Hunting
Windigo Images/Russell Graves
Triple-G Smackdown
Ralph Cianciarulo left for a weekend hunt, asking his wife Vicki to keep an eye out for a big buck he’d seen behind their home. When he returned two days later, that big buck hung in the garage. Viewers of the popular hunting show Archer’s Choice have become accustomed to the comical competitive spirit between Ralph and Vicki, but little compares to seeing them in person. Dressed in jeans and a blouse, Vicki is one smoking hot female (sorry Ralph, we couldn’t help but notice), yet in camo she has the stealth and lethality of a dominant predator.
Ralph and Vicki joined our hunting camp in central South Dakota for the annual spring gobbler safari. Hunting from a blind, Vicki watched a jake gobbler relentlessly peck Napoleon, one of her expensive stuffed jake decoys. Holding out for a long beard, she grimaced at the damage being inflicted, yet held her fire. Late the next morning, we returned to camp and found a note attached to a gobbler hanging from the front porch post which read:
Here is my turkey, And yes, he’s a jake!
Small and lean, make no mistake!
Yet he is hanging with all these gobblers
Shot in the head after listening for hours.
He came to my decoys to try and mate.
With the rain coming, it was getting late!
So I decided to squeeze the trigger and put down this jake.
He won’t mess with my decoys again!
For Napoleon, I TOOK REVENGE!! —Vicki
Mixed Gender Hunting Camp
It may seem like forever that “deer camp” has been the San Quentin of testosterone—an impenetrable island where men can be men and women can be...well...someplace else, preferably. The absence of hygiene and civilized behavior in some camps is legendary (and often mandatory), with details too egregious for print. Times, however, are changing, and an increasing number of women are becoming interested in the outdoors and happy to spend the same quality time afield once reserved for men.
Our camp included five men and four women sharing two small cabins, which allowed enough privacy for showers and sleeping. There, the split ended. We shared all meals, camp chores and hunting time. Ralph and Vicki were the models of competitive independence, and their constant, “I can do this better than you”attitudes kept the camp in stitches. No wonder their TV show is award-winning.
My first day afield netted a 21-pound Merriam—a beautiful bird that came to a call late in the day. The handsome bird became “turkey fingers”for a camp feast. In that single fry-fest we ate the entire bird. Since my tag was filled, I got to team up with one of the gals the next morning.
Wild West Adventure
Kathy Bules and I were hunting in South Central South Dakota, where prairie grass rolls like an ocean for thousands of square miles. Hunting is always an adventure here, whether tip-toeing toward a roost through a prairie dog town in early morning darkness, hiking miles toward endless horizons, jumping antelope, mule and whitetail deer, or climbing through the Badlands terrain.
Kathy is a farmer from Nebraska, and had seen her share of wildlife, but never killed a mature gobbler. An hour into our morning, we heard a gobble across a winding creek. Dropping into the eroded course, we covered two hundred yards, staying completely out of sight. I carefully crested the horizon—Sioux warrior-fashion—and spotted three gobblers feeding in the open. After a few alluring calls, the lead longbeard walked right into Kathy’s sights. At 30 yards, her load of Federal #5s downed the bird instantly.
Eastern Comparisons
Western turkeys roost more predictably than eastern birds. Unless disturbed, western flocks usually return to the same trees, allowing hunters to plan on early morning and late-afternoon action. Watching a dozen birds awake on the stout branches of a huge cottonwood tree is exciting stuff. The orange glow of a pending sunrise make the toms look larger than life as they strut, drum and gobble on the limb. A quality pair of binoculars get you in close for all the action.
Sometimes prairie turkeys pitch down like Easterns, assemble near the roost and then head onto the prairie to spend the day. Other times they sail onto distant pastures a quarter-mile away. Hunting an established roost assures you of seeing birds, but certainly doesn’t guarantee a shot.
Prairie turkeys go through the same mating stages as forest birds. Mature gobblers often become “henned up” and will not budge an inch from their harem no matter how exciting your calls. Occasionally, they shut up after fly down and seem to vanish into the myriad of coulees and grassy ravines.
My first evening of the hunt I posted about 150 yards from a roost tree where two groups of turkeys converged in a circus act of pecking order among jakes and longbeards. When the commotion subsided, I made several soft yelps and the boss tom led the entire troop right toward me. At ten yards one jake alarm-putted and the birds made a hasty exit, the big gobbler leading the way. Luckily, the close range gave me a quick shot and the red dot scope put my #5s right on the money. The beautiful Merriam’s weighed over 21 pounds and sported a nine-inch beard.
