Spring Turkey Season in Minnesota and the Pretty Boy does the trick on 3 tom’s. Minnesota Turkey Season is broken up into 8 season each 5 days long. Mike and his father Erivn would be hunting the 2nd season starting on April 23rd. With their blind set up and Pretty Boy about 40 yards from it they sat and waited in the morning of the first day about 200 yards from were the birds were roosting. About 6:00 a.m. 5 hens and 1 jake came out of the trees and into the field where the Pretty Boy Turkey Decoy was but they stayed away from him. Mike and Ervin did no calling just with the hope that a tom would see the Pretty Boy. No longer than 10 minutes later Ervin and Mike heard a noise behind them and just as they turned 2 toms where in a full sprint to Pretty Boy running just besides the blind by no more than 2 feet. Mike wanted his father to get his first ever turkey so he told him to shot once he was ready. But Erivn told Mike that why don’t they both shoot and each get a tom. So on the count of "3" they both shot and down went 2 tom’s each weighting 22 lbs, 9-1/2" beards and 7/8" spurs.
5 days later on April 28th it was Mark's turn to try out the Pretty Boy and Pretty Boy Turkey Decoy and with what happened to Mike and Ervin hope was in the air. That Saturday morning Mark and his brother-in-law Greg Rieland set up just on the edge of a plowed field with Oak trees and a river behing them with turkeys gobbling about 200 yrds from them. At about 6:30 a.m. they noticed 1 hen coming out into the field and then 4 others, 1 jake and 2 toms. It seamed that they did not see Pretty Boy because they turned and headed in the wrong directions which was somewhat of a blessing seeing after they turned a coyote came out about 40 yrds away from the Pretty Boy. He wanted to try and sneak up on Pretty Boy but never did. After he left it just seamed like everthing was falling into place. The 2 toms that were now out about 300 yards turned, started gobbling and coming our way. It took them about 10 minutes to go about 100 yards down a small swale of which they were out of sight of the Pretty Boy. Once they came up you knew that they had caught sight of the Pretty Boy. Both tom’s stood still and about then Greg asked Mark to call a couple of times to see if they would come in. After three calls they didn’t move an inch. Mark then tried a purr call and that was the trick. Both birds were in a race to see who could get to the Pretty Boy first. This was about a 175 yrd run with dust flying and Mark getting ready for the shot. Once the tom’s got into range and Mark was about to shot the dominate tom started to beat on Pretty Boy. Mark did not want to shoot and damage the Pretty Boy so he waited until the right time. Once he shot the tom the other one decided to start fighting Pretty Boy. Both Mark and Greg came out of the blind and the 2nd tom still did not give up but finally he say us and ran away. Mark placed a cell call to Mike and left him a message that "Pretty Boy kills, call me back". Mark’s tom was 22-1/2 lbs, 10-3/4" beard and 1" spurs. Others didn’t believe that the Pretty Boy would work but you have many people who now belive in Minnesota. Thanks for the good hunt.
Mark M.