Nowhere else across this country do wild turkeys receive more hunting pressure than right here in Mississippi. This intense hunting pressure results in our Magnolia State longbeards being a little bit wiser, a little bit spookier and a whole lot harder to kill than gobblers in any other state. However, the challenge of luring one of these wise old toms into shotgun range is what calls hunters to the Mississippi turkey woods each spring.
Harvesting even one of these mature gobblers during Mississippi’s lengthy spring turkey season is considered a notable accomplishment. Taking a double (two hunters scoring on a pair of gobblers on the same hunt) is an even rarer achievement. But a trio of turkey hunters turning a triple is the Holy Grail of turkey hunting in the Magnolia State.
When it comes to a wild turkey trifecta far more than skill has to be involved. Some might say that the stars have to be aligned perfectly for this turkey-hunting dream to become reality. And such was the case for the Covington Clan of Jefferson County on opening morning of the 2011 spring turkey season in Mississippi.
Plans were made weeks in advance for me to meet up with two of my nephews, Casey and Caleb Covington, to try our hands at an abundant supply of longbeards on family property in Jefferson County. Serving as the designated caller, I decided we stood the best chance of bagging a gobbler or two by hunting as a group.
I joked with my nephews that with so many gobblers around, we might even be lucky enough for each of them to kill a gobbler.
As daylight began to break, we were greeted with a hail of thunderous gobbles from every direction. We were able to identify at least 14 different birds. Hurrying to a spot on the edge of a field where I had taken several gobblers in the past, we quickly set out a pair of Zink hen decoys, and then nestled up against the base of a big red oak.
It wasn’t long before birds began pitching out of their roost trees and landing in a corner of the field directly across from our setup. A quick tally revealed five longbeards, seven jakes, and 42 hens.
With so many hens present, I knew it would be almost impossible to call the gobblers away from the “real thing,” even with a set of attractive decoys.
“Keep watching for one of those other gobbling birds trying to slip in from behind us,” I whispered to my nephews.
Almost immediately, four blue heads came bobbing through the underbrush from our right. Fortunately, their attention was focused on the pair of hen decoys set up in front of our position. And it wasn’t long before all four were standing in the edge of the field less than 30 yards from the end of our gun barrels.
After the smoke had cleared and the feathers settled, three longbeards lay motionless in front of us. All three birds sported 10-inch beards and spurs pushing an inch in length.
While we hadn’t planned it, my two nephews and I suddenly realized that we had just pulled off the near impossible – a Mississippi Turkey Trifecta.
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