Visibility may be the greatest thrill of prairie hunting. Roost trees are rarely silent, and most toms gobble from sundown until dark, and from first light until fly-down. Where the turkeys are is seldom a problem. Where they will be is another matter.
Weather, Predictably Unpredictable
Spring on the Great Plains is always “interesting.” My first tom fell during a snow and ice storm, yet I’ve hunted in everything from bright sunny weather with temps in the 80s to late storms with nearly two feet of wet snow. As unpredictable as the elements can be, the turkeys carry out their daily routines, roosting in giant bottom cottonwoods and feeding and nesting on the open prairie. A cold, windy rain will force the birds into the bottoms, but usually they spend their entire day in the relative safety of the open spaces.
Bam! Bam! Half A Slam
Species variety is another draw of the prairie. South Dakota has both Merriam’s and Rio Grande subspecies, which often overlap their range. My second grand slam of turkeys culminated just east of the Badlands National Park when a buddy and I called in a gobbling Rio in the morning and a roost-bound Merriam in late afternoon.
Ironically, I kept the bird on ice from the morning hunt in order to take pictures among the colorful shale bluffs in our hunting area. As I was standing with the jake on my shoulder I heard a “thunder on the prairie” and saw a flock of turkeys headed our way. After scrambling to intercept the turkeys, I sneaked up to the edge of a grassy mesa. Hearing the birds just over the lip, I gave a soft yelp and the tom stuck his head practically in my face. I shot just as the tom ducked, but I won the race to the edge and downed it with a quick second shot.
Ideal For Archers
The wide open spaces and abundant flocks make the West an excellent place for bowhunters, who can pop up a blind near a likely roosting spot and be almost guaranteed of action. Like most turkeys, Merriam’s and Rio Grandes pay little attention to today’s pop-up blinds. The concealment of the ruse allows archers to draw and aim under cover.
Ralph and Vicki hunt with archery gear so frequently, Ralph developed a special pop-up model for turkey hunting, so the couple often hunts together. Married for 14 years, the dynamic duo live the outdoor lifestyle, hunting across North America, their adventures punctuated by competitive personalities and humor. Everyone in camp felt privileged to share time and swap hunting tales with them.
Despite the archery plan, Vicki shot a jake and hung it on the cabin porch with the note mentioned earlier. By the last morning of the hunt, Ralph had not taken a turkey and his honey’s jake loomed large in the battle of the sexes.
“My goal is to take a bird with a beard larger than 2 3/4 inches,” he told us that final morning. “A half-inch longer and a pound heavier than Vicki’s.”
- Gear For Western Gobblers
- • Box calls have extended range, which is important in a prairie environment. Also, a wind usually blows, and louder calls will carry farther. Diaphragm and slate calls work well when the action gets close.
- • Mobility is a must for turkey hunting success. Leather, un-insulated waterproof boots are ideal to keep your feet dry while protecting you from the numerous cactus quills that dot the prairie. Leather gloves and light knee pads can help tame pesky pokes.
- • Optics are a must. Once gobblers fly from the roost they often stop gobbling, making spot-and-stalk the most effective option. Quality binoculars will allow you to examine roosts in early dawn light and locate mature birds.
- • Regarding camouflage, a waterproof shell in Mossy Oak Brush is ideal to break the wind and blend well with the grasslands. Dress in layers and carry a small daypack for water and insulating layers.
- • A pocket rangefinder is also handy, especially for eastern hunters. Judging distance in the wide open spaces can be difficult. Extra full turkey chokes help reduce the margin of error.
- • Box callers are hard to beat for ease of operation and long-range calling power. A diaphragm and slate work best at closer range.
When we returned to camp that day, the Cianciarulo’s had departed, but we found a tagged gobbler by the steps with Ralph’s note attached:
Here is my story Short and sweet! I shot a jake Right off of his feet!
It wasn’t with a scatter gun That is a fact.
My Hoty bow put him Right on his back!
So weigh-in and measure was the next step to take
And we found out mine beat little ole’ Vicki’s jake!!
So this story is told and here is the FACT
Guys Rule—Girls Drool
And there’s no looking back.