President Joe Biden declared on April 24, 2021 that the Ottoman Turk massacre of Arminan Christians a genocide. I lauched a punative expedition against the Eastern Kentucky Turks on April 17, 2021.

I took my adopted cousin from Alabama on his second trukey hunt. Ben is a little taller than me. He is just barley a red head, more blonde, with stocky build. I trait all to common now he is about five years my junior.

This was his first hunt of any kind in Kentucky. We had not seen each other since Christmas 2018 due to the Covid 19 crisis. All who interacted were vaccinated. He married into my adopted family. His father, who I never met, passed October, 2020. I was not able to attend the funerl due to Covid-19 protocols. His family was not able to have a true service. This was my gift to him.

Location: Somewhere just north of Somewhere between Kentucky and Tennsesse.

Guns and Loads: What would we have to talk about with out guns and loads.

I used my 10 gauage BPS with 28 inch barrel, 3 1/2 chamber, and standard factory full choke. I named him John. The load is Winchester Doubel X 3 1/2 ounce, No. 5 lead. I will soon recap that one does not need a 10 gaugae shooting 2 ounces of lead to kill any turkey. However, I like the 10 gauge BPS John is a heavy beast, a good three pounds heavier than most dedicated 3 and 3 1/2 inch 12 guages. However, the weight motivates me to do my pushups and devors recoil. I dare say the felt recoil is less than a 3 inch, 12 gauage turkey load, or one of those dedicated phasent loads that are rebranded turkey loads. I also think the 10 gauge is a better plateform for sending 2 ounce loads wher the 12 gauge is a 1 3/4 ounch launcher. I adimit, I am old fashioned.

I know on YOUTUBE folks get all persnickety about chokes. They sure do post some amazing patterns. However, my longest kill on a 11 inch breaded Tom was 62 yards with Remington Express 1 1/4 ounce, No. 4 shot out a Mossberg 835 with factory X-Full. I killed a 10 inch breaded Tom two seasons ago with a new Browning A5 with Winchester 1 1/4 ounce, NO. 7 1/2 lead shot (High Brass) at 43 yards. I have killed a handfull of Toms at 45 yards plus with John. This year would be my longest shot. My intial reaction is I need to change the name of this gun to Guillotine as the reader will see.

One thing about the 10 gauge 3 1/2 inch gun that is measurable better than a 12 guage of any dress is I have had no issue finding Winchester Double XX 10 gaugue loads during this madness.

I have a number of shotguns from a 3 inch 20 guage TC Encore that has hammered beavers and a jake at 42 yards. Then there is my 835 Moseberge. The 500 Moseberg I have never killed a turkey with. I use him mostly for shooting crowsa and a particualr nusanice that raids my fish pond. One I have not used much is my 3 inch Merkel side by side. The newest is the forementionded New A5 Browning 12 guage 3 1/2 inch chamber. Of courrse, John has become the go to turkey artillery.

Ben is also a gun nut. I wanted him to use John. I would take the Merkel which I named Alexander. I told Ben he could have his pick of any gun in the house he wanted, "but I know you have been wanting to use the 10 guage."

"Lowe, if it is all the same to you, my dad left me a Remington 870 three inch. He never killed a turkey with it. I would love to kill one with that."

"Well, I appericate that. The problem is I only have 10 guague and 3 1/2 inch 12 guague in turkey loads. I was going to carry the Merkel with 12 gaugue, No. 5 shot, 2 3/4 loads at 1200 fps mostley to carry something. We have been watching a lot of birds the last month, but I can't promise a close shot or a long shot. I will find you some 3 inch loads."

"If you can, I appericate it. I bought a box of 5 shot yesterday, but I made a mistake. They are 3 1/4 inch and 10 guage!"

I love the 10 guage.

I travelled three states looking for 3 inch loads. They did not even have to be "turkey loads." Anything at 1 1/2 ounces of No. 5, No. 6, okay, I will take the No. 4s. "What? You sold the last box yesterday! No, I do not want No. 2 steel. That is not legal in Kentucky for turkeys."

