Public Land Spring Turkey, Washington State Mountain Bird 2022

I was lucky enough to film my first turkey hunt. EPIC vocalizations and call interactions with birds up close and personal. It is something I will remember for a long, long time!
I started scouting this location before the hunt, spending a few days getting stuck in snow and cutting downed trees from the road. I marked a few birds, spent a lot of time studying maps and planning potential strategies.
I made a huge mistake that almost cost my hunt and had to spend several hours getting a replacement tag. Once back in camp I set up and make dinner, walleye tacos! Once dusk was upon me I went down and listened for roosting birds. This was a very positive sign for the morning.
After laying in the dark for hours anxious to get out Dawn finally arrived and the show started with lots of gobbling! The early hours of the hunt were a bit rocky, failing to get a positive response from the bird I thought there were other hunters in the area... not likely. Turned out there was just a lot of vocal birds in the area and I had to set and wait my turn for attention from the Big Ol mountain tom. Persistence pays off as I get multiple hens to surround my decoy and help entice a bird to wander into the deep woods clearing I was set up in.
Eastern Washington has a lot of turkeys, it is a good and bad thing. There are a lot of turkeys on private land with no access. The Public land in the more dense areas is well known and heavily hunted in many areas. There are also turkeys in the deep woods, not as many and not as pressured. They also have a different demeaner, unlike the rural dwelling birds the mountain birds will not typically strut into camp and attack your vehicle. Unlike the farm area birds who have generally smaller area with open fields and sparse tree placement, the mountain birds have large areas to roam in densely timbered areas with few open areas to set up shop and call.

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

I feel incredibly lucky ! A lot of hard work clearing trail, getting truck stuck, scouting birds the year before and the week leading up to opening day. It was an incredible experience... I have never filmed a trip like this, I feel very fortunate it all worked out the way it did. I have never seen the appeal to turkey hunting, all the fussing with calls, mapping, finding roost sites etc for a bird.... after this experience I totally get the draw! Unlike pheasant, quail, chucker, and grouse which I hunt often, these birds are willing to come to you. The vocal interaction, drumming, strutting and utter chaos with hens everywhere looking to bust any irregular move, just epic.

[@willong1000]

Likewise, I've never been particularly enthused about the notion of turkey hunting even though I always enjoyed seeing and hearing them in the wild. I inherited a piece of property in northeastern WA that is crawling with the critters, but I think WA is way out of line with their tag prices for what has become an abundant resource--it's all about the $$$, I'm afraid. However, I have a wounded warrior friend who, along with some of his family members and another veteran, has been successful three of the last four years on the place (he was not able to hunt the property in 2020 because of WDFW foolishly closing the season "due to Covid"). Please let me know if you are a vet and/or know any wounded veteran with limited mobility who could benefit from hunting turkeys on private property where they don't have to worry about someone else moving in on a bird they are working. Virtually all of my own hunting has been conducted on public land, or on those parcels in WA marked with "Feel Free To Hunt" signs; so, I really appreciate what you did on your own turkey hunt. Although it's been almost thirty years since I used to hunt some of the Channeled Scablands, I still cherish the memories of hunting upland birds and waterfowl in country that looked a lot like the area where you recently recorded a survival video. For a clue to the type of solo wilderness hunting that I enjoyed even more, click on my avatar to see the slightly larger version. Tent-less bivouacs in sub-zero weather were part-and-parcel of those adventures!

[@Riverbugger]

Awesome video! Man I sure miss walleyes. I grew up in Northern Minnesota and fished them all the time. Delicious!! Never turkey hunted but see them everywhere here in Idaho. Thanks for sharing your hunt and trip!!

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Hey thanks! Walleye is delicious! They are stacked up in the Columbia River right now, couple hour drive from me. I may have to go back for more soon! We have tons of turkey all around where I live but its mostly private and what is public is heavily hunted, never appealed to hunt them. After this hunt with all the calling and strategizing and a mountain of luck I am ready to go again ha ha !

[@Riverbugger]

@@Scablands_Scavenger that’s awesome and heck yeah I would go after that successful hunt. I will have to get with you and hit some walleyes sometime. I have a ton of walleye tackle. Use to fish tournaments. Best eating fresh water fish there is for sure. Stay safe. Hope to see you in the woods and water sometime!!

[@willong1000]

@@Riverbugger Adding my upvote 👍 on Walleye for eating quality. 👍 And chiming in that some waters in the PNW do have them. I even hooked into one that surprised me with its fight once--I was fishing rocky structure on Columbia River near Fruitland, WA, trying for smallmouth with a diving plug and actually thought that was what hit at first!

[@houston1722]

This guy is so underrated

[@stephaniesmith7317]

Cool hunt Dude! Looking forward to my 1st turkey hunt next month.

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Thanks, I could not have asked for a better first turkey hunt, it was way more fun then I thought it would be. Good luck on your hunt next month!

[@8626John]

Turkey hunting is addictive!

[@girdlebugboys]

Man I don’t know why it took me so long to find your channel, good stuff and subscribed!

