Brady Turkey sunBrady 2 turkeysBrady 3 birds

On the Friday before the Nebraska shotgun opener a blast of cold weather makes it’s way through and completely shuts these birds down.  Here we go again I thought.  Later that afternoon the weather broke and I was out roosting birds with my 3 guests from Colorado. 

It’s opening day and the clouds were gone and the Turkey’s were going crazy on the roost.  The birds hit the ground and got quiet.  I kept the occasional calling up as I watched birds move through the hills to the South.  It was about ½ hour after fly down and I heard a putt behind me.  As Mike was rotating into position and had to wait for the hen’s to clear the Tom’s, a shotgun blast interrupts the peaceful morning.  Mike harvest’s Tom #1.  5 minutes later we hear a blast from below us in the creek bed.  We head down there and Joe has harvested his first Tom of the season.  We collect our birds, head towards Rick’s position to take off for breakfast and to buy more tags.

We arrive to farm #2 at 12:00.  As we’re gearing up for a long afternoon, I spot a Tom strutting on a hill to our north.  I split the guys up and take Mike to climb hills and get behind this Tom.  We’re calling and he’s working towards us.  Not realizing it, we had set up on the other side of a canyon and that bird wasn’t crossing for anyone.  About the time we’re thinking of moving, we hear a shot from below.  It was Rick with a nice Tom, he couldn’t resist the 15-yard shot opportunity.  We decide to move to the far south end of the property and Rick decides to stay back.  Mike, Joe and I move on to the south meadow and discover a long beard in the meadow beyond us.  We set up and start calling with soft purrs and yelps.  30 some minutes later Mike harvests his 2nd Tom for the day.  Mike insists I take Joe for the rest of the afternoon and he will walk back and take Rick for the afternoon.  I knew of a group of Turkey’s that love to lurk on this bluff and strut their afternoons away but, we’d have to move quick to get there ahead of them.  As luck would have it, they were already there putting on a show for each other.  Joe and I just sat there and admired them for over an hour.  We decide to hunt our way back to the trucks and discover Rick and Mike already there.  Rick was the only one who had purchased 3 tags before the hunt and it was a good thing.  He and Mike set up a Jake decoy 45 yards out in the meadow and ½ hour later had 5 Jakes run to the decoy.  Rick pulls the trigger one time and only 3 Jakes run away.  Yep, 2 birds with one shot – Rick has filled all 3 of his tags within a 4-hour period on opening day.  The boys decide to call it a day with 6 birds harvested.

It’s colder now on Sunday morning than it was the day before.  I decide to go back to the same farm on Sunday but I want to leave the area alone where we had taken 2 the previous morning.  We hike back 2 miles to locate the birds I had been watching from a distance.  The birds are flying down and hen’d up.  They wouldn’t give us the time of day.  I decide to mobilize and try to get in front of them.  On the way we can hear and see them from time to time.  As we stop to listen and call one time I spot 2 jakes and a Tom straight across the creek from us on a bluff.  The birds slowly move on with no response to my calling.  I decide to go postal on them and the boys agree.  We cross the creek and scale the bluff.  As we get closer to the top Joe takes a shot and Mike follows up with another one.  A great double Tom shoot on the second morning.  We have breakfast and head to another farm.  Joe wants set up where Rick was the afternoon before and an hour later a Tom makes his way into the field.  I give him some soft purrs and he commits to a steady walk towards us.  Within 10 minutes he’s literally in our laps and the impossible task is complete.  3 Guests with 9 birds harvested by 3 pm the second day of the season. 

To my 3 guests:  I’d like to thank you gentlemen for giving me the memories of this spectacular weekend, see you next year – Brady Thomas