Cal & I met up with our old buddy Mark Miller from the 70's in Mimbres, NM. This country is Geronimo and Merriam turkey country (Gila NF & Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area) and Miles and miles of wild lands. Mark is a houndsman, trapper, outfitter for elk, deer, and all around great guy. He has a cabin 32 miles back in the Gila. And when I say 32 miles of bad road, I mean 32 miles of bad road!......Took us 2 hours just to get to the cabin. Mark basically lives here (has a home in Mimbres as well). It's one of 4 private pieces of private land in the entire Gila NF.......Anyway, we get there Sunday evening at about 5:30 pm. In NM, you can hunt till sundown. So we get our stuff together and walk down stream a ways. Mostly just to see if we could put some gobblers to bed. 1st thing I noticed is the number of draws and canyons meeting up with this beautiful little valley.......Big country to say the least.......What I couldn't help but notice either are the number elk. All cows this time of year, but tons of them........As evening came, not a single gobble was heard. Not a good sign per Mark. Not a good sign per me either........After dinner and lots of questions from me about the where turkeys could be it was time for some sleep.
The next morning I woke up to perfect clear skies and calm wind......As I listened, I strained to hear gobbles. Finally, I hear a distant gobble. Then another in the opposite direction. At this point, Cal decided to go one direction and I decided to go the other. I walked about a mile and never heard another sound. Mark had said because things were dry and warm. He had thought the birds had started really early and the breeding season was coming to a close......At about 11:00, I came back to the cabin. Cal was already back. I hadn't seen or heard a turkey, but Cal had. No visual, but he gobbled quite a bit before moving off.......It was a start......That afternoon, I went back to where I had gone and just decided to watch the far east end of the valley. At about 5:00 pm, I finally get a hit on the box call. He's now gobbling to each call and I finally spot him. Across the valley and up on a rock bluff. I quit calling to see his response and he just went back up hill. At about this time, I spot a turkey coming off the hill next to me.......A hen......As she walks by, I noticed her beard. Of course, I let her pass. I then see the gobbler again. This time he's in the bottom and maybe 100 yards behind the hen. I called, but he just kept feeding and I finally lost sight of him as darkness came. Then hen flew up the hill from which she came.......Now I'm excited about the next morning.
Tuesday morning breaks early and I was outside to hear that guy I put to bed. But instead of being in the bottomland. He's up the hill where the hen went. Now having a little better idea of the lay of the land, I make my plan. As I'm working my way to the area. A huge herd of elk spook in front of me and go exactly in the direction of the gobbler........Dead silence .........I move down a little farther and nothing to any calls. Then I hear him. A single gobble from across the valley and that was that. At this, Mark had suggested going further down stream to a big area and bowl about 2 miles away. It was still early and I was off. Following the elk trail I finally got to the area.......Walk and call. Walk and call........Nothing.......Finally, after going further and higher, I spot a strutting gobbler. No way to get around him. So I get as close as possible and start calling. Might have heard a gobble, but the wind is now starting to blow hard. That was last I saw of him. Walked and called all the way back.......Nothing.......Mark had talked to one of his two neighbors (8 miles away) and he said he had seen a couple of toms. So for the afternoon, we made the drive over to their place. This ranch also had a beautiful stream and we were told he had some smallmouth bass in it......Some smallmouth was an understatement!...... As evening came we set-up where the gobblers had been seen........Nothing in the screaming wind.
Wednesday morning brought more hope as another neighbor had seen a gobbler near an old miners cabin. We got in early, but again no gobbles. Now our problem was the 2nd day of high winds. As we left though, we noticed what appeared to be fresh gobbler tracks on the road walking out......Hmmmmm........After this failed hunt we decided to go fishing again......Wow, this new pond/lake was even better.......We even kept a few for dinner with Mark's permission........Now it's 2:00 pm and Cal decides to hunt the morning spot in the afternoon. I hunted around the house......Nothing for me or Cal......50 mph winds makes it pretty tough.......lol
Now it's our last morning and we decided we would do a quick hunt before leaving. Cal decided to hunt where he had heard the gobbler the 1st two days. I decided I'd drive back to where we had seen the tracks the previous morning. We got going a little late and I don't get to my spot till 6:05 am (9 miles away). As I was walking in, I bump a hen getting a drink from the stream. I go another 75 yds near the old miners cabin and corrals and get settled in........I no sooner sit down and I hear what appeared to be a gobble. This morning is perfect.......Clear & cold......I listen and I hear it again. This time a little closer. Then again and closer. But this time he's not moving. Gobbling hard, but no movement. My mouth calls been good to me all season. So I started yelping.......No response......I wait and nothing again.......Dang, did I spook him........Nope......He starts gobbling again and he's a lot closer. I hit him again and bingo. Just to my right, a hen starts yelping at me......Perfect......Live hen to my right and gobbler to my left......I then look down and there he is 35 yds. The only problem was he was half strutting and moving quickly towards the live hen (she's about 40 yds to my right).......No shot as he moves thru my shooting lane. When he goes behind the old miner's cabin, I realize I have no shooting lane to my right (old crapper & trees). I get up and move the corner of the old building. When I get there, he moves towards the road........It was his last move.......I've shot a lot of turkeys, but I can honestly say.......This was one of the most exciting........Gorgeous white tipped Merriam.......21-4 lbs, 9" beard, and big old 1 1/4" hooks..........Unbelievable area........No wonder they couldn't catch Geronimo........lol
