Hunting In NorthEast Iowa

Rolling out of Clear Lake at about 9 PM on the 13th of May, I was headed to a long awaited hunting trip to NE Iowa. The fare of the trip was first and foremost the elusive timber ghost also known as the Eastern turkey, followed closely by a search for morel mushrooms and if time and weather permit, a bit of stream fishing.

I rolled out on Monday morning at 4:15 AM and headed for the woods. Just in the edge when I heard my first turkey and started to close the distance. Being a novice at this discipline I quickly bumped this bird and never heard from him again! So goes the adventure of turkey hunting. Not hearing another bird within 2 miles, I headed for breakfast at about 9 AM. Breakfast on this trip is at as little joint in Garnavillo called Thoma Dairy Bar Cafe. The food here is very good. My standard breakfast is a couple of eggs over medium, sausage patty, toast and sometimes hash browns w/ onions. Of course there is always coffee!

After a great meal and stories of how everyone else did on their morning hunts, it's back to the timber and the patient wait for an appearance of a long beard. One of the keys to turkey hunting seems to be the weather. Monday's weather was not really conducive to good hunting. Very hot and VERY windy. What this did was really make for a long afternoon & early evening. I finally rolled out of the timber at about 7 PM after seeing nothing and sweating profusely.

The highlight of Tuesday's hunt was breakfast! I got up at 4:15 AM to a light rain which continued all stinking day except during the afternoon where is poured for about an hour! Some of the other guys I was with saw some birds but not me ... I saw no turkeys.

Wednesday was another story. Back into the timber at O dark thirty and I began another stalk on a gobbler. After about thirty minutes, this noisy gobbler went silent. So I worked my way back to my regular spot and sat quietly and just watched the hay field in front of me. I saw deer and had one buck walk within about 6 to 9 feet of me, so close that I could hear him breathing! What a rush ... That is a close encounter of the timber kind! I also saw a fox and a coyote as well as a couple of hen turkeys but not long beards.

Because of commitments back home I needed to leave right after breakfast on Wednesday. Following a royal feast, I said my goodbyes to the hunting party and headed West for Clear Lake.

This is my third year and I'm still looking for my first turkey. That's why it is called hunting and not killing! My time will come but in the mean time the trip was great, the company was awesome and I'm already looking forward to next year!

I Remain,
Pastor Steve