# Humbled Success



## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

In the school that is the outdoors, there is no graduation day. Never before has this truth been so evident as it has become this spring, the year 2010.

 Ill preface this by saying I used to consider myself an above average turkey hunter. In a state where success rates hover around 33%, I have never had to hunt more than 2 days to bag a gobbler, sans my first season. I took the hard lessons of that first year and turned them into consistent success through hard work, persistence, and an insatiable desire to learn everything I could about this maddening pursuit. I also had little trouble finding a receptive bird, which can make for an easy hunt. This led me to a confidence bordering on cockiness. I could not understand why so many hunters had such difficulty fooling a bird seemingly without a brain! To me, all it took was a little knowledge of the birds whereabouts, biology, terrain and boom! Thanksgiving dinner is served.

 It was only a matter of time before my cockiness blindsided me with the force of a freight train, and that time was this spring. I have been taught a hard lesson on the unpredictable nature of well, Mother Nature, by a feathered fowl with a brain the size of a nickel and no ability to reason. Talk about being humbled! Every tactic I attempted during my first 8 days of hard hunting whether it be aggressive calling, decoys, subdued calling or spot and stalk, failed miserably. I once again felt like a turkey hunting novice, stumbling around the woods aimlessly and filled with doubt.

 This trend showed no signs of slowing on my 9th and final day of absurdly early awakenings and long drives. I found myself in familiar territory, sitting in the predawn unseasonably cold darkness, drifting in and out of consciousness. As light welcomed me, so did silence. Not a gobbler was sounding off and once again I was flooded with doubt and frustration. Shortly before observed fly down time of days past, I was greeted with several gobbles a long distance off. I elected to stay put, as shooting light was rapidly approaching and I did not want another aggressive blunder to ruin my last opportunity to carry home a tom this spring. After the birds hit the ground, gobbling ceased as abruptly as it began. I tried several types of calls but received attention to none. Finally, 2 hours after dawn, a lonely jake silently came looking for the hen I pretended to be. I seriously considered filling my tag with him as I certainly enjoy the table fare of a wild turkey, but couldnt help but wonder where all the gobblers were my preseason scouting of the area had revealed. Losing interest, he moseyed off hopefully to sprout a paintbrush and daggers in coming seasons. Nearing 9 am, and without hearing any talk or sighting anymore birds, my patience expired. Silently I arose and began a painfully slow survey of the area, creeping along and glassing with binoculars. Low and behold, not 300 yards from where I had spent the morning existed 3 beautiful gobblers, which were ever so slowly working my direction. My first instinct was to call, but I quickly realized these boys were following a lady, and any calling could send the old gal and possibly my targets, out of my life for an entire year. Because of this I elected to stay silent. Although not advisable on public grounds, because I was on private land I began a slow stalk towards an intercept point on the birds anticipated route. I felt my confidence building, and the knowledge and decisiveness that had eluded me all season suddenly crept into my head. Completing my move, I knelt and positioned my gun against a tree, aiming in the direction the birds would hopefully appear. As luck would have it, the gobblers had read the script I too studied, and the shiny red head of a bearded bird appeared from behind a great oak.

 With that, yet another spring turkey season in Michigan came to an end. As I knelt over my gobbler, thanking him and the Lord silently, I reminisced on the seasons events. Bumped gobblers, plentiful hens, 2 separate run-ins with coyotes, rain and wind, cold and heat, and a screaming alarm clock every morning before the hour of 4 had nearly driven me mad. I had became obsessed with success, but I realized success didnt necessarily mean putting a tag on a bird every year. Even though luck allowed me to tag a gobbler, I have been humbled, and have a renewed respect for the wariness of the turkey, and the unpredictability that is spring in the great state of Michigan.

-Jason

22 lbs, 10 1/8" beard, 1 1/16" spurs.


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## QDMAMAN (Dec 8, 2004)

Nice recount of your season Jason.
Last year was my year to be humbled. I tagged out but I failed miserably getting my guests on birds.
Monday is a new season!