[@rossthomas945]

Good looking Tom

[@chuckmikey001]

Great shot and congrats man! once a few years ago i was doing the last day of archery deer season here in mi, and had a blind tucked up under a short pine tree, and was along the edge of what used to be a cornfield on state land (michigan) and a huge flock of probably 25-30 female turkeys wandered in and were hanging out in the field, and i started to hear this funny noise off to the left in the woods behind me, i was hoping it was a deer, but then it came out right past my blind in spitting distance and it was a big fat tom, if it had been turkey season and had i had my license for turkey i could have just reached out and whacked him on the noggin! at least now i know where to go for turkey hunting!

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Hey thanks! Ha Ha that's awesome! Isn't that the way it always happens too, out of season with no tag?

[@chuckmikey001]

@@Scablands_Scavenger yeah dad says the older toms are smart enough to know they are being hunted, so they herd the females into the open and then stay under cover just inside the tree line, it was pretty funny, first time i ever saw one up close, and yeah i was so cold in that blind, with the wind coming right at me, i shivered a bit.

[@violetangelflame1]

I know it is weird I'm watching this cuz I've never been hunting in my life. I'm not even out doorsey. But I really enjoyed this video. I'm not patient enough to go hunting. But thanks!! I gave you a thumbs up!

[@Kai-iq2ps]

Nice video! Where is this exactly.

[@recon66661]

Good job!!

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Thanks!

[@jerheino]

Nice work!

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Thank you, was a ton of fun!

[@Setnja92]

Damn, these frogs are loud. The highway near our village is not so loud like they are :D

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Oh yeah they were mind numbingly loud... the camera did not do it justice ha ha ha!

[@bryanmaxwell7332]

He’s a gift to humanity…

[@yyururu]

Oh yes,another great lesson to not get baited :)

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Ha ha ha, yeah it is a little weird to think about, but lesson stands... if it sounds/looks too good to be true it probably is!

[@DicipleForJesus]

That's very fancy for outback tailgate cooking!

[@azdesertdog]

Nice looking tom you bagged there.

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Thanks man, pretty tasty too!

[@redsorgum]

I bet you felt like a big turkey having to go get another turkey tag…..gobble gobble gobble 😘😉🤣🤣🤣 The fish dinner looked delicious 🤤 Good shot.👏👏👏👏 You better save a copy of this video, screw-you-tube might delete it.

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Yeah, it was a bummer getting another tag, at least it was not too far away. The walleye was awesome, hoping to go back after them soon! As for youtube, they can delete and ban me, I upload on 3 other sites ha ha ha. The harder they squeeze the more people will just leave.

[@willong1000]

@@Scablands_Scavenger Love that: "The harder they squeeze the more people will just leave."

[@user-ux3kk4fp2u]

What time of the spring season were u hunting? Coming down from Alaska to hunt in April, any recommendations?

[@sealestiale]

did he just use a tortilla as a pan cover 💀😭

[@kylehowell4054]

Good job, but I would have eaten the fish by itself firstly I just would like to taste the adventure

[@jackarnold4027]

Your off to a good start, scouting preparation, except you forgot your tag.....and if you are referring to a size of pellet as "buckshot", it is not legal in Washington state,?....cut from the 2023 Washington Turkey Pamphlet, page 2....."Legal modern handgun designed for hunting, shooting #4 or smaller shot, and not capable of holding more than three shells"... the Idea is to aim for the head only, as trying to shoot a turkey it in the body is not lethal most of the time, and wastes meat and wounds turkeys....if you would have called (mouth reed call) just prior to shooting make a soft hen call (cut or yelp), that will typically make the turkey come out of strut and raise its head, so you can get a good head shot....most hunters use #6 lead which will penetrate about 2 inches (plus there is 222 pellets per ounce, vs 21 in buckshot) which is great for head shots or even better is #9 TSS (362 pellets per ounce)....both penetrate approx. 2 inches, lethal for head/neck shots....good first turkey hunt - smoked turkey breast meat is as good as it gets.....

[@Scablands_Scavenger]

Thanks for the tips! I guess I should have expanded on that comment. As I mentioned it was the night before season opened and the shotgun was loaded with 000 buck... didn't want people to think I was bringing it along for turkey while scouting out of season (I should have clarified I had buckshot in it rather than birdshot). I learned a hard lesson earlier in life and do not leave guns alone in my truck/at camp, so carried it loaded for bear, or what ever. The turkey was shot cleanly in the head with Federal #6 turkey load at about 25yds. I am counting the days till next season ha ha ha.

[@jackarnold4027]

@@Scablands_Scavenger That makes sense.....must say you did really good for your first turkey.....one thing you figure out in time is Turkeys have a location in mind to go to when they leave the roost, often to check in with other turkeys, is a pecking order thing, or hens, but, rarely can you change their minds, all you can do is know from scouting where they are going, or as you did circle around and get in front of them, good move on your part....two months till it starts, cant wait....

[@GullerudGallery]

Go vegan! :)