By Staff Reports
What began as a slow and quiet morning in the woods turned into a birthday Carmen Pearce says will be hard to top.
Pearce harvested her first turkey this weekend while hunting with her husband, Craig Pearce, and family friend Scott Williams. The bird weighed 20 pounds and featured 1-inch spurs and a 10-inch beard.
According to Pearce, the morning started with warm, humid conditions and very little action.
“Everything looked right and everything felt right except for one thing — not a single gobble,” she said. “We waited and waited, but the woods stayed quiet.”
After sitting for a while with no luck, the group decided to get up and walk, hoping to strike a bird. They moved through the timber, stopping to listen and call, but still heard no response.
By the time they circled back toward an open field, Pearce said it seemed the hunt might end without any excitement.
Then, in an instant, everything changed.
Pearce said she and Williams were joking about her mistaking a crow for a hen turkey while Craig tried to quiet them down so he could focus on the field ahead. Suddenly, two longbeards appeared.
“One second the field was empty, and the next they were there,” Pearce said. “They came in locked on the decoys.”
With the birds approaching, Pearce, her husband and Williams dropped low and began army crawling across the ground to close the distance without being seen.
“Every movement felt loud and every second felt like it might blow the whole thing,” she said. “But those birds stayed focused.”
The turkeys circled the decoys and puffed up, giving Pearce the opportunity she needed.
“My heart was pounding,” she said. “There wasn’t much time to think — just one clear shot and one chance to make it count.”
She made the shot, bringing down her first turkey and ending the long morning in unforgettable fashion.
“After a dead-quiet morning and a long, uncertain walk, it all came together in a matter of seconds,” Pearce said. “First turkey. Birthday. Craig and Scott right there with me. Yeah … this birthday is going to be hard to beat.”
Photos by Scott Williams and the Pearces from Facebook.
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