Autumn is in the air, part 2

That night my brother and I were discussing my adventures with the turkey and he commented that he had often seen turkeys traveling with deer. I laughed as if the deer weren’t alert enough to need the eyes of the turkeys to watch over them.

It didn’t take me long to fall asleep as all the fresh air from sitting in that tree all day was getting to me. We turned on the radio and we were listening to the hockey game and somewhere between him shooting and him scoring, I was snoring. Fast motion at half past four. The coffee was ready and the bacon was burning. A little juice and some eggs and off I went. It was a dark morning, it was certainly cloudy. I was hoping it wouldn’t rain, not that I wouldn’t be prepared for whatever mother nature decided
I shoot my way, but I’d rather not fight the elements.

It was a quiet morning, still. He wasn’t sure if it rained during the night or everything was damp from the light mist. As the nights get cooler, it’s common to get a bit of morning fog. It usually burns quickly. But there seemed to be a real absence of noise this day. That was until those damn turkeys started coming out of the trees. Flapping wings woke up the day. A cluck here. More flapping. As the sun began to peek over the top of the mountain, it became apparent that I was once again in the midst of my winged friends’ feeding grounds. By now I was starting to dislike him a bit. Surely another day of watching these stupid birds was not what I wanted. Patience I told myself. Expect them and you will surely be rewarded. I took my bow and hung it from a hook I had placed on a tree next to me. Just a slight stretch from my seat. Practical so to speak. Plus, if those damn turkeys were everywhere, I might as well enjoy them. After all, it was a treat to just sit there and be entertained. Educational to say the least, I learned more and more about the habits of these beautiful birds. They were all over the ground. To my left and to my right. In front of me and behind. under my post. The only place they weren’t was at my booth. They were joined by a couple of squirrels who were also running around. Almost like a competition.

The turkeys wanting to eat and the squirrels gathered to store the nuts for the winter. I started counting the birds. Three to my left, four fives and six a little closer to my left. Over my left shoulder out of the corner of my eye I saw five more, making eleven. I was wondering how many there were. Straight ahead were at least eight birds, nineteen and twenty at about one o’clock. I knew there were still more to my right and was anxious to see what the total would be so I could tell everyone in camp. Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty… SNAP. As my eyes scanned to my right, my heart skipped a beat. There, less than ten meters from my post, was one of the best males I had ever seen. Broadside at me, standing with a doe, turkeys around his feet. An eight point. Nice eyebrow teeth, thick shelf.

Did I mention that my bow was hanging from a hook in a tree to my left? A good stretch. Also that he was sitting? I might have forgotten to mention that. My mind is racing. I’m sitting perfectly still trying not to alarm the turkeys who will surely give my presence away to that deer. I can’t move. Those turkeys will see any movement. I hate turkeys. They have ruined my hunt. OK, the heart stops beating. The male shakes his head up. smell me? He must, I do. I see. He is stiff. It seems like an eternity. How can I get that bow out of the tree? How do I stand up and twenty bucks don’t see me? I quickly realize that the decision is not mine. I have been given the gift of an amazing event and all I can do is watch. If I move, it will end faster than it started. How did those deer get so close to me and I didn’t hear them coming? I watch in amazement as the deer walk away and disappear into the woods. Were they ever really there? I’m disappointed. My luck has come and gone. Lost opportunity. I feel bad Then I realize. I have never felt so alive. I hunt, therefore I am.