04/22/2026
🦃🔥 Opening Week of Turkey Season — The Highs, The Lows & The Stories 🔥🦃
Five days into turkey season and we’ve already seen just about everything these Eastern birds can throw at us. Six hunts, plenty of action, and a whole lot of stories.
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Day One
Nate’s Hunt — Put in the Work
Nate and his hunter worked hard but just didn’t get the turkey action they were hoping for. Rather than force it, they made the smart call to adjust and move farms for the next day.
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Day Two — The One That Got Away
Nate’s Hunt — 15 Yards… and Gone
The decision to move farms paid off. Nate brought in a beautiful gobbler that came strutting in to less than 15 yards of the decoys.
Everything lined up. The kind of moment you wait for.
…and then… swing and a miss.
It happens more often than people think — nerves, timing, excitement. That bird did everything right… just slipped away in the end.
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Day Three — Two Hunts, Pure Eastern Turkey Behavior
Nate’s Hunt — So Close It Hurts
This gobbler played the game perfectly. He hung up out of range for over an hour, strutting, fanning, and refusing to commit.
When he finally moved in, he got as close as you possibly can without offering a shot, slipping in behind brush and keeping himself just out of sight.
We worked him with hen calls, trying to convince him to close the distance — but like many Easterns, he wanted the hen to come to him.
And just when it couldn’t get any better… two real hens stepped out.
That was all it took — he turned and followed them off.
That’s turkey hunting.
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John’s Hunt — The Neighbor Effect
The morning started strong — over 75 gobbles, everything lining up. Then… off on a neighboring property… someone decided to come in hot on the calls.
A lot of aggressive calling, pushing birds hard — and just like that, the woods went quiet.
Truth be told… that kind of approach will shut Eastern birds down fast.
That said… sometimes that pressure helps push birds our direction — and we’ll take any advantage we can get.
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Day Four — The One You Replay in Your Head
John’s Hunt — From 100 Gobbles to One Chance
The morning started electric — well over 100 gobbles at daybreak. Then, just as quickly… complete silence.
Hours passed before they finally heard a single gobble way off in the distance. This is where experience matters. John worked that bird patiently, knowing exactly how to pull him from a distance most hunters would never attempt.
Step by step, call by call, he drew him closer. Then came the moment — John knew how it would unfold and had his hunter ready before the bird ever came into view.
Sure enough… the gobbler topped the hill, strutting, fanned out, putting on a full show. The kind of sight that gets your heart racing and your hands shaking.
John got him to come in close and when he hit 26 yards he told our hunter he could take a shot anytime. John prepared to video the shot – had his phone up and “thought he was recording”. When the bird turned broadside John was jealous! This gobbler had a beard the size of a horse tail, dragging the ground! He waited for the client to take the shot!
And then… swing and a miss.
A tough one — but that’s turkey hunting. Also tough – John thought he captured the video footage of a lifetime only to find out – it never recorded!
The good news? The client already headed to the range to dial things in and has already asked to re-book another opportunity before the season ends.
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Day Five — Patience Pays Off
A slow, grinding start… over 4 hours before hearing a single bird. Then a hen steps out and absolutely goes to war with our decoy — full strut, full attitude.
Still no gobblers. Another hen appears later and we think she’s bringing the group… but nothing. With time running out, John starts working through his arsenal of calls — one by one — until finally… GOBBLE.
He dials it in, goes back to the call that struck a nerve, and it works. A group comes in… multiple toms… including a mature gobbler.
In the moment, our hunter connects — but on a Jake instead of the longbeard. Not the original target, but still a successful hunt and a great memory.
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The Bottom Line
No pictures or video this week — but plenty of action, close calls, and lessons learned.
✔ Multiple gobblers worked
✔ Hunters put in position
✔ One bird on the ground
✔ Several heart-pounding opportunities
That’s Eastern turkey hunting — challenging, unpredictable, and addicting.
And we’re just getting started.
Stay tuned… 🦃🔥
