Burch And The Baker Field Bird - By Bob Fringer

Story By Bob Fringer

The sands of time were running out. After a month of persistent hunting, Warner Perry and I had yet to harvest a turkey. It certainly wasn't because we hadn't been trying. While we had several opportunities to take some jakes and been in the vicinity of several vocal gobblers, we had not pulled the trigger on a mature bird. Our hunting activities were limited to early morning pursuits. Normally, we hunted 4 to 5 days a week during the month-long North Carolina turkey season. Unfortunately we had to be out of the woods by 7:30 A.M. most mornings. Although I am retired and working on a part-time basis, Warner is a full-time farmer. As we all know, April and May are busy months for farmers and Warner is no exception. He usually spends most days on a tractor planting corn, soybeans, peanuts and cotton. Our approach to turkey hunting is dictated by the demands of earning a living, not unlike most folks. If we don't hear a roosting bird, we move to another location.

This morning was a bit different. Warner's son, Burch, was hunting with us. Burch had been chasing turkeys for a number of years without success. He had hunted with us several times this year but he too had not shot a bird. Today we were hunting an area where we had hunted several times earlier in the year. We had heard at least two gobblers but were not able to spark their interest. The area we chose to hunt was a mixed hardwood and cypress tract of forest bordered by adjacent fields. We were in place next to the woods about one-half hour before sunrise. It was a beautiful morning with no wind and reasonable temperatures. The woods started to come to life with the early morning chirps of birds and the various sounds of the woods creatures. Despite the owl calls, raucous goose honking and our own imitation of wild critters, we could not hear a roosting gobbler. The season was slipping away from us-fast!

We hurried back to the truck in hopes of hunting another area over on Warner's farm. An adult gobbler had been seen several times in the area by Warner and his farm help. At the last sighting, the gobbler and a hen were seen feeding in an area known as the Baker Field. We decided to set up on the edge of the field in hopes that a gobbler would cross the field and hang out along the edge, much like he had several times in the past. We planned to put our decoys out in the field and then spread ourselves out along the edge of the field. While we were putting our decoys out, we heard the distant call of a gobbler immediately behind us. Warner, without his gun, quickly moved to my left and Burch slipped off to my right. Warner buried himself in some heavy brush while I selected a spot which gave me a good straight-ahead view but with limited coverage on my left. I didn't worry about my right because Burch was there. Burch had a good view of the entire set-up.

The gobbler called again. I responded with a couple of yelps while Warner added a few purrs to keep the bird interested. Each time we called the bird sounded like he was coming closer. We kept our calls low and at a minimum. He continued to move in our direction. I was pretty sure he was coming our way but was not certain where he would enter the field because the field was bordered by fairly dense brush. Then the gobbling stopped. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to call too much. Warner gave a few soft purrs and that old gobbler just lit right up! I knew he was coming then. The only question was where he would enter the field.

Suddenly, I detected motion on my left and, and sure enough, that old gobbler was in the field and heading right for the decoys. I couldn't move a muscle. He moved ever so slowly. It seemed like he was moving in slow motion. His eyes appeared to probe every inch of the field edge. He was in no hurry now. He moved slowly forward, watching for any unusual motion.

What a sight. He was a beautiful bird! The sunlight made his feathers glisten and glow as he continued his walk. Suddenly, Burch's gun broke the silence of the moment. Then I could hear the heavy flaps of the wings and I knew that Burch had harvested his first turkey. I'll always remember the beauty of that bird and the feeling of elation that Burch had harvested his first North Carolina gobbler. What a perfect way to end the season--with a successful hunt with some treasured friends.