Next on my 2008 spring turkey hunting calendar was a very special hunt with my Great Uncle, Kenny Matthews.  This would be the first time we had the chance to hunt together (but hopefully not the last).  I arrived at my Uncle's and it was unseasonably cool, so we decided to head to the "huntin' hut" which he and my Grandpa had built in the mid 80s (my Grandpa passed away in September of 1989.)

We had four gobblers answering our calls shortly after daybreak; unfortunately they were with hens and as soon as they hit the ground they shut up.  It had been about an hour since we had heard any of the gobblers and we hadn't seen any turkeys either.  So, I stepped out of the hut for a couple minutes.  Before I stepped back in the hut I yelped a few times on my HS Infinity Latex Fang mouth call.  All of the sudden, a gobble erupted from the woods right behind us;  he had to be within 150 yards!  I quietly stepped back in the hut and sat back down in my chair.  I made a few more soft calls and purrs, but got no answer.  My Uncle and I went back to our muffled chit-chat when all of the sudden he was pointing to my side of the hut and says, "There he is!"  I slowly turned that way and picked up my shotgun all in one movement.  At first I couldn't see him but a few more steps and he was within view of the window in front of me.  At this point the gobbler was now in view of our decoys too and he was heading straight for them.  He made a few more steps and I let the Winchester Xtended Range and Thompson-Center Encore 12 gauge do it's job!

High fives and hugs were shared and another great hunting memory was made in the "Huntin' Hut" that cold spring morning in Missouri.  I'm sure there was a third member of the family with us "in spirit" too.

Marti Davis is sponsored by RedHead (Bass Pro Shops), Hunter’s Specialties, Thompson-Center Arms, Winchester Ammunition, Bushnell, Parker Bows, Marathon Seat Covers, www.724outdoors.com  and Jewell Insurance Agency.