The second leg of my 2012 Missouri trip was near Sheridan, Mo, with Tails of the Hunt Outfitters for the first-ever Turkey & Turkey Hunting/Tails of the Hunt Turkey Camp. And the weather finally broke.
The first morning, co-owner Aaron Volkmar and I struck a hot turkey at about 9:30 a.m. A quick move put us in position near a fence line, and the gobbler was already on his way — directly in front of us and closing fast. So why did I hear drumming behind me?
The answer soon became evident. Another gobbler had sneaked in for a look, and the turkeys met in the middle of the field. I managed to turn to the left and shoot the interloping bird.
That’s when things got interesting: The bird had no spurs. He was a mature gobbler — at least 3, judging from his beard fiber tips — but he’d never grown any spurs. Only the tiny caps were evident.
Spurs or not, he was a heck of a trophy from a great hunt. And with my Missouri season finished, I switched my focus to helping Volkmar and co-owner Mike Humpal get a bird for camp attendee Dr. Richard Dannenberg.
Killed a dominant bird in MT one spring that had no spurs, but he was the man. Had a big spurred tom put a hole in the back of my new decoy and it’s up and running at http://www.bestturkeydecoy.com