Double Up at Dawn: A Spring Turkey Hunt with My Brother That Turned Into a Tradition

Double Up at Dawn: A Spring Turkey Hunt with My Brother That Turned Into a Tradition

There are hunts that make you grin. And then there are hunts that make a mark. Our double longbeard morning? That did both. It wasn’t our first spring hunt together. But it’s the one that sealed it: same ridge, every April, side by side.

That morning gave us more than meat. It gave us a story we’d want to live again—and a new family ritual.

🌅 Early Rise, Familiar Ground

The plan was simple: set up on the east end of the property, just inside the treeline where the hardwoods meet the pasture. We’d roosted birds the evening before—two gobblers sounded off within 100 yards of each other.

“Same boots. Same Thermoses. Same whispered optimism.”

We set up in a shallow dip. I took the left. My brother flanked right. A single hen decoy out front, 25 yards. First light crept over the horizon. The woods started whispering.

Then the gobbling started.

🦃 Fireworks in the Fog

Two toms. Different ridges. Both fired up early and often.

By 6:30AM, they were cutting each other off.

I purred. My brother clucked. They answered both.

It was on.

At 6:47AM, the first gobbler crested the rise. Full strut. Beard swinging. A second tom shadowed him, 20 yards behind.

My brother hissed, “You take the lead.”

“I don’t remember breathing. I do remember that thunder.”

I shot first. The lead bird folded. The second tom hesitated—just for a heartbeat—and my brother dropped him with a clean follow-up.

🔥 Two Shots, Two Birds, One Memory

The echo settled. The woods held still. We looked at each other and just started laughing. Not the wild kind. The kind that comes from knowing you’ll never forget this exact moment.

We’d tagged out in less than three minutes. But it didn’t feel rushed.

It felt earned.

🧠 Why This Hunt Turned Into a Tradition

• Shared silence is powerful – We knew what the other was thinking without a word

• Two setups, one rhythm – Calling from both sides sealed the deal

• It’s not the birds—it’s the bond

• Tradition starts when a story demands a repeat

• A double at dawn is rare—but the connection it sparked isn’t

“We didn’t plan for this to be the hunt. The hunt made the plan for us.”

🧢 The Gear That Sealed the Double

We’ve hunted that ridge every April since. Even when birds are quiet. Even when we tag out separately. We always sit side by side for at least one morning. Because it’s ours now.

Not because of the kills. But because of the memory they made.

“Some hunts end with a harvest. Others begin a tradition. This one did both.”