For those of you who haven’t spent much time out west, it snows. Like a lot. And not just in the winter. There is almost always a chance of snow in the spring for western states. Especially if it’s April and you’re hunting in the mountains. Recently, we had the chance to talk to Aidan Pike about hunting in a blizzard while trying to get his college buddy his first bird in this weeks Field Story of the Week.
“The first weekend of Montana turkey season last year opened with a snowstorm. Even before we left town, I could tell we were in for it, but I kept convincing myself we’d drive out of the weather. Instead, the snow only got worse. By the time we reached our spot a few hours away, the roads were slick, the woods were white, and we were already soaked and cold. Still, we looked at each other and agreed: we were here, so we might as well hunt. Not 100 yards into the timber, a gobble sounded behind us. We turned toward it and soon spotted a flock through the snow-covered pines, their black feathers glowing against the white landscape. We slipped ahead of them and tried to cut the distance, but the birds disappeared completely. That’s when the snow became our advantage. We started tracking the turkeys through the timber like big game hunters following an elk or a blood trail. Every drag mark from a strutting tom, every set of tracks, every scratch in the snow told the story of where the flock had gone.
By then, we’d forgotten how wet and miserable we were. We followed the tracks up a hill toward a massive boulder, thinking it looked like the perfect place to sit down and call. Just as we reached the top, a hen putted from the other side of the rock. Suddenly the entire flock exploded into view, running through the snow at close range. Hen after hen passed by before the tom finally appeared at the back of the group. My buddy calmly shouldered his shotgun and dropped the bird cleanly at about 40 yards. We stood there in the falling snow, celebrating and laughing like kids. We’d just killed a turkey without making a single call, spot-and-stalk style, by tracking birds through fresh snow. It was one of the wildest and most unforgettable hunts I’ve ever been part of.” – Aidan Pike