Conclusion: The Curious Matter of the Calamitous Creek

[Brian Lovett]

In "Decision Time," Editor Brian Lovett shares a scenario from his 20-plus years hunting turkeys. Each hinges on a critical decision. Post what choice you would have made, and then see how things actually turned out.

Conclusion: The Curious Matter of the Calamitous Creek

To be fair, I'd known Stoltz's play from the start. When the gobbler hadn't hammered back at every series of calls, Stoltz had toned down his yelping, calling softly and sparingly during the two-hour hunt. After that, there would be no forcing the action. We'd wait.

Surprisingly, when the gobbler finally got serious, we didn't wait long. After an extended period of silence, the bird gobbled about 10 steps closer to us. And then he gobbled even closer. Minutes later, I heard the distinct "thump" of a heavy body landing on our side of the creek. When the white head poked up over a small rise 30 steps away, the shot string was there immediately.

Stoltz and I shook hands over the heavy longbeard, and I congratulated him on playing the bird perfectly.

"Well, it might not have been exciting, but it was effective," he said.

Shoot. Creek-hopping gobblers in northern Missouri? I thought it was pretty exciting.

What decision did you make?

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[Cut N Run]

I probably would have played it like Scott mentioned. It turns out that patience, and knowing when to sit tight wins.

Jim

[Rocky Landsverk]

gotta admit I don't have the patience for this strategy.