Rio Show

by Derek Rambo
April 6, 2009

LOCATION: Oklahoma
SUNRISE/SUNSET: Shooting time was 7:16 am
WEATHER: Cold and partly cloudy.
TEMPERATURE: Low 28/High 49
WIND: 20-25 with very strong gusts.
HUNTERS: Avery Pro-Staffer Derek Rambo
EQUIPMENT USED:
Avery® Floating Gun Case, Avery® Skull Cap, Avery® Fleece Pullover, Avery® Quick Cutter/Speed Saw Combo, Avery® Ankle Garters.

Vital Statistics
22lbs, 9½" beard, 1½" spurs.

JOURNAL NOTES
This past fall I got onto a bird lease in Oklahoma and with the spring turkey season upon us I was excited to give the Sooner Rio's a try. Oklahoma's season starts on a Monday so I headed up the night before to do a little scouting. As prime time approached for the birds to come out to feed prior to their fly ups, I drove around to all the properties we have to hunt. The second place I stopped at is a huge wheat field with a creek running through it. All along the creek are large stands of oak and cottonwood trees...perfect for a Rio roost.

As I glassed the field I noticed a few birds in one corner and as I moved to my right I saw even more. It appeared to be about 50 or so birds and what looked like four strutters. I got comfortable as I watched the birds fight, peck, and strut. A few deer came out and even a trio of coyotes tried to do a stalk on the large flock of Rio's. Ever wary the birds prevailed as they all flew up into the large trees. 15 minutes later they were back on the ground and going about their evening business. Almost too dark to see now, I watched bird after bird fly up to their nighttime perches. Putting birds to bed is like having the opposing teams playbook. Now if I can just execute my game plan with precision I will be in great shape come the pre-dawn morning.

The Zink Turkey Time DVD, a Subway foot long, and my cell phone alarm later...I was off to the spot where I put the birds to bed. It was supposed to be cold this morning with a 20-25 MPH wind and the weatherman was right for once...my truck temperature gage read 28. Don't remember the last time I wore Under Armour, fleece pants, a fleece pullover, and a skull cap for turkey hunting, but I was soo glad that I brought them along.

I got to my pre-planed spot and started to set up my strutting jake and hen decoys. The sky was a pinkish-gray and the first tree yelps were faintly audible. As I got settled into my hide and organized my gear the first gobble rang out....then another, and another, and another. The woods were alive and there is nothing like a morning in the turkey woods.

The birds started to pitch out of the trees and upon their perfect landings began to fight, the toms jockeying for position trying to show the hens that they were the one for love. I could barley make them out down the field but I could see them strutting and chasing each other while making all kinds of racket. The gobblers were yelping and so was this one old hen. I decided to mimic her exactly and each time interrupting her cadence. She would get nasty and I would get nastier. The colors were starting to come to life and I could see more clearly now....they were about 200 yards from me. There were two toms doing all the strutting with several jakes puffing up and then dropping down their back feathers trying to be like the big boys.

After a couple callbacks with the boss hen I see a group of birds coming my way..... "Game on" I thought. They were coming and they were coming hard...as I counted 8-10 birds in this line. The fat boy shuffle was in effect as they all roared in to gun range. My decoys were at 15 paces from me and now they were covered up with the real deal. Posturing began on the hen decoy and all I could see were jakes. All of them were half strutting and chasing each other around the decoys...until out of the corner of my eye I could see two more birds on the way. The first was a hen and the second a tom in full strut. He dropped out of strut and quickly made his way through the pack centering up on the hen decoy. Face to face with the hen he did small figure eights while in full strut. He occasionally would stop strutting and he would peck the hen decoy...very funny indeed. My heart was racing as what was probably 3-5 minutes felt like an eternity. I could feel it through my clothes and the thrill was amazing. Now if the tom would clear the decoys...yes...yes...no. Move jake....now the decoy is in the way again.

The sun was starting to crack the horizon now and the hen started to walk away doing assembly yelps as she looked back over her shoulder. Jake after jake followed...and then the tom did, strutting slowly away. I did not have a shot as his glorious tail was covering up his head. I knew it was now or never and I angrily interrupted her yelps with a short nasty series of my own. No response. I then dropped the raspiest three-note gobble yelp I could muster up and it stopped the big tom in his tracks. He slowly turned in full strut doing figure eights back to the decoys. As he got within yards of the fakes I did a two-note screeching yelp hoping to raise his head...he did....BOOM! I stood up and did a fist pump with excitement as adrenalin flowed through my veins. It was opening day in the turkey woods....it was 7:20.