From Call to Carpool Drop-Off Lane: One Mom’s Early Morning Turkey Hunt

By Taylor Woodruff

I used to think my mornings were chaotic. Then I tried turkey hunting with a school drop-off deadline.

Like many things in my life, this spring turkey hunt started with a calendar reminder. Last fall, I applied for the Illinois spring season lottery, selecting my preferred county and week. With only about 120 turkey tags in the county, my odds were slim, but lucky for me, I drew my top choice—first season.

My stepdad, Mark Sidelinger, is my go-to hunting partner. A few weeks before the season opener, we headed to the range to sight in my 20-gauge shotgun, outfitted with a red dot sight. We patterned it, got it dialed in, and made plans.

Only catch? Mark drew a tag in a different county and would be gone for part of my season. That left me with only two mornings to make it happen.

We had a few options for where to hunt. We picked one with the plan that if it didn’t work out, we’d try another option the next day. But sometimes turkeys respect a mom’s tight schedule.

We parked at 5:45 am, got our gear, and headed into the woods. About ten minutes in, Mark heard gobbles. He gave a soft call and got an immediate response. They were heading our way.

We barely had time to pick a tree to sit at before three toms came in. Tucked against the tree, heart racing, he called again. Mark leaned in and whispered, “Whenever you’re ready.” A second later, “Shoot, shoot!”

Easy for him to say.

What he forgot in the heat of the moment was that I’m about a foot shorter than he is, and from my seat, there was a small tree blocking my view…and my shot. It was only for a few seconds, but I’m sure it felt like a lifetime to him. Finally, one of the toms stepped into my sight picture. When the shot lined up, I squeezed the trigger. That Fiocchi TSS ammo is no joke, because the bird dropped instantly.

Mark told me if I wanted the full experience, I had to clean the bird myself. Challenge accepted.