Kyle Smith was simply thrilled that his calling worked, the turkeys responded, the 22-pound gobbler attacked his decoy, and he was coming home on April 22 with dinner. It wasn’t until he got back home that he realized his bird’s whole body was nearly jet black except for one tail feather.
“The adrenaline was going so much this morning that I didn’t even know,” Smith told MeatEater. “I was by myself. It was raining, so I didn’t want to...

The aspen-choked creek bottom was alive with the sounds of springtime; grouse drumming, bees pollinating, flickers drilling into trees. After three days of rain, the mountain was in full bloom. The only sound missing was that of the enigmatic thunder chicken.
I’d set up before sunrise near the tree where the few turkeys in the area had roosted two nights before. Turns out they didn’t stay there last night. After calling into the abyss for two...