The next morning I woke up to perfect clear skies and calm wind......As I listened, I strained to hear gobbles. Finally, I hear a distant gobble. Then another in the opposite direction. At this point, Cal decided to go one direction and I decided to go the other. I walked about a mile and never heard another sound. Mark had said because things were dry and warm. He had thought the birds had started really early and the breeding season was coming to a close......At about 11:00, I came back to the cabin. Cal was already back. I hadn't seen or heard a turkey, but Cal had. No visual, but he gobbled quite a bit before moving off.......It was a start......That afternoon, I went back to where I had gone and just decided to watch the far east end of the valley. At about 5:00 pm, I finally get a hit on the box call. He's now gobbling to each call and I finally spot him. Across the valley and up on a rock bluff. I quit calling to see his response and he just went back up hill. At about this time, I spot a turkey coming off the hill next to me.......A hen......As she walks by, I noticed her beard. Of course, I let her pass. I then see the gobbler again. This time he's in the bottom and maybe 100 yards behind the hen. I called, but he just kept feeding and I finally lost sight of him as darkness came. Then hen flew up the hill from which she came.......Now I'm excited about the next morning.
Tuesday morning breaks early and I was outside to hear that guy I put to bed. But instead of being in the bottomland. He's up the hill where the hen went. Now having a little better idea of the lay of the land, I make my plan. As I'm working my way to the area. A huge herd of elk spook in front of me and go exactly in the direction of the gobbler........Dead silence .........I move down a little farther and nothing to any calls. Then I hear him. A single gobble from across the valley and that was that. At this, Mark had suggested going further down stream to a big area and bowl about 2 miles away. It was still early and I was off. Following the elk trail I finally got to the area.......Walk and call. Walk and call........Nothing.......Finally, after going further and higher, I spot a strutting gobbler. No way to get around him. So I get as close as possible and start calling. Might have heard a gobble, but the wind is now starting to blow hard. That was last I saw of him. Walked and called all the way back.......Nothing.......Mark had talked to one of his two neighbors (8 miles away) and he said he had seen a couple of toms. So for the afternoon, we made the drive over to their place. This ranch also had a beautiful stream and we were told he had some smallmouth bass in it......Some smallmouth was an understatement!...... As evening came we set-up where the gobblers had been seen........Nothing in the screaming wind.
Wednesday morning brought more hope as another neighbor had seen a gobbler near an old miners cabin. We got in early, but again no gobbles. Now our problem was the 2nd day of high winds. As we left though, we noticed what appeared to be fresh gobbler tracks on the road walking out......Hmmmmm........After this failed hunt we decided to go fishing again......Wow, this new pond/lake was even better.......We even kept a few for dinner with Mark's permission........Now it's 2:00 pm and Cal decides to hunt the morning spot in the afternoon. I hunted around the house......Nothing for me or Cal......50 mph winds makes it pretty tough.......lol
Now it's our last morning and we decided we would do a quick hunt before leaving. Cal decided to hunt where he had heard the gobbler the 1st two days. I decided I'd drive back to where we had seen the tracks the previous morning. We got going a little late and I don't get to my spot till 6:05 am (9 miles away). As I was walking in, I bump a hen getting a drink from the stream. I go another 75 yds near the old miners cabin and corrals and get settled in........I no sooner sit down and I hear what appeared to be a gobble. This morning is perfect.......Clear & cold......I listen and I hear it again. This time a little closer. Then again and closer. But this time he's not moving. Gobbling hard, but no movement. My mouth calls been good to me all season. So I started yelping.......No response......I wait and nothing again.......Dang, did I spook him........Nope......He starts gobbling again and he's a lot closer. I hit him again and bingo. Just to my right, a hen starts yelping at me......Perfect......Live hen to my right and gobbler to my left......I then look down and there he is 35 yds. The only problem was he was half strutting and moving quickly towards the live hen (she's about 40 yds to my right).......No shot as he moves thru my shooting lane. When he goes behind the old miner's cabin, I realize I have no shooting lane to my right (old crapper & trees). I get up and move the corner of the old building. When I get there, he moves towards the road........It was his last move.......I've shot a lot of turkeys, but I can honestly say.......This was one of the most exciting........Gorgeous white tipped Merriam.......21-4 lbs, 9" beard, and big old 1 1/4" hooks..........Unbelievable area........No wonder they couldn't catch Geronimo........lol
