NW Turkey Tour

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…

Awesome pictures and hunt stories, congratulations to you both!!

Great narrative! Congrats to you and your son!!

Great story and pictures! They sure are a blast to hunt. I’m glad you got to spend some time on the good side of this state.

Day 7 May 13 Friday, I posted wrong in the last post, my son doesn’t leave until tomorrow, Saturday. We sorta slept in this morning and didn’t get to the woods until about 0730. Seems these birds are still with hens pretty good and don’t start really gobbling until 1000 or after. We decided to try a different property and saving some of our spots for after my son leaves and I take my brother for hopefully his first.
It was raining/snowing early, so we really wasn’t in much of a rush. The sun came out but so did the wind. This property looked to good to not hear a gobble, but I don’t know if we could’ve heard one anyways unless he was up wind of us. We did call in a hen and then saw another turkey while walking, but the gobblers weren’t gobbling. Well, we did strike one, but he was way down the mountain on private property and wasn’t leaving his apparent strut zone. We’ll definitely give this area another walk through on a nicer day.
My brother was off half a day so we came back to his place and got ready to go sight seeing. I’m not a city person but some of the attractions around Spokane were pretty nice. We left there and drove to Coeur d’Alene to look around and eat at the resort.
Tomorrow they’re calling for rain up until about noonish. My son flys out around 0640 so we’ll drop him off and play it by ear after that. Hoping to finish up Washington for myself and get my brother a turkey then head to Idaho.

Way to go.

Sounds like you are enjoying yourself. I am about 50 miles northeast of Spokane near Priest River. If you think it is thick around Spokane come up my way. We had 7 jakes and 2 big gobblers in my driveway Wednesday and I ran a big gobbler out of my chicken house today. The gobblers here are just starting to look for late hens now.

May look into that. Have had a few members on here message me about where turkeys are and it’s greatly appreciated.

Day 8 Saturday, dropped my son off at the airport in the rain and 0500 and we came back and took a nap. Made it to the first property about noon. Immediately struck a bird and off we went in pursuit. Kept up with the bird with a crow call and finally got to the top of the mountain above him. I just knew we were going to kill this bird. Got within 75 yards and set up. He would gobble at everything I threw at him. All was good until I got into a dialog with an angry hen. After that he shut up. We waited for 30 minutes and never heard him. I tried backing up with my brother in our initial position and that didn’t get a response either. We finally made a decision to move to the last spot we thought he was and set up and try and call him back.
We quietly made our move and walked right up on the gobbler and hen!! He was in the same spot and didn’t say a word for over an hour…yeah, that ended that.
Found 3 other birds on our way back to the truck but they wouldn’t leave private property.
Went to a new area where I knew birds roost and it had more “motocross” action that a motocross park, lol. Still managed to find the birds and had them coming in on a string and again got them within 75 yards or so and they went silent. I thought for sure they were coming in and 15 minutes later they were gobbling where they first started. About an hour later we had them coming back in, but they stopped short again and went to roost well before sunset. We backed out and will give them a few days and wait until the weekend is over with less traffic.
What’s weird is we’ve seen only 1 other hunter in all my days here, but it appears all public land is used for dirtbikes and ATV’s even though gates are shut and locked.

Sounds like your having a good time and a good hunt.

Was wandering about that trumpet call your son was using
is that a loud shock call to get a tom to gobble or is it a hen imitation
yelp, cut and pur type of a call.

The trumpet he runs came from Misfire Game Calls Lee Chadwick. It’s a call you can yelp, cutt, cluck, or make whatever sound a turkey makes. I’ll be honest, in the house practicing it doesn’t sound good to me, but get that joker in the woods and it’s pure hen. Especially if he’s at a distance from me it’s pure turkey.
These birds are strange to me. One day they might respond to a box the next they prefer a pot call or diaphragm. The first bird he killed wouldn’t respond to anything I had to offer except his hens would. He would only respond to that trumpet. Every bird he’s killed this year, here and in Georgia, came to the trumpet. I will definitely have one and be proficient with it by next turkey season, lol. I honestly think it’s just something the birds haven’t heard before.

This has definitely not been a normal spring for us up here. Fun to chase these birds up here. Having grown up and chased gobblers in Missouri as a teenager, it was an adjustment with these birds here. Lots of fun chasing these mountain gobblers. Thanks for taking us along on your hunt up here.

