As I stood high above the pasture waiting for the first rays of sunlight to start dancing through the hardwoods, my mind raced back in time, 40 years ago this May, when I was standing in this exact same spot, waiting for the same sunlight to appear. On that morning, the first-ever Massachusetts turkey hunting season was about to begin. And now, as the sun brought forth another April morning, I was doing pretty much the same thing, waiting for another opening day to begin.
Forget the fact that opening day of the 2020 turkey hunting season was still a few weeks away (April 27), and that this trek was just a simple scouting mission. I was still waiting, and preparing for another opening day, as I have done every year since that first morning in 1980. My love for everything involved keeps me coming back to this spot, and many more just like it, year after year, and I will return to these places until the day either my body gives up, or I am simply no longer here.
All that said, as dawn appeared in the eastern sky, the gobbling of wild turkeys began to rain down on me from every area imaginable. But I was no threat to any of them this time, just a friend enjoying this special place. And as I carefully eased my way downward to a spot that would bring me closer to their location, I was content in knowing that all seemed well with my “Big Bird” friends that reside on these ridge lines. I was boiling inside with excitement of the chess match that I knew was about to begin again. It amazes me that four decades have passed since all of this started in Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts wild turkey has become a conservation success story for the ages.
For me it all began around 1978, before Massachusetts opened its woodlands to turkey hunting. This was around the time when I started chasing the “Ole Monarchs” in Vermont with minor success. I was hoping that having another state to hunt in would expand my knowledge even more. In 1980, that wish became reality, but little did I know how the wild turkey would consume me, eventually changing my life forever.
During that first Massachusetts season, only 67 permits were issued, and Berkshire and Franklin were the only counties you could hunt. As luck would have it, I was only a spectator that morning listening from the sidelines, because I did not draw a tag during that very first Massachusetts turkey hunting season. Disappointing at the time, but oh so true.
The only other hunters I saw that entire season were Bob Pike and Guy Silvester, both from Shelburne. On that first morning we were all on the same ridge, even though we didn’t know it at the time. Gobbling was, as you might imagine, scarce. Yet Bobby and Guy both scored, and I recall being completely shocked as I heard those first shots ring out on that May morning. Later, the three of us met up by chance on road, and of course, they shared their story with me. Man, I was so keyed up I could hardly contain myself.
Back then, the season lasted less than a full week. Today it goes on for a month. In 1980, the bag limit was one bird. The limit now is two bearded birds and you can fill your tags during a spring and/or fall hunting season. That limit will become three birds in the very near future, unbelievable for a state the size of ours. They hand out over 20,000 permits, and you can hunt just about anywhere throughout the Commonwealth. You can also hear, read, watch, or buy just about anything having to do with wild turkeys, or wild turkey hunting, anywhere in New England. No doubt, the sport has come a long way. And as I think about my experiences, both successes and failures, over these past four decades, I feel extremely thankful for those very early years. Hopefully there’s many more to come for those, such as I, who wait with anticipation every year for another opening day.
As we begin gearing up again for the 2020 season, my hope is that our beloved wild turkeys will remain a part of our landscape, “forever and a day.” My commitment to that, and to this sport, will remain firmly entrenched, secure in knowing that others will follow. I will continue to work, for as long as I can, to help future generations learn about the art of wild turkey hunting. There is contentment in knowing that the gobble of this magnificent creature will always remain a part of our woodlands as long as there are hardwoods to move through, a ridge to climb, and a sunrise to greet those willing to come to high places, waiting for the dawn of another New England springtime morning.
Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Pro-Staff.