I met Karl probably eight years ago.. He owned a very good piece of property that sat in the middle of one of my best farms. As a kid they would be up turkey hunting, but I after a few years absence I figured I would search him out on people search and give him a call and ask for permission. He granted me permission and as the years moved on a relationship has formed.. As the years have gone by, I keep an eye on the property as I live a mile from it whereas he lives 3 hours.. I throw off trespassers, keep their deer stands in shape, trim shooting lanes and general stuff around the property. In return, I have a good place to deer hunt, walk the dog, sit on the tailgate and drink a few beers as well as hear the same 8-10 stories over and over each time he is up. Long about 5 years ago after his fifth hip replacement surgery, he was going to give up hunting.. The labor, of tracking, gutting dragging was getting to be too much.. Sal and I told him not to worry we would be there whenever they shot anything to take care of everything. Ever since Sal and I cannot plan nothing when he is up, Karl is a killer and most evening we are tracking, gutting, skinning, quartering his deer. Four springs ago Karl called and said he and his friend Jim had applied for turkey tags.
I am fortunate to hunt with a large number of folks each year of various skills and abilities. These two really force me to change my full steam ahead hunting style. I am forced to slow down, way down, have patience, it may be the most grueling hunts I have each year as I do not do well slowing down. I have 4 or 5 properties that I save for these two each spring, these properties allow for a very short walk 50 yards or so to be in a spot where we stand a reasonable shot of working a bird, or are spots I can drive them into drop off, go park the truck and come back. The last three springs I have been able to help them get each a bird in short order, I have been very fortunate with these two and they think I am some form of turkey whisperer.
Fast forward to this spring.. Last deer season I told them to apply for the month long may hunt instead of the proceeding week long hunts as I am on the road all of April. So after our two week long road trip out west, I hopped in the truck and headed downstate for opening week back home. On Sunday night I arrived home to them sitting in the driveway.. I jumped out ask them what they were up for, and they responded to turkey hunt.. I was thinking to myself "Oh No" I had not been home in a month to even see what properties had turkeys and I already had prior obligations for the morning because I banked on them having the May hunt. So I told them I would not be able to hunt first thing, but would be there after lunch.
I arrived about 3pm and Karl was not feeling well.. I loaded Jim in the truck and he proceeded to tell me his morning hunt from Karls property. It was raining that morning, so Jim sat where I had told him too but after being soaked he went and sat in the truck to warm up.. He pulled a mouth call out of the package and was reading the instructions and trying to make it work when he looked up to 2 gobblers, 3 jakes and 2 hens 70 yards from his vehicle..
About that time I was glassing a large field 3/4 mile that bordered a piece of timber we could hunt and saw a lone gobbler just off the line heading into our property.. Jim wanted to see and I stated "Dont worry about it, you will see him up close in 20 minutes"We raced down the road to our property and I hustled Jim out the truck.. I hit the call and received a gobble 150 yards away.. I worked the bird and finally saw him at 80 or 90 yards.. Now Jim is as green as grass.. Ideal in this open timber would be to set behind him, but I really need to coach him, get your gun up, set still, quit moving etc.. As the gobbler came to 80 yards I told him to get his gun up. The gobbler slowly strutted up to 50 yards and Jim being Jim is making all kinds of movements as I am quietly screaming in his ear to set still.. All at once from his pocket I hear "DROID" and his phone starts ringing as high as it can go.. I am thinking this can not be happening.. I am playing pocket pool with this man trying to shut his phone off.. By some miracle the bird, begins to come and Jim is asking constantly "can I shoot, Can I shoot" Finally I give him the go ahead and he made a wonderful shot.. It was a new record I only had to tell him to set still between 10 and 15 times..
So that evening Sal, Jim Karl and I load in the truck.. We pass one of our properties and see what appears to be a better than ordinary gobbler in the field.. We cannot think of a way to get Karl across a 6 foot wide ditch full of water to get on the bird. We go to another piece Sal dropped us off, we worked a bird but to no avail.. That evening back at Karls I hooted to see if the birds Jim had seen that morning were still around.. Sure enough a bird gobbles in the back corner.. So that morning we have to get up insanely early as I have to drive Karl as far as I can about 150 yards from the tree drop him off and go back.. We get settled in and sure enough the bird is in the tree I thought and starts hammering.. The bird flew down and I did my best but my best captivated his attention for a half hour, but the sound of the other gobbler gobbling further back was more appealing.. The look of dissapointment in Karls face was evident.. I really wish I could have gotten him in tighter, it was a gimme hunt when the birds feet hit the ground..
So I load him up and head to another spot that we have had luck on before but I had no clue whether there were birds or not.. I drop them off park the truck and walk back.. Cold calling goes on for a half an hour and I hammer out some loud yelps on the tube and believe what I hear to the North is a gobble.. The gobble was so far it was one of them gobbles you are not sure if you heard a crow, dog or a gobble.. I hit it again and once again believe I hear a gobble.. ON the third time I was sure and crawl over to Karl whom is facing West.. He said I didnt hear a gobble, I didnt expect him too.. I tell him to spin around and face north.. At this instance I really wish he could walk long distances, because this bird was 500 yards away over the line in a food plot and we could have cut the distance to 100 yards.. I than crawl to Jim and tell him to lay face down and not look up.. We were in an old farm field with small cherries that did not provide much cover.. I crawl down the hill behind Karl 50 yards and keep hammering.. Every time I hammered this bird gobbled and was making ground quickly.. Finally when I assume the bird was 100 yards out and gobbled I see Karl throw his gun up, he finally heard him.. All at Once I see Karl bear down on the stock and boom.. I fly by Karl as I never seen the gobbler and there he is not even a flop with my 20 g and Fed 7s.. He has to shoot my gun due to his pacemaker..
As I turn around much to my horror, I see Karl with his cane struggling to get up, he could not breath.. I rush up thinking the worst
But soon realize he is so excited, he cannot talk, cannot breath, cannot get up and is mumbling something excited.. I have never seen someone so excited like a little kid.... The day was topped off with a bunch of celebration beers.. He had to take his pictures standing up, because he was too exhausted to get down..