I did find a box on 3 inch ,one county away, of Federal TSS No. 7 shot. The price was $70.00 dollars for five. I did mention I was old fashion. I do not dispute the usefullness of TSS. I do dispute that they are demonstravily better than good lead loads (Winchester). I have seen patterns that prove this to me. The reader may have seen the opposite. The other aspect about being old fashion is one does not spend $70.00 dollars for five shotgun shells.

Right before Ben was due to arrive, I called him. "Ben, I am sorry. I have looked everywhere. I can't find any 3 inch. Well, that is not true. I love you Ben. I found one box of five for $70.00 dollars, but I do not love you that much."

"That is alright man. I understand. I have found nothing. I really want to use Dad's gun.

"Well, here is what we do. I have hundreds of Winchester 12 guague, 2 3/4 inch, ounce and quarter, No. 5 Heavy Field lead loads. The box says they are 1220 fps. I have no reason not to believe them. Two seasons ago I killed that big Tom at 43 yards with Winchester High Brass 7 1/2 ounce and a quarter load. The most important thing is to get pellets in the top of the neck and head. That two and three quarter load at 1220 is "better" than a 20 gauage, 3 inch load which is an ounce and five eights load at 1180 on the box. I killed a jake with the 20 guague load at 42 yards. So, let us use that ounce and a quater, No. 5 shot load. We will just treat it like a 20 guague with 3 inch loads."

"That will work for me. I have never seen a turkey."

Apirl 17, 2021:

Ben arrived at our Uncle's (Dr. Smith) home the Friday before April 17, 2021. The Campagin Against the Turks always launches on the thrid Saturday of April. This drives me nuts as the turkeys are normally done with this whole struting, and rounding up hens things. The hens are breed and nesting. The Toms moved on still looking for someone needing help making little turkeys. Then, there is the plan commonsense of opening the season on Easter weekend. Folks would have Good Friday, Easter Saturday, and Easter Sunday to hunt. Folks can get off work eaiser, kids are out of school on Good Friday. That weekend is just better for getting folks into the meadows and on the ridges. Oh, well.

I had consitantly been seening these two large toms working ths back meadow. The area is five hudndred acres, but it is almost like private land. We do not own the very top and back of the ridges. So, folks just come from the other side and down. One year, I was calling in a Tom, and someone one hundred yards ahead of me that I did not know was there shot him as he came half running in. I knew the guy. I am not going to get into a fists fight, guns around, and have my neighbors hate me over a turkey. I just cut the breast out for him, and went to the house.

This back meadow is in the bottom of the horseshoe the ridges make. Someone would have to walk a long ways, and through a few more turkeys to get back in here. So, I just kept praying these two Toms would not figure it was time to go look for other girlfriends. I wacthced them that Friday afternoon work the field and go to roost. I called Ben out at Dr. Smith's and hastily reported. I cautioned.

"Now Ben, I have no idea these turkeys will stay here. They could just as easily fly down and head across the ridge to another bottom they have not been in before, or over the ridges. There is a small ridge right in front of us, that they sturt on early in the morning. Then they hit the field. Tommorow they could just as easily go over that ridge and on up to the highwall looking for new hens. If we get busted by a hen, they diffently will."

I picked Ben up at 4:45 in the morning at the Uncle's place. I wanted to be set up and in the meadow no later than 5:30 that morning. Better late than never. I noticed when Ben put his gun in that it was a worn 870 Express. He also had a gilley suite that he would come to hate.

"That gilley suite will work if everything goes right. But you will want to take it off if we decide to go walk the ridges and meadows looking for turkeys."

On the twenty minute drive back to the location I had picked for our set battle, I discussed the hope for plan. "I am hoping not to call a lot. These turkeys have shown they want to be in this field. So, I am going to set up these two decoys (that I had in the back of the cab), and let the turkeys do what they have been doing for a month. There are two big Toms. One is bigger than the other. The big one has an 11 inch bread if it is an inch. The other around 10 inch bread, but he is not as old looking. You shoot the one on the right. If they both come in. I will shoot the one on the left. Do not move if you can see there head. If you can see them, they can see you. When I say kill him, and you bring the gun up. You have to bring the gun up, and kill him in one move espeically if he is close. If he is out there a bit we will try to get your gun up when he won't see us move."

