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I stayed to hunt another day in Nebraska after Fred Lutger made the half hour drive to South Dakota to hunt with Double K Guide Service in Gregory, SD. He met Mike Ditchler, Ernie and Savano from Chef Klaus restaurants in South Side Chicago. Savano is the head Chef at the Chef Klaus Bier Stube restaurant in Frankfort, Illinois and he prepared a first class german food dinner for the people at the lodge.
In the morning guide Jeff Quinn took Mike to a corner of a field and set up a Double Bull blind for them to turkey hunt in. Fred went along to do the turkey calling.
Before daylight they began hearing gobbles. Fred waited until the time was right and called at them. First up in the field was a Longbeard whith a hen. They cruised by at 60 yards. As the morning passed they heard and saw other gobblers but they were always too far away.
At 11:25 Mike suggested going back to the lodge for lunch.
Fred said, “Gobblers get separated from hens as the morning passes and now they are looking for hens. We might have to stay all day.”
At 11:30 Mike peaked out through a slit in the back window of the blind. A big Longbeard was there. Right there.
Still silent, the gobbler walked around the side of the blind and went straight to the decoys. He was only 8 yards away.
Slowly and quietly, Mike had to move around a bit to get a clear shot. He drew and aimed. The shot was good and they watched the Longbeard dropp in 40 yards.
Chef Klaus, Mike Ditchler, with his first Merriam’s gobbler with a bow. Congratulations Mikey.
Mike Ditchler hunted two more days. He saw a lot of South Dakota Merriam’s wild turkeys. On the last day, an hour before he had to leave, Mike shot with a second gobbler with a shotgun at 40 yards.
Before Mike left for home he booked a 2014 return turkey hunt.
