The Bad Bird Bible Chapter 6, Verse 1- Steve Stoltz

In the middle of the morning, usually between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. in most sections of the country, gobblers will shut up, especially if you find them with hens.

When I hunted a couple of years ago with Steve Stoltz of St. Louis, Missouri, an award-winning turkey caller and avid turkey hunter, we worked a gobbler from before daylight until about 9:00 a.m. By moving and calling, we got close enough to the bird to see him twice and his harem of hens. However, he wouldn't come to within gun range. Finally at 9:00 a.m., the tom shut up, wouldn't answer our calls and seemed to have vanished.

When I suggested to Stoltz that we should look for another gobbler, although we hadn't located any turkeys the day before, Stoltz announced that, "Nope, we're gonna stay right here. I don't believe that gobbler has gone anywhere. He's just shut up and is mating his hens and hanging out. Many times a gobbler will stop talking in the middle of the morning and hang out in the same area where you've heard him last. After we wait 30 minutes to an hour, I bet you he'll start gobbling on his own."

Because we only had one more day to hunt, I badly wanted to take a turkey. I insisted that Stoltz and I leave this bird and go find a fired-up one that would come in to calling. But Stoltz dogmatically refused.

"John, if we'll just stay with this bird, I really believe we can take him," Stoltz advised. "Cool your heels, and take a nap. We need to wait on the bird."

I finally gave up and went to sleep. Since we'd climbed a number of mountains, stayed up late at night and walked many miles before we stopped to rest, I feel asleep instantly. I woke up to the thunderous gobble of the bird we had searched and hunted for all morning and felt Stoltz gently nudge me as he said, "I told you that ole gobbler would crank back up again."

Stoltz began talking to the tom. I spun around the tree to face the turkey. I put my gun on my knee and prepared to take the shot. When I saw the gobbler this time, he came toward us from 80 yards away by himself, keeping timber between us and him. He marched proudly to our stand, occasionally stopping to gobble and strut but never veering from his course as he approached.

When the tom reached 30 yards and paused behind a tree, I could sometimes see a part of his white head but not enough of it to take a shot. Then off in a distance, I heard a noise I couldn't identify. The gobbler stood at attention and looked in the direction of the noise. Although I watched the gobbler, I couldn't see enough of his head to risk the shot. Because we'd hunted this turkey all morning, I didn't want to take a risky shot. If the turkey would take one step out from behind that tree, I could squeeze the trigger.

But as I watched, the turkey went from attention to a crouched position facing away from me and then begin to run like someone had set his tail on fire. I never had a chance for a shot. I put my gun on safety and observed to Stoltz that I knew the bird didn't see us.

When I asked Stoltz why he thought the tom had run off, he replied, "I think his leaving had something to do with that noise we heard in the distance. Let's wait and see what it is."

We relaxed against a tree while we waited and listened to what sounded like a freight train coming through the woods toward us. Then we heard talking and later singing.

"What would a choir be doing marching through the woods in the middle of the day?" I asked Stoltz.

"John, I don't know, but I'm going to wait here to see what this bunch of folks is doing out here in the middle of the woods in the morning," Stoltz said.

Soon 32 Boy Scouts wearing their Scout uniforms came marching single file over the hill straight toward us along with their two scout masters. Although the band of youngsters passed less than 20 yards from us, they never saw us as we sat in the shadows wearing camouflage.

Sometimes you can't beat a bad bird.

To learn more about hunting turkeys, go to Night Hawk's homepage and click on hunting books.

Check back each day this week for more about The Bad Bird Bible ...

Day 1 -The Bad Bird Bible Chapter 4, Verse 1- Preston Pittman
Day 2 -The Bad Bird Bible Chapter 4, Verse 2- Preston Pittman
Day 3 -The Bad Bird Bible Chapter 4, Verse 3- Preston Pittman
Day 4 -The Bad Bird Bible Chapter 5, Verse 1- Will Primos
Day 5 -The Bad Bird Bible Chapter 6, Verse 1- Steve Stoltz

John's Journal