"Alright. I have never seen one. I would love to just here one gobble."Ben is a man of few words.

"We will hear them alright. That is the easy part."

We finished the drive talking about his family with Covid-19 and his dad's passing. This brought great stess to his family. He was forced because of his work and extended family to quaratine. He did not want to chance going back into quaratine, so for much of 2019-2020, he went to work and home. He still had to quaritine twice. His family did not appericate this. I just listned.

Morning Battle:

We got to the meadow while it was still dark. The day was overcast and water hung in the air. Strangley it did not rain. It was foggy without there being any fog. I placed a feeding hen with a medium size, just big enough to be a threat, but not large enough to scare anything way, tom behind and offset of her 10 yards below us. I then had us crawl underneath the honeysuckle and saw barrier bushes that made up the hedge row to wait. "My idea, it worked last year, is those toms will see the decoys, and want to go past us to get at that tom decoy. If we put them in front of us, they may stop above us and out of range."

Right as yellow was getting into the sky a hen right over top of us flew down across the meadow at the base of the little hill. Both sides of the meadow have a deep sided bracnh running parallel to the sides of the meadow. A tom called out about 200 yards away. on acoss from us. He sang again. "I think I can hear one." Ben started hissing.

"Yeah, he is really far away. When one does that close you will know it. Be careful about moving." Ben kept going numb from the waist down. I had my thermacell/foam cushion thing. Ben had thought he brought a little four prong like seat. He had not. So, I would take a hard watch to make sure nothing would see us and let him ease down and up throughout the morning. You can guess what happened.

The sun is up a 7:00 a.m. The sun might as well be up at 6:45 a.m. Despite the thin streaks of yellow, there was not much difference between sun up and dark today. I heard the hen that flew down and antoher hen fly down start yelping across from us. I knew they were right there screedned by the hedgrow. Oh well, I gave a few yelps on the box call. That is when the Turks sounded morning rivarly. Two toms blarredn not fourty yards across from us. I heard now three hens. yelp and cluck back.

"Oooh, boy! I can see him. He is right there off the end of my noise!" Ben had laid back down at this point. "Do not move at all." I was fixated on one of the Toms roosting right in front of me. I barley noticed his second in command to my right roosted right in front of Ben. Then, I thrid one sounded off in between as close as one can get with a striaght razor shave. "He must already be on the ground."

The hens kept yelping and working up the bank of the little ridge. The toms kept shouting at each other. I picked my spot carefully and raised Ben up. He could see from where he was sitting the third, middle tom just on our side of the little ridge strutting. "I can see one struting." You could her the hens working up the ridge. The two roosted toms kept shouting either profanity at the middle tom or dirty talk back to the hens. I am not that fluant in Turk. What I did know was these two roasted toms where the two that have been bossing this field. I did not know the third tom. The two roasted toms flew down on the otherside of the branch bank that made up the little knoll. I could trace the yelps of the hens going up and to our right.

We could see glimpses of strutting toms and hens. I heard a hen give a cutting as one of the toms tried to mount her. "Tom is trying to pen down that hen!" I could hear the excitment in Ben's voice.

"Do not move." I warned more breathing than speaking. This is not the best thing. Last year, these hens had moved off these toms." Either these toms and hens are going to take each other away, and will break up this midday with toms comming back, or someone is going to work down in here.

Keeping my hands below the waist, I slid them to the box call, I statrted cutting. All three toms and maybe a frouth let me know they had heard me. We saw all the turkeys move back down from the top of the little ridge back to our slide of the slope. I have no idea how many hens. There were at least three toms. I thought I saw a fourth, but it could have been one of the others just running back and fourth srutting.

"I need to lie down."

"When I tell you go very slow, and stop if I say so. Go."

Some time past. I clucked a little bit and finished with a yelp mimicking the real hens. I watched the reactions. "I do not like to call this much. Those toms know we are here, but I do not want the hens to take them away. The longer they stay here the more likely it is they come in."

We heard a shotgun let loose. The shot was close enough we could feel it. I was glad Ben was lying down because I saw him quiver out of the corner of my eye. Obviously, this group were not being shooting. "Maybe that will keep them on this side. Go ahead and raise up." I got Ben back up.

