season inMaine.
(39:24):
I guess that's no calling oranything, really, because
they're not going to answer.
It's just setting up where youthink they're going to be eating
.
I'll give her a whirl.
I got my tag.
Yeah, so, boys, thanks forcoming out.
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