Pennsylvania Game News - April 2009 - 15

Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun instead of Jared’s 16-gauge Remington with open sights and its modified choke. He knew his Mossberg with its extra full turkey choke, 31/2-inch shells and scope had more range and would be more accurate. Finally, about 7:45, the sounds of several gobblers echoed back toward the blind in reply to Michael’s renewed calls. The gobbles were growing stronger and the sounds were traveling in the right direction. The gobbling grew louder as the turkeys continued coming toward the blind. Two matching bearded turkeys marched into the wheat field about 100 yards away. There was no doubt that both birds were legal. Once they committed to Michael’s calls and eyed the decoys, they covered the remaining distance at a fast pace, proudly fanning in amorous pursuit of their artificial cousins. The two toms were within 20 yards, but Jared had to hold his fire. The two strutting gobblers were so close together that he would have hit both of them with one shot. Finally, the birds moved far enough apart to allow a safe shot. Jared slowly removed the safety, moved his index finger to the trigger, lined up the head of the nearest gobbler in the scope and pulled the trigger. The bird went down. Jared put the safety back on and handed the Mossberg to Michael. In seconds, Michael released the safety, ejected Jared’s spent shell and dropped the second tom as it took flight across the wheat field. In less than a minute both hunters had completed their spring turkey journey. Jared’s first gobbler was down 20 yards away and Michael had dropped the other gobbler out of the air at about 35 yards. The results of that special morning were not in the initial plan. How could anyone plan such an outcome? Instinct and quick thinking by both hunters resulted in a hunt of a lifetime. I wonder how often a “double” with the same shotgun, by two different hunters, has been accomplished. Both birds sported 9-inch beards and 1-inch spurs. After a bit of basic math and a digital bathroom scale, it was determined that Michael’s 10th gobbler weighed 18.6 pounds and Jared’s first weighed 18.4 pounds. The two birds were so much alike that they probably had come from the same brood. It’s very unusual for two mature gobblers to respond to calls from such a long distance, stay together all the way into the decoys and arrive at the same time. They probably had been traveling together for quite some time. I mentioned earlier that hunting lends itself to a camaraderie that stretches across generations. Jared’s hunting desires and his early experiences in the field were shared with his grandfather, who had recently passed away. Although Jared’s grandfather had taken several hen turkeys in the fall, he had not had the opportunity to score on a gobbler in either the spring or fall seasons. Jared felt his grandfather’s presence during the hunt. Was he in someway responsible for this unusual double turkey experience? That is something we will never know. What we do know, however, is that Jared’s first gobbler is dedicated to the memory of his grandfather. COVER PHOTO BY JACOB DINGEL THE RUFFED GROUSE is not only our state bird, but also a favorite of hunters here in the Keystone State. The bird inhabits rough cover and has a knack for getting a tree between itself and the hunter when flushed, making it extremely challenging to hunt. Listen for male grouse drumming while turkey hunting this spring. Jacob Dingel is a radio dispatcher in the PGC Northwest Region. APRIL 2009 15

Pennsylvania Game News - April 2009

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