Randy Smith started this season with high hopes of harvesting a Mississippi Eastern Gobbler and the Osceola gobbler, which has been increasingly harder to get because of the limited territory of the Osceola sub-species, with ranches and citrus groves disappearing at an alarming rate as more subdivisions are being constructed in Central and South Florida.
In order to complete a Grand Slam or Royal Slam you must harvest that Osceola, and that can be a problem.
Smith, of Collinsville, scheduled an Osceola hunt near Okeechobee, Florida, but first he wanted to get an eastern tom from Mississippi.
“With only a few days to hunt Mississippi before we got after the Osceola’s we didn’t have much time, but things looked good on the second day of the Mississippi season,” Smith said. “I’d spotted some gobblers in the area and took my grandson, but he was never able to get a good shot, so he passed on him rather than risk a wounded bird. I decided to go after the bird late one afternoon when he was busy, and things really went well.”
Kemper County turkey
Smith headed to a strutting area where gobblers frequented during the afternoon hours in Kemper County. He set up in a likely location abut 2 p.m. and started calling.
“I called a few times with my Primos mouth call, and one shock gobbled back to me,” Smith said. “That was at 3:15 and he gobbled at me from a hollow below the ridge I was sitting on.”
As it turned out, there were two long beards and Smith picked out the biggest one and shot him. The Eastern bird sported a 10 ½-inch beard with razor sharp spurs, indicating a mature gobbler.
With his Mississippi gobbler in hand he was ready for destiny and an Osceola!
Okeechobee Osceola hunt
Smith and his partners met Osceola and Crappie Guide Brad Gibson in Okeechobee and the anticipation of the hunt the next morning soared, as he had several mature gobblers located. Plans were made for this writer and Smith to hunt with Brad Gibson and the other two hunters would hunt with another guide.
After arriving at the cattle ranch, we went through about 13 gates until arriving at Gibson’s preferred hunting area. Though we didn’t hear a gobble at sunup, we did hear jakes and hens in spite of the high winds, so we made a couple of set ups before Gibson heard a gobbler. After utilizing his OnX to pinpoint the position of the gobblers, we made a 20-minute trek to get into position.
Gibson and Smith eased up to the edge of an open field with the gobblers located to our right and just north of us.
Gibson called on his Clay Townsend Custom Pot Call and both gobblers gobbled loudly and started strutting our way.
“After Brad called the first time, two gobblers strutted towards us,” Smith said. “Then 6 more toms came over the rise right behind them all in full showing off their red, white and blue colors and they were on the way too.”
The moment of truth
Gibson called again and the gobblers got more revved up and excited. All of them were gobbling at him and then back at each other. It was a raucous time and very exciting. I watched from 20 yards behind them and videoed what I could.
Suddenly a couple of the lead gobblers walked past Smith with the others bearing down on him too. Tension mounted as we had 8 gobblers in front of us and he still hadn’t pulled the trigger.
“Yawk, yawk, yawk,” sounded Gibson’s sweet love calls to the gobblers once more.
“Gobble, Gobble, gobble,” thundered the 8 gobblers in unison.
BOOM! Smith’s shotgun roared and his Osceola gobbler bit the dust!
Smith set a goal a few years back of getting the Grand Slam and he’d finally done that. But in the process of harvesting the Osceola last, he actually achieved a Royal Slam as well. The Grand Slam was achieved by harvesting an Eastern from Mississippi, a Rio from Kansas, a Merriam’s from Colorado and the Osceola from Florida. However, before he got the Osceola, he had killed a Gould’s in Mexico, which gave him the Royal Slam as soon as he pulled the trigger on his Osceola.
Few people harvest a Grand Slam and Royal Slam, but it’s even more rare that they achieve both at the same time with one last shot!
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