Turkeys Heating Up In Kansas

Things are heating up in Kansas, including the weather. This week went from cold to hot, and the number of kills climbed dramatically. We have taken 15 gobblers this week, including eight on Thursday, May 4. It’s been a blast watching hunters take Rio Grandes in Kansas and then jumping into Nebraska an hour north for Merriams.

I spent most of the week with a few friends from Arkansas, David Nowlin and Justin and Jeff Blakeney. The three of them took eight birds while in camp. Justin took top honors with a pair of Rios and a pair of Merriams. He took his Rios on Wednesday morning when they charged a fan I showed them when they were at 150 yards as they crossed a plowed field. Justin rolled them up, and the next day we were off to Nebraska.

Fighting purrs lured in five longbeards by mid afternoon, and Justin hammered two of them. It’s safe to say that challenging the gobblers right now is the right prescription. They are still not exactly hammering hen talk, but they are absolutely running to any type of insult on their place in the pecking order.

When those guys were in camp, I was reminded why I still do this guiding thing after all these years. It just never gets old to me. I truly believe that the turkey hunting fraternity is as strong as you will ever see in the great outdoors. The guys who get it, that truly understand what it’s all about, make every 3:45 wake up, every long drive, every step through the darkness and every walk out worth it all. I’m a blessed man to be able to do what I do. I’m thankful for the friendships that might not have ever been were it not for this magnificent, gobbling creature.

I’ve still got a couple weeks to go out here, and it’s getting better by the day. There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring, but that’s the beauty of the whole thing. The anticipation. It should be a great week ahead.

Hope y’all are still enjoying success back home. Good friend, Troy Aeschliman, of Sharpsburg, certainly saw some Georgia success. Troy guides for Gray Ghost Plantation in Taylor County, and he found a little time to slip away and get in a hunt for himself over the weekend. I’d say he made good use of his time as he rolled one on Friday and two on Saturday.

Troy said he basically imitated the hens on both hunts, and that strategy brought the gobblers in. They all slipped in quietly, but he was ready when they got there. That’s a good late-season hunt that comes with the message of never giving up. Your season can change in a hurry.

About The Author: GON freelance writer Donald Devereaux Jarrett has been with GON since 2003 and is currently on the following pro staffs:  JEBS Chokes, Mossy Oak, Conyers Outdoors, Champion Custom Calls, South Dakota Hunting Service and Denver Deer Scents. If you’d like to talk turkey with Donald, you can reach him through his Facebook page or through e-mail at [email protected].

DDJ Blogs:
May 1, 2017: Bad Weather In Kansas Shuts Down Gobbling
April 24, 2017: Gobblers, Girlfriend and Naps
April 17, 2017: DDJ Tags Out In Georgia
April 10, 2017: Quiet Gobblers During Windy, Rainy Week
April 3, 2017: DDJ Rolls The Boss, Calls In Several Other Birds
March 27, 2017: Henned-Up Gobblers For Georgia Opener
March 23, 2017: Chasing Osceolas With DDJ