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## blood trail (Mar 31, 2010)

Well put brother!! 

And I also like the #6 in the pic


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## Goosemanhnt4fud (Oct 7, 2008)

I had your season, last year, spent 73 hours in 7 days hunting the birds and finally connected. 

I think the Lord brings us gifts through obedience. Have it be life or hunting. You don't know when it's coming, just be ready when it shows up. Each day is a new day...a clean slate....no pun intended.


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## Flag Up (Feb 15, 2009)

Congrats and persistance pays off. Now the real story, what happened to his fan.


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

Thats a fantastic story, thanks for sharing it with us. The mistakes, downs and disappointments are what make us all better hunters. And it gives us an appreciation for the times when it all comes together. Great job on an awesome bird that was hard earned and well deserved.:coolgleam


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## Isaac_62 (Nov 29, 2004)

QDMAMAN said:


> Nice recount of your season Jason.
> Last year was my year to be humbled. I tagged out but I failed miserably getting my guests on birds.
> Monday is a new season!


 
Amen to monday being a New season Big T.. Nice Job Jason.. You deserved that bird.. He a Nice lookin one at that..

Congrats again..


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## Firefighter (Feb 14, 2007)

Flag Up said:


> Congrats and persistance pays off. Now the real story, what happened to his fan.


 
You know that oak I mentioned in the story? Well he decided to smash up against it half a dozen times before he was still, breaking several tail feathers at their midpoint. It's amazing how they flop when you shoot them with a gun and just fall dead when you stick them with an arrow. You'd think it'd be the other way around!


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## HunterHawk (Dec 8, 2005)

congrats gun hunter :lol:

ill be headed back to NE may 3rd-5th... trying to decide if i want to buy a tag or just call for my buddy... we will see how it plays out i suppose!


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## Playin' Hooky (Aug 29, 2002)

That's a hard-earned bird. Your 2010 sounded like my 2009...except that my load of 5s got swallowed by an ash tree that suddenly sprung up in front of the bird that had bedeviled me for 11 days. And there were no more chances after that.

You've learned plenty in the pursuit, and you'll be a better hunter for it!


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## bigrackmack (Aug 10, 2004)

Glad ya scored Jason.......Its been a funny year.........Mack


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

Great story brother....glad you were able to pull it off when you did! 

Hopefully a lot of the newer turkey hunters will learn a lesson from reading this.....hunting turkeys is not always a sure thing, and you'll notice this after you've chased them around for several years.


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## HAMMER33 (Aug 6, 2008)

Great story and thanks for sharing it. My hunt starts next week and I hope all goes well. Good Luck , and above all enjoy the time outdoors.


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Congrats on your success. Great story and awesome pics!


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## Gobblerman (Dec 19, 2004)

Way to hang in there.


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## Due51 (Oct 26, 2005)

I enjoyed your story and pics. Thanks for sharing. (I'm typing this as I sit in the woods witing for my moment of glory).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Doughboy (Jan 13, 2001)

Wow awesome recount of the events (good and not so good). I've been whinning all week about my dismal hunt so far but this might just get me geeked for a final push and change of tactics. I too have been blessed with one or 2 day hunts for a long time. Thanks for sharing. Doughboy


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

You should be an outdoor writer! You're GOOD!

Fred


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## LarryA (Jun 16, 2004)

Jason,

Congrats on the nice turkey. I have to agree that turkeys surely are wary critters, but the more I watch them and learn in the field I think they are just plain ole contrary. They follow turkey biology just enough to give us false hope that we can expect what they will or will not do. When in fact I don't think a turkey knows what they are going to do until just a few minutes before they do it.:lol:

I do expect this year to be a tuff one as I try to get a turkey within range of 3 sons.

Congrats again.


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## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

Those hard hunting seasons are the best ones when it comes together at the end! Nice bird, congrats!


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