All I can say so far is this is some beautiful country and some crazy weather!!
Day 1: Saturday May 7 the trip started off bad. I was supposed to fly out of Albany Ga at 0800 and arrive in Atlanta at 0850 and then catch a flight to Spokane at 0940 and arrive at 1136. That would have given me time to get a license, unpack, and start hunting that afternoon. Instead our plane had some mechanical issues and we didn’t leave Albany until 1030! Needless to say I now had to rearrange my entire trip. The next flight to Spokane that had an opening was at 1830 and it went to Minneapolis first with a 1.5hr layover then on to Spokane. So I finally arrived in Spokane about 2330, lol.
Day 2: Sunday May 8, woke up at 0420 with a hint of daylight peeking through the window. Tried to go back to sleep and maybe slept on and off until 0600. Got on up and waited for my brother and his wife to get up at 0730. Wasn’t much we could do because nothing opened until 1000 for me to get a license. Did a little riding and was really amazed at all the snow peaked mountains.
Finally got a license and we started our hunt at about 1130. The terrain and altitude isn’t as high as our NM trip, but these areas are a lot thicker. I got into some some birds that first day after a snow shower!! Yes, a snow shower, lol. Somewhat beautiful one minute then you could see mountains disappear ahead of you and snow the next. Crazy weather for a SW Georgia boy!! Like I said, we got into some birds and had one within 30 yards above us but could not see that bird to save my life!! Think we ended up working 2 birds and hearing two others. Walked 8.2 miles.
Day 3 Monday May 9, since my son was to arrive that morning at 1136 my brother worked half a day and I “slept” in even thigh I woke up at 0420 again. Once my son landed and got all his license and unpacked we were back in the mountains again. The weather had called for a wintery mix that morning and sunshine that afternoon. What I learned real quick are the mountains have their own weather pattern that can change hourly, lol. So yeah, my son got to experience snow and hail that afternoon as well.
This area is so thick in places that you can’t hear someone calling 50-75 yards away. The birds we located would literally gobble almost on top of you and you better set up quick. That afternoon was really cold and miserable but we still worked some birds.
Day 4 Tuesday May 10 was just my son and I due to my brother having to work the rest of the week. We were still at the same area and decided to split up. I’ll admit we don’t get there at daylight, but are there by 0515 or so and start our climb. We didn’t hear anything the first several hours and my son text and told me there was someone coming in a truck. One thing I do like about these areas are the gates are closed to vehicles except DNR and paper company personnel. But apparently 4 wheelers and dirt bikes are allowed.
Anyways I was too deep to walk back out so I text my son and told him I was staying and he could go check out some different properties if he wanted.
It was about 1300 when I heard my first bird. I was 5 miles deep and excited that I finally had a bird respond and closing the distance. I’m working this bird and here comes a 4-wheeler, lol. He never sees me and passes on by. To my surprise the bird starts gobbling again after he is gone.
This bird is closing the distance fast and I’m sure it’s going happen when about 15 minutes later when the guy on the 4-wheeler comes riding back through from the direction he came.
I text my son who also had birds start gobbling about the same time mine did on another piece of property, that I think that 4-wheeler just blew my hunt.
Well, as soon as that guy got out of hearing distance that bird gobbled less than 30 yards and made me jump, lol. I have a soft call and could catch a glimpse of him and he came out on the road and passed by at 10 yards!! He finally hit a clear spot at 20 and I had my first Washington State gobbler!!
I can tell you I was glad that bird only weighed 16# after a 5 mile hike back to the gate, lol. Just my typical Merriam turkey with .5” spurs and an 8” beard.
Day 5 May 11 Wednesday, we decided to hit the spot my son found and worked some birds the day I killed mine. Again we didn’t get there until maybe 0530 and heard nothing. We hiked in a mile and sat down at this clearing just to listen and do some calling. It wasn’t 10 minutes and we called in a few hens from what we could tell. They never really came out and don’t think they saw us but didn’t see the “hen” that was calling. We repositioned and started calling again. Another 15 minutes passed and we were quietly discussing spots while looking at OnX on our phones when we heard a hen. I engaged her and we went back and first about 5 minutes or so and I told my son to hit her with his trumpet. He wasn’t even finished with his yelping when a gobbler answered. I took over calling with a crystal pot and my diaphragm since he was the shooter for the day and the gobbler wouldn’t answer. The minutes my son would start a note on his trumpet that bird would gobble.
That joker must have been running because he went from 200 yards to out in front of us somewhere close enough we could hear him drumming. The bird finally came into view at 47 yards and my son dropped him…his first Washington gobbler!
That evening we roosted some birds and thought we had a sure thing for the next morning.
Day 6 May 12 Thursday, our roosted birds definitely didn’t mean roasted, lol. These birds hit the deck and went straight for private ground, even though this was our first morning being there at daylight. We tried working these birds back from all angles and we’d even talked to the landowner who gave us permission to “fudge” the property line, we just didn’t feel right going full steam on his land. 10-20 yards across the line, yeah no issue. But diving deep just ain’t our thing. We worked that area until about 10ish and regrouped back at the truck and found some more land on our map and decided to go check it out.
Now this is the warmest day so far so we decided to just leave our turkey vest and gear and just take a call and guns to go into this property a few hundred yards and look for sign to see if it was worth checking out later at some point.
At 100 yards in the trail split. My son took the low ground and I took the high. Now I’ve already mentioned how sound does not travel well in areas out here because it wasn’t 5 minutes later at 1150 my son text he was working a bird. I had already heard one bird across a road on private property but couldn’t hear anything else. It wasn’t until I made a climb and worked the ridge back towards the area my son had went that I could faintly hear gobbling. I made it to the point of this ridge and could hear everything. My some was calling and I could hear two birds answering him.
I was texting where I thought birds were and he was was in relation to the birds and really enjoying the show, even though I couldn’t see either of them, when a bird gobbled East of him. I then text and told him I was coming off my mountain and going to attempt to work that other bird. The only issue was once I came down my mountain and made it around to his side I couldn’t hear anything.
I ended up below him and his birds before I could actually hear either of them. This bird has been gobbling and everything my son has thrown at him going on two hours now, but it’s so thick my son couldn’t see him. I had hit some thick stuff and was basically at a stuck point. Meanwhile my son was using his woodsmanship skills to slowly try and slip with range and sight. He said he could keep up with the bird by his drumming. At one point he said he was so close he felt like the ground was trembling every time ole boy would drum. He finally worked his way into sight and range and hit his trumpet real soft to get him to gobble one last time.
I was still hearing the gobble when my son touched his trigger and tagged his second Washington Merriam!! I’ll give him one thing, he earned that bird, lol! 2.5 hours later he had done it.
My son is now tagged out and flys back home tomorrow morning. What a trip it’s been for the both of us and I still have another week. This weather has been crazy and I hope he doesn’t have a heat stroke next week working in the 90’s after not seeing a high temp out of the 50’s up here, lol.
More to come later…