Springtime Magic: Turkey Hunting in Iowa

Springtime Magic: Turkey Hunting in Iowa

By Troy Hoepker

There is conceivably nothing in nature that can build the anticipation for the hunt that is about to take place more than the sound of multiple gobblers sounding off from nearby trees in the predawn darkness. Perhaps only bull elk rival the audible experience of the way tom turkeys announce their presence on a hunt with such bold audacity. It’s those thunderous gobbles that draw us back to the woods every spring to experience that rush once again in hopes that we’ll see the old gobbler making those noises get closer and closer to us in full display.

I’ve been fortunate to experience so many exciting turkey hunts over the years but it was a hunt just a couple of years ago that reminded me just how magical a morning hunting turkeys can be. Maybe it was because I was able to see it as my son Dylan saw it, through his eyes and his excitement on his first successful turkey hunt. Second season 2020 found us sitting in the blind on the first morning and while we saw turkeys, they all remained too far away to shoot. That evening we sat again and saw very little activity but were able to hear turkeys roost behind us. We felt confident that the following morning would be productive.
As we patiently sat in the darkness of the blind awaiting the first sounds of the world waking up to a Sunday morning, the quiet was brought to bold interruption from a roaring gobble west us of within 50 yards. Then another, and another and it continued into what I was hoping Dylan could experience; multiple birds gobbling from the roost in echoing fashion. We estimated there were 5 mature toms roosted within 100 yards of us. I hung the slate call out of the window and scratched a few lonely tree yelps and once it was light enough, I beat my hat against the side of the blind to simulate a fly down into the field. It was as if they were just waiting to hear that sound and we heard turkeys flying down from behind us.

The next moments were filled with anticipation and soon a hen came out of the tree line and began a dead run for our decoy spread with a slow moving strutter in tow. The hen arrived but before the tom could get in range we began hearing the drumming sound of another tom behind us in the trees. He was closer and as he emerged on the other side of the blind, the subordinate tom to our north disappeared. Dylan had to reposition but the tom moved quickly out into the field along with several hens joining him. The sun hadn’t yet broken the horizon and we had a spectacular scene of a dozen or more turkeys out in the field in front of us including three strutting toms.

Apparently the boss tom of the group liked a dramatic entrance as just then the drumming and spitting, subtle at first, began to escalate until Dylan could feel the vibration in his chest. We resisted the urge to peek through the zipped up back window as the tom was now seemingly on top of us. Then he was just there! At ten yards in full strut and in all of his majesty he came by the blind as Dylan tried to line up for the shot. Knowing the tom would pass by quickly, I told Dylan to shoot if he had a shot. As Dylan’s shotgun blasted, the turkey rolled like a ball, but then stumbled to his feet running for an escape. Dylan fired again but to no avail as the turkey took flight and soared off in the distance.

The rest of the flock in front of us never moved as if nothing happened and eventually went back to feeding contently. After 45 minutes or so they fed off and went back into the timber. There was still the occasional gobble but other than that it seemed as though the action had ended for the morning. As we sat there in the quiet 45 minutes later, a couple hens magically appeared at our decoy spread. Then another six hens joined them. As we watched them feeding, Dylan suddenly uttered “Oh my God!” A tom had snuck in from the south right to our decoys in front of the blind.

Dylan took careful aim on the neck of the tom and let the twenty-gauge drop the hammer on his first ever mature gobbler! To say we were excited would be a vast understatement. Despite all of the turkeys I have been able to kill over the years, this hunt made one of the fondest memories of turkey hunting for this proud Dad!

Whether it’s the subtleties of soft yelping on a slate call or the boldness of flopping your hat to simulate a fly down, there’s lots of different tactics that can work to drag in a gobbler this spring. But first you need to put yourself around turkeys and that requires good scouting, and knowing where turkeys want to be in the spring. Always ask yourself where the food sources are on the property you’ll be hunting. Hens will likely head there right off the tree in the mornings and in turn, will drag those toms there too. During mid-morning and afternoon times, where are those strut zones that toms will use to attract a hen once they have separated and dispersed? And in the evening, where are the most used roost areas on the property? If you can answer those three questions about the area you hunt, there’s a good chance with some patience and some good calling that you’ll have an above average chance at success.

Henned up toms can be a problem no matter how well you know a property however. In those cases, don’t be afraid to put turkeys to bed in the evening hoping to catch a gobbler roosting off by himself. If you’re lucky enough to see that you’ll have a decent chance to get close to that tom in the morning. Call with confidence without over-calling. Remember that the natural tendency is for the hen to come to the gobbler and use that to your advantage.

I had to teach myself the three P’s of turkey hunting. Patience, patience and patience. The longer you go without filling a tag in numerous close call encounters, the more it wears on your ability to stay patient and to keep from making mistakes. Stay confident, believe in yourself and your calling and it’ll come together. These Iowa long beards won’t kill themselves. You’ve got to go earn one! Take the time to introduce a youngster to our wonderful sport while you’re at it and enjoy another spring of turkey hunting!