Turkey

BUCK VALLEY GOBBLER

By Bob Warren

Dawn broke with disheartening silence interrupted for the next hour only by songbirds twittering, deer snorting and my hopeful turkey calling. Since being dropped off in the dark by Cathy Cannon, ranch caretaker, we’d been scrunched up in briars under two oaks with decoys out front in the two-track. Our expectations were high because two previous parties had heard and seen many birds here, yet we’d not heard fly-down nor seen any action on a ranch known to be covered up with turkeys.

Standing in resignation, I said, “Let’s give up and go to the edge of that field and see if they’re out there.” I could see disappointment on the faces of 16 year-old Garrett Whittington and his father Bill, from Tomball.

As their volunteer calling guide, it was my reluctant duty to call it quits at this spot before time ran out on the last morning of our weekend JAKES youth hunt. We needed another hot spot if we were to satisfy Garrett’s competitive desire to match younger brother Mason’s first turkey taken yesterday.

My next sentence was cut off by a distant GOBBLE-GOBBLE-GOBBLE, which put us instantly back into concealment in the briars. Without hesitation I answered with loud hen yelps trailing off into cuts of desperate loneliness. When he answered, I knew the gobbler was hooked. I toned it down to soft clucks and purrs, reeling him in from the trees across the road. At the sight of the decoys, the gobbler lost all caution and strutted into a load of No. 6’s from Garrett’s 12 gauge, ending the Whittington brothers’ sibling rivalry on their first turkey hunt.

They were enjoying teamwork by the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Texas Youth Hunting Program on this JAKES event, a guided spring turkey hunt for six youngsters, each accompanied by a parent. A “jake” being an immature male turkey, the acronym stands for Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship. Key to the whole program of exciting kids with the outdoors are donor ranches who make access possible. We were having our turn on the Buck Valley Ranch, one of several Kerr County ranches who hosted the six youths drawn from their applications on the TYHP.org website.

A commercial hunting ranch, Buck Valley exposed our youth to gorgeous Hill Country with a wide variety of exotics, native whitetails, and Rio Grande turkeys. For this we are grateful to caretaker Cathy Cannon and Ranch Manager, Dallas Bingley. Call 830-928-2629 or visit http://www.buckvalley.com/, to book your own adventure there.