Ahh Nice Trumpet Yelper

Awesome stories and pictures! Thanks for sharing. I really like the white tips on those merriams turkeys. I definitely want to take my son hunting merriams when he is old enough. Beautiful birds and country to hunt in.

Also I’m about sold on the trumpet call. You need to buy stock in that brand and keep telling these stories about your son calling them in with that call when nothing else works lol

Great stories and pics

But what about the elk ? Did you see any elk ?

No elk, no moose, no nothing except turkeys and Whitetails down in the lower populated areas.
Do have a set of tracks maybe some can identify for me.

Day 9 May 15 Sunday. Today was a lazy day. I got up early but my brother slept in until 0700. We heehawed around and finally made it to the woods about 10ish or so and walked a tract my son and I walked previously. Called in a couple hens but no gobblers heard on the property. Played with the same bird on private land my son and I played with, but he still won’t budge.
We couldn’t hunt long due to my brother having to pick his wife up from her trip to Paris, more like job than trip, lol. We hunted that evening for a bird that’s kicked our tail 2 other times and he made it three times now. I know better than to get hung up on one bird but this one has really got me thinking, lol.

Day 10 Monday May 16. This is the first morning I made it to the top of a mountain before daylight. Left the house at 0300 and was on top by 0415.
Didn’t hear anything early even though the birds turned out to be roosting not far at all. I just knew I’d be done by 0530, but the birds had other plans. Turns out I was surrounded by gobblers and even had one with hens behind a huge rock that somehow went neither left or right but straightaway.
I then decided to give my attention to the most vocal of the bunch and followed him and his harem down that mountain I dreaded to climb!!!
I had the bird inside of 75-100 yards multiple times but every time I thought it was a done deal one of his hens would sound off and reel ole boy back in. This went on literally all the way done the mountain until they reached private ground. I tried my best to coax him back, but that same hen would raise her voice and he’d retreat back, talk about henpecked, lol.
I decided to head back up that stupid mountain because I knew eventually they’d make their way back after servicing their hens. What’s worse than getting stomped by two gobblers is having a third just go right past heading for the gobbling bird you just left.
I made the climb back to the top and was clearing some tree limbs for possible sitting locations at a future date when I text my son and asked if he thought I should wait at the top or almost towards the bottom where he had dropped a pin where he shot his bird. He recommended dropping down…so I did.
I had no more dropped down and found a nice hide to wait them out when I heard a bird come in from the West way above me…where I just came from!!
This bird was gobbling good but not at me. It wasn’t until he got directly downwind that I knew he heard me when he double gobbled. I shut up and waited. Next gobble was still above me, but old boy was backtracking. The next gobble was even closer and I gave a few soft yelps on the crystal pot and knew he was coming.
This joker came out about 100 yards dead over my left shoulder and sounded off again. I was already pivoted around and just kept telling myself to breathe and keep my head down. The fact he gobbled about every 10 yards coming down didn’t help my labored breathing or racing heart!
At 25 yards I touched the trigger and my Washington tags were complete.
Tomorrow I head to Idaho!!

Congradulation on your successful Washington turkey hunt thanks for the ride along, will be
watching for the Idaho hunt.

I think your right about the trumpet call give them something
they haven't heard.

Think I might have to see about getting one.

Sounds like a heckuva start to a great trip!
Just got home from a Montana/Wyoming hunt myself.
Farthest west my country butt has ever been.

Hope you had success and share your story and pics!! My son sorta threw a kink in my Montana plans, but there’s always next year! We may end up making this an annual trip.

We had a great hunt.
We each killed 2 long beards in Montana and each killed 1 long beard in Wyoming.
Get into the right habitat and there’s lots of turkeys in that part of the world, but you better be able to walk.
Montana made the 15th state that I’ve killed gobblers in.
I’ll definitely go west again before my walking ability goes to pot lol

Birds in Idaho are kicking my butt…13.4 miles first day scouting, 8.7 today chasing, lol. These birds literally hit the deck without their hens. Ole boy this morning went one way and his hens came to me. It’s almost like they aren’t interested. He’d gobble at everything I threw at him but never once gobbled to his own hens.
My highlight today was getting to hear Grouse drumming!! Talk about getting the heart racing at 0-dark30!! I apparently set with 15ft of it in the dark and it’s started way before light. I actually jumped, lol. Everywhere I went today grouse were drumming. That’s something I’ve only witnessed on TV. And I’ve seen Bald Eagles the past two days. We only see them when they migrate back home. Same time every Spring.

