So this is Mexico? Not exactly what I had in mind when I envisioned Sonora—it's much better. Water is plentiful, along with huge white-barked sycamores and oaks in the creek bottoms where the Gould's gobblers roost.
Four of us are hunting with Ted Jaycox of Tall Tine Outfitters about a 2-hour drive south of Douglas, Ariz. After a smooth border crossing yesterday afternoon, we patterned our Mossberg shotguns with Federal Premium 3rd Degree loads and found them devestating to beyond 40 yards. We're trying a new sight setup on the Mossberg 535 shotguns, an aperture-style rear from Marble Arms called the Bullseye Sight. Mossberg pairs it with a fine fiber-optic front pipe. Together, the two align quickly—center the fiber optic in the aperture--and force the shooter to keep his head down on the stock while concentrating on the bead.
The gobblers rose early this morning; they were gobbling before 4:30. Right at first light fellow writer Josh Dalke slammed a big bird at a mere 8 yards, but only after the bird gobbled about 100 times and passed within feet of Josh's blind. After a midday siesta, we're heading back out. It won't be hard to fall asleep with a little creek gurgling in the background. This is turkey-hunting paradise.