They say there is a lesson in every experience.  A silver lining in every cloud.  Well, I’ve learned that I can be outsmarted by a bird!

I attempted my first spring turkey hunt in Colorado this year. I’ve never hunted turkeys before and I was excited to try it out.  However, I must admit I was a bit uncertain going into it.  The combination of not knowing where to hunt and the fact that I had never actually seen a wild turkey in Colorado didn’t bode well for my success.

A little research didn’t make me feel any better.  The average success rate of turkey hunting in Colorado appears to be under 25%.  I was also hunting public land and I did not have the opportunity to do much scouting beforehand.

Well, in the course of the season from April 9^th to May 22^nd, I was able to go out in search of the elusive Colorado Merriam Turkey.  My first couple trips got snowed out with your typical April Colorado weather, but then on 6 different occasions I was able to get out into the woods.  In all I hiked about 20 miles at 7 different locations.  The first 5 locations were all very disappointing.  I did find some nice elk sheds at one location (see that story here), but I had yet to even hear a turkey…. much less see one.  I was beginning to think that I wouldn’t even find them this season.

After my 5^th try out, I spend some more time looking at maps.  I spent time on google earth looking for national forest land that was fairly remote and wouldn’t have a lot of recreational activity.  Springtime in Colorado brings out the hikers, bikers, and motorcycle enthusiasts. I eventually found a spot that looked a bit interesting and I decided to give it a try.

I headed out Thursday evening and was able to get permission to park my car on some private property at the base of where I wanted to head up.  I spoke with a renter on the property who said I could hike up the mountain, but he warned me that he hadn’t seen any turkeys up that way.  Encouraging I know, but I decided to try it out anyways.

The first 2 miles were pretty typical….no sign, no sound, no turkeys. I had decided to turn around right at 7:00 pm so that I could make it back before dark and, as it happened, right at 7:00 I found myself on a small plateau near the top on the ridge.  I decided I had time to go just a few more minutes before turning around and so I keep going just a bit further.

Not two minutes later a gobble suddenly broke the silence off to my right!  It was the first one I had heard all spring and it was close!  Talk about exciting.

At this point, I’m embarrassed to say that I panicked a bit.  Not in a horrible way, just enough to be stupid.  I took my pack off and quickly put on my face-mask.  It was the kind I had to pull over my head, and so I removed my glasses quickly and set them off to the side and pulled on the mask.  I grabbed my shotgun and hen call and quickly scurried over 20 feet or so to the base of a large tree and settled in.

Well, the next 20 minutes were very exciting.   I would hen call and the turkey would immediately gobble back. I could tell it was getting closer and he was very talkative.  It was rare for him to go longer than a couple of minutes without gobbling.

As I sat there however, my stupidity started to sink in.  In my panicked rush, I had sat down under a tree where my visibility was extremely hindered.   The direction from where the tom was calling was blocked by a number of big trees that gave me very limited visibility.  I didn’t want to move again with not knowing how close he was, but I also was not in the position to see him any time soon.

About 25 minutes after the first gobble, I was caught.  I think the tom spotted me and realized I wasn’t a cute little hen.  I heard a rush of feathers and the tom booked it out of there.  I waited for a bit and called again, but the tom had seen enough and was gone.

I was disappointed, but still excited for my first encounter.  I grabbed my bag and headed back down the hill.

About ½ mile back down, the full weight of my stupidity hit me.  I had left my glasses up at the top of the hill.  In my rush and excitement, I had taken them off and put them aside and completely forgot about them.  I ran back up the hill to the spot and searched till dark.  No glasses.

I headed back up to the same area Saturday morning.  It was my last opportunity to hunt, but at least I knew where they were.  Right before light I came to a large open meadow and settled down on the edge.  I had brought a strutting tom decoy that I set out a little into the field.   Suddenly a gobble from just off to my left let me know I was not alone.  I gave a little hen call but nothing else came.

About 10 minutes later I saw my first Colorado turkeys.  They were on the other side of the meadow about 150 yards away.  I could see they were two hens and I heard then yelping away as they moved up the hillside.    Continuing with the bad luck I then heard a gobble….not from where I was at, but from the top of the ridge.  Before I knew it those the two hens join up with a tom at the top of the meadow and walked over the ridge and out of sight.  I never saw them again.

I waited a while in my spot to see if anything showed up, but then I headed over the ridge to try and locate them again.   I looked for my glasses some more…. still no luck.   The rest of the day I didn’t hear a single gobble and never located them again.

They say experience is the best teacher.  I think I learned a lot this season.  I didn’t get a turkey this year, but I wouldn’t say my hunt was a failure.  I learned a lot about turkeys and I enjoyed the opportunity to get out and hunt them.  I look forward to next spring and I feel the experience from this year will help me next time!

I also learned to keep my head when I finally hear that gobble.  Make sure I’m set up in a good place with proper visibility and let them come to me.  I know I have a lot still to learn, but I’m excited for the opportunity.

Oh, and I also learned that I need to keep a hold on my glasses!