"A hen just came out right below you." Ben told me. I could not see hard to my left for the barrier and honeysuckle. Ben could. I could see up the meadow, my right, but Ben could not. I was watching a Tom sruting to my soft left, about eleven o'clock positon. That hen was working to him, but he was working his way down the ridge to her. Across from Ben we could see two toms working across and down the opposite direction two hens were in front of them. "Maybe, I have called the hens in."

I was watching the tom on the left when I thought I saw a turkey in the at the edge of the meadow and hedge line right across from Ben. I could not turn my head. Ben, is that a turkey?"

"Where?

"Right in front of you."

"I do not see one."

I could not keep my eyes pushed over any longer. I looked back straight and blinked.

Ben asked to lay back down. I saw no immediate harm and gave the okay. He had not got down.

"Oh, nooo, oh damn, Ben, Ben, Ben, Turkey right in front of you!" I was like a mute dog trying to bark. I saw Ben's head strart to rise. "Do not move." I looked back at the Tom to my left. He was almost down the slope. He went behind something green. I looked back at Ben's turkey. There was a large barrier patch right beside the gap. The turkey I saw had walked behind it. I could see a Tom half fanned bhind the gap to the left following the other turkey.

"Ben when I tell you, you have to come up ready to fire. He will be right in front of you." The tom came sturtting into the gap. The other turkey which was a hen was still fully hidden behind the barrier patch. Whatever was to my left was going to have to be. Ben come up. Ben raised up bringing his gun up.

"Kill him."

"I can't see him."

"He is right in front of you. Kill him, Kill him."

I could see the barrel of Ben's gun moving as he searched for the tom.

"Ben, look low right in front of you. Kill him now."

"Is he a Tom?"

"Yes, I can see his bread and red head." We talked about it later Ben had got on the hen.

This is all taking seconds, but much too long. I could see the Tom noticing all this. His wings and tail went tight aginst him. His neck was streched straight up, and his head was turned toward us.

I figured it was only a matter of momements less than secons before he dropped his head and strated to run up the hill. The hen stepped out from behind the barriers. "Ben, do not move. How far is he. Ben eyeballed it at fifty yards." "That is probably too far anyway. If he starts to go, I am going to kill him." As I watched him. The hen not being scared seemed to calm him. He started to go behind the barrier bush to the hen.

I risked it and took a range. "Forty-five yards. When he clears the bush. Kill him."

The hen saw this and raised her head. The tom came out. I could see his head, but Ben could not becuase of a down tree limb. We watched them bust us. I kept thinking Ben could get a shot and did not fire. The hen started putting, and took off to the left with the tom in toe up the little ridge to the turkeys on the left. We waited there for about ten minutes. I moved us to where the hen and tom had come out. I yelped and a tom answered about one hundred yards away. "There is a chance he might come back."

He would sound one more time and no closer. We waited thrity minutes. "Let us go check out these other bottoms. Ben was getting caught in his gillie suite. One bottom no turkeys.

We got to this palce that has standing hardwood on bothsides. There is a meadow in front of us. The state road cuts right through the middle of the property. Another meadow is on the otherside of the road. "There is a bunch of turkeys. "Ben said speaking normal.

"Where?"

"OVer there in that field across the road."

We were five hundred yards from where we were standing to those birds. We could tell with the necked eye five hens and three toms. I started cutting. Two hens flew down in the meadow we were standing at the edge of. The toms across threw their head up and fanned. The hens they were with started going faster for the property line. I could stop the toms, but they were not going to leave hens for hens five hundred yards away.

"This is not good." We can't move foward for these hens. Those toms are not going to stay there. What do you want to do?"

Ben did not say, but he came here to chase turkeys. I could see it when I looked at him. When the hens the hens in our meadow dropped into a roll I dropped John, and took off into the tree line with Ben in toe. The idea which was not a good one was the hens and toms in the far meadow may stay there. We would move up to them in this tree line where they would not see us. We would cross the road above them out of sight and pop out and kill them. Ben kept getting caught in his gillie suite. We made it across. The brids were gone. I yelped and a hen anwered at the corner of the property line. There is a deep, big creek that seperates the meadow from the bank of a ridge that rises up. We own to the top and to the corners. We jumped in above the turkeys. We founded where they crossed the otheside of the creek skinning the property line heading to the top. This battle went to the Turks.

