A lonesome whippoorwill whistled somewhere near us in the pre-dawn darkness near Union Springs, Alabama announcing his presence and the dawning of a new day. As the eastern sky turned a cotton candy pink more birds chimed in followed by hoots from a distant barred owl and finally a raucous group of crows. As the owls and crows reached a crescendo a gobbler screamed out a warning to any nearby suitors and a come hither plea to any available hens.

    Geeoobblleee, gobble, obble, answered another gobbler about a quarter mile to our north. Before long there were a couple birds gobbling to the north and a couple to the south and booming constantly. But nothing was heard in our vicinity. Finally a bird gobbled in the area that we had just walked through on the way in, much closer than the birds to the north and south of us.

    “Mike, I’m going to leave it up to you as to what we do,” said Lee Garvin. “These birds gobbled pretty late yesterday and I imagine they’ll get cranked up in a little bit.” It didn’t take me long to answer as I figured that the more vocal birds would be more receptive to a “new” hen.

    “I’m ready to get on that nearest bird,” I replied. By now it was evident that Garvin wanted to do everything he could to make our day a success and make me feel right at home, so we struck out and quickly got into position to call to that tom.

    “Why don’t you hit them with that box call and see what happens?” Garvin asked. I promptly pulled out my Albert Paul box call and played a few sweet seductive notes on it and was met by several gobbles. Two birds gobbled about 250 yards up the ridge across from us and another chimed in to our north.

Making ready

    I got my gun ready and it didn’t take long to know that the bird to the north was really torn up. After Garvin hit him with some sweet love talk from his Woodhaven glass call the bird really got fired up. By now we’d coursed the bird and realized that he was across the ridge and over the logging road we’d walked in on.

    Approaching the road, Garvin called again and the hot tom belted out another gobble. “Mike we need to get further up the road and get set up before he sees the truck,” said Garvin.

    We quickly made our way around the curve and backed off in the weeds. Both sides of the road were matted with weeds about six to nine feet high and there wasn’t a tree in sight to sit by. The gobbler would have to come to us on a different route so I aimed my gun down the logging road thinking he’d swing around and come down the road.

    Garvin propped his knee up and I leaned my back into it for support and raised my gun to my knee and aimed just as he called one last time. The bird belted out another lusty gobble about 65 yards to our north and the game was on!

    Pffftttddooom, Pffftttddooom, Gobble, obble, thundered the approaching gobbler a mere 20 yards over the rise from us. Crack, snap, crack, sounded the bird as he stepped on the brush and circled slightly to our west. This can’t be I thought to myself. Surely he’ll circle way around and come down the logging road. By now the drumming had stopped and all was quite.

Confidence

    “Have you ever killed an Alabama bird,” Garvin asked? “Well you’re about to!”

    About a minute later we noticed weeds and brush 7 to 8 feet high moving as the bird squeezed through the weeds.

    The king of the woods suddenly pushed through a thick mat of weeds and his head popped up for an instant before ducking and pushing further towards the open road. The next time the gobbler’s head popped up I centered my bead on it and squeezed the trigger. As the shotgun roared the bird disappeared and the Alabama Weed Walker was history.

    Our morning had started out fast and furious with many turkeys gobbling all around us and ended with a bang and my first Alabama bird thanks to Great Southern Outdoors, host Rex Pritchett and my top notch guide Lee Garvin. The birds were plentiful, the food scrumptious and the hospitality second to none! It just doesn’t get any better than this.

    For more information on deer and turkey hunting contact Rex at www.greatsouthernoutdoors.com. For more information about hunting and fishing in Alabama check out Alabama Black Belt Adventures website http://www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org

 

    Contact  Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or e-mail him at mikegiles18@comcast.net.