Ruffed grouse?
Are you seeing other hunters?

Only saw one other hunter on a 4-wheeler. Came by me twice while working a bird and never saw me. This was about 5 miles deep and I killed a bird.
When I got back to the truck he was there loading up his 4-wheeler. Said he had seen some “females” but no “males” and didn’t think he was allowed to shoot females, lol.

Oh boy. One of those lol!

Sounds like turkey are far between in Idaho.

Last day of my 3 day license and got it done in Idaho. Not sure what was going on in the area I was in, plenty of turkeys, but none wanted to play. When you roost a bird and he doesn’t gobble at his hens but gobbles at you then you think it’s roasted. Not the case. These birds fly down and head the other way. Hens come to check me out but the gobblers act like they’re more interested with joining up with there buddies…bro’s before ho’s I guess.

I decided to make a move midday. Looked on OnX and found something closer to the Washington line, I knew those birds liked to play. I finally found access, OnX is all screwed up on this place and a lot of Idaho for some reason, and started my hike in. Thankfully I always drop a waypoint on access and track my route. I hiked, more like crawled, up this ridge calling most of the way and of course I get to the top and I hear multiple gobbles down the ridge, across the creek, and on the other ridge. I mark a spot on OnX on a road where they should be near and drop off the ridge. And when I say drop, I mean the on fire maneuver, stop…drop…roll!! I wasn’t on fire but wasn’t too happy about having to climb back up to retrieve my gun that I dropped on the way down. Nothing hurt except pride, lol.

I get to a road that isn’t marked and thought this is strange. I follow it to the road that should intersect with the new road I found and there’s no road. Now I’m really confused. I follow the road I found even though it doesn’t match my app, and get to a landmark I made note of from the opposite ridge. I start calling and nothing. Get up that ridge and call and hear birds back the way I came. I’m really confused now and just get back on the road I was on when I “dropped” off the ridge and follow it to see where it ends up. I’m calling the entire way and nothing. My “road” leads me back to where I originally started before crawling up that ridge. And guess where the birds gobble from??? Up the ridge where I initially struck them. I have no clue how they covered that distance or how we didn’t run into each other. I know stealth wasn’t a word I would use dropping off that ridge, lol.

So now I’m at an intersection and call again. They answer closer. I dive in a ditch and call again. Now they are real close. Within 30 seconds I see red heads! I’m thinking you’ve got to be kidding me, lol. They stop and gobble multiple times looking for the hen. I praying please just keep coming! They start back down and as soon as they’re behind some brush I give a light call and they immediately answer. I hear 2 gobblers and a jake. The jake heads down the trail, the gobblers make a beeline where the calling came from. Now I’m at a dilemma…two gobblers coming straight at me and can’t get a shot because I’d hit them both. I’m not picky on out of state trips, whichever one gives me a shot I’m taking. Finally one took a few steps to the right at 20 yards and I filled my Idaho tag!!

Turns out there was 2 gobblers and 2 jakes, lol. They beat up on their dead buddy for a minute then gobbled to celebrate his death and finally moved on. I was and still am as happy as a man can be! Didn’t get to make it to Montana, but there’s always next year!!

Nice job! I love hunting Idaho birds. When I first moved up here in 1994 I kept thinking someone is starting up a little motorbike and heading my way. Took me a minute to figure out it was grouse drumming.

They were really on a roll yesterday. I did my best to try and find one to get pics or a video, but they are hard to pinpoint in the wind. This was my first time ever hearing that and it won’t be my last. I couldn’t imagine hunting them, they stick to some serious thick cover for the most part.

Are you done hunting or do you have any more tags left?

Beautiful birds. We are planning on doing South Dakota and Wyoming next turkey season

Only bought one Idaho tag. I fly out tomorrow.
This afternoon we went fishing and I caught my first Rainbow and first Smallmouth Bass!! What a way to end a trip! Accomplished everything I came out to do, minus Montana and catching a Walleye. Montana went on the back burner when my son decided to fly out for a week, but we’ve already made plans to return again next year so hopefully Montana will be first on the list…and finding a Walleye, lol!