I felt so bad for Ben. Then to break the ice, "I did not know you are a spy for PETA. Instead of a shotgun, you should have bought a camera."

The time was 10:30 in the morning, "Here is what I want to do. Let us eat lunch. Let us go to Dr. Smith's. Give these birds a rest. About midday, I think these birds will break back up, and start working back to their roost. We will hunt his place in the midday and hunt those two toms this morning about three, if we do not see anything at Dr. Smith's place."

We ate a quick lunch while playing a few hands of rummy. We kept our hunting clothes on except Ben had put away the gillie suite. I had us back at it at eleven thrity. Dr. Smith had cut the hedges back of his property. Sure enough a hen was feeding in that cut hedge row with a big tom in toe. She was on ourside but going away and across. "Ben, I want you to drop in the creek when you come around the bend, see that one lone tree on the our side. You are more or less even with them. Come out and kill him.

I could not see anyting. Ben should have been on them by know. I gave a few yelps. BOOM. I got up and came running around the bend. The Tom was down flopping with his head up. Ben was running up to him. "Shoot him again!" I yelled. Ben pulled up, shot him square in the head. The turkey took one big flop into the horseweeds and undergrowth.

I got up beside Ben. I grabbed around his shoulders and hugged him. That is an old Tom. He maybe four years old!"

Ben made his gun safe. I reached over to pull the bird out. "Ben, said let me do it."

"Okay, but press him with your foot just to make sure and grab him underneath the spurs."

The tom did not move and out from the tangles came a massive tom. We took pictures. I hung him from a wooden rail. "That is how you know you have killed a Tom." The bread was soild ten inches. The spurs long and sharp. I cut the fan, bread, and spurs off, got the fan pinned down, and took out the breast for frying and the legs and thighs for dumplings. This tom had the most yellow fat, I have ever seen on the wild turkey. He also had deep spur cuts from fighting with other toms.

I worked on the tom. "When I came out. He busted me and went straight over the bank. As soon as he got over the lip, you called, and he jumped back up on the flat, and I let him have it."

I took a picture fo Ben notching his Father's gun.

The Final Battle:

I got Ben's tom squared away for travel. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon. I tried to convience him to go back after those two toms with me. He decilined to help Dr. Smith get our Brisket, Pork Ribs, home made cheese cake, and home made Pecan Pie from Dr. Smith's Aunt Sadie. Aunt Sadie was an African American Woman who would help Dr. Smith's mother with the house while Dr. Smith and his dad and brothers were out in the fields.

I set up right inside from where we counted coup on those birds that morning. I heard them gobbling and comming as soon at about 2:00 p.m. I did noting but wait. Patiences kills more turkeys than decoys and calls. I am also getting older, and marhing them down is not as fun as it use to be. The lead tom worked into my side of that little ridge he came down and across. John and I took him when he stuck his head up. I took the top of his head clean off at fifty-two yards. The second tom came running right in front of me at the shot. He ran back to his buddy and ran back in fornt of me. He then ran up the little ridge out of harms way. I let him go. This decision was aided by the fact in Kentucky you are allowed two toms per person, but only one tom a day. He is worn down in the body, but that bread maybe over 11 inches.

I got my bird broken down. He was a soild two year old with a 9.5 inch bread and decent two year old spurs. I had Ben measure the bread. I did not care, but we all took an apporiate level of joy in the fact Ben's was bigger. Ben's tom was a good five pounds heavier if not more.

We spent the night drinking port, playing cards, and eating barbaque. Death is permenante. Ben will never have the service to say goodbye to his Father that I had. I hope the joy of that dinner, having his six year old son holding back a wing on that tom, his Dad's shotgun, and his first turkey can replace, if oly briefly, the hurt.

My Turkey.

Darn good story! THANK YOU!

Long winded, very good read though.
Thank for sharing it with us.
Great he got to shoot his first turkey with
his Dad's gun.

George

The Wife is frying up Wild Turkey Breast in her great grandmother’s cast iron skillet.

I am making gravy and biscuits.