We'll start with the gear...
Guru said he was gearing up and wanted details so I took some pics this morning.
I've grown to a rather minimalist approach here. I can fit everything I need into a small daypack or in my clothes pockets except my bow. I have a fold up swiveling stool, 3 arrows in a Kwikee, 2 or 3 blow up dekes, therma cell and some hand pruners. I may have a few other small items from time to time but those are the basics.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1759.jpg)
I usually carry a couple diaphrams in my front pocket, wear binos on the shoulder strap harness, and have belt holsters on each side...one for pot call and one for a box.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1761.jpg)
Man I need a swiveling stool, do they make much noise when moving around?
Cool! Always neat to see how others "gear up"...good luck!
it really depends on how much you pay, we've got a fairly cheap one and you hear an occasional squeek when you turn.
My set-up includes my bow, arrow with big snuffer, DB blind, comfortable seat, 2 DSD decoys, 2 trumpet calls, 1 pot ,1 box, H20 bottles, snack and good reading material.
my secret weapon , a john pususta custom box call (http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4279076310_e9a87df188.jpg)
I had a chance this morning to try out my Wooden Hen call from joebuck. A gobbler has finally moved into my home ground hunting area, the first of the season. He loved the call, and at one point I had him so close I could hear him vibrating when he gobbled, but I didn't close the deal. He moved off toward a real hen, but continued to answer my calls for another half hour. That scratch box really had him worked up!
I go ultra-light, with only my bow, arrows, calls, and a cushion to sit on. There's usually a log or a sloping bank to sit on, where I can clear my bow tip.
My stool swivels quietly. I've been real happy with it.
Another big one for me is staying cool. Ghillies and bug tamers etc are just too hot in the deep South. I just camo up and add a little bit of sneaky leaf to the edges to break up my profile. The tree in the background almost hides the ones on my head here. I also add a little face paint around my eyes. That is a multi purpose technique I'll visit again later.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1754.jpg)
The shadows...
Staying in the shadows is essential and being still is what is important once you've camo'd up good. I took this pic to show the contrast. On one side of this road, I'll disappear, on the other, stick out like a sore thumb.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1760.jpg)
One other thought I'll make about the stool is that I used a tree seat for the first couple of years. I finally figured out that when I missed, it was usually low and that I wasn't getting to a full draw with my back squared up against a tree. I prefer the swivel stool so I can get a good shoulders 90 degrees position to draw.
Special calls....
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1763.jpg)
....I'll discuss later.
(http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx116/Dirtybird_bucket/DSCN0989.jpg)This is an armguard my brother made up for me. I love it, I sure wish I could draw like that.
He burned that into the leather with a leather burning tool. Amazing.
Duckbutt
That top box caller looks like a Neil Cost signature grade (double check pattern) :thumbsup: Rare to see one with the eye screw. Original ?
So the call on the left is a Neil Cost box made for my Dad in 1983. Poplar from Alabama and Walnut from Missouri. I like to joke that I was raised by the Tenth Legion. My Dad and his best friend were die hard turkey hunters when we didn't have huntable populations or a season anywhere close to home. He made or modified all of his equipment, camped in tents, barns and backseats and if they killed a gobbler, it was a biiiig deal. All the locals thought he was nuts. They called him turkey and ofcourse, I got tagged "Jake." When I found traditional bowhunting, that kind of fell in line with how I was wired. Getting a call from Cost was like us getting a custom bow. It was special to the hunter because of the craftsmanship, but still considered primarily a hunting tool. I fished it out of his vest in the garage to take this pic. I'll hunt with it if I outlive him but not a day before he's gone. It talks turkey like nothing else.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1765.jpg)
That is a sweet call Julian. It's cool How a South Carolina boy set the standard for box calls today. Hope you don't get it for many years to come!!
Michael
Julian,
Whenever and wherever we finally get a hunt put together, you've GOT to bring that Cost call! Always wanted to see/hear one of those in person.
I still lug around my Double Bull.
AMen Sunny Hill!!!...i treasure my Cost call also......so Duckbutt...two things intrigue me...the Cost call with the eye screw..Neil made several with eye screws but I thought it was of Lynch influence....did your dad add the screw?.................2nd thing..the second call.i have combed all my turkey call collector books and can not find that call.who's is it.....great sharing this..i love this stuff.
The second call is really special. The farm that my Mother now owns in the Pee Dee region of SC has been in her family since pre Civil War days. Fast forward to the 50's, my Grandfather's Uncle Dave passed away and left the farm to his daughter, our "Cousin Maud." Well, she never married so my Grandfather farmed the land all his adult life and Cousin Maud was like a second Grandmother to me. She was a librarian and had tons of books. Whenever I got an interest in something as a kid, she'd always pull out books on the subject. When my Dad first fell in love with turkey hunting, she gave him an original copy of The American Wild Turkey by Henry Davis. She told us that her Dad, Uncle Dave, was a friend and hunting companion of Henry Davis. Davis was an attorney and Uncle Dave was a farmer and business owner in the same county in those years so that isn't hard to believe. This call was Uncle Dave's and I'm guessing it was made in the 40s or 50s. I don't know if he crafted this cedar box or not but it's rather crude except for the bottom of the lid and it's side walls (the parts that actually make the sound.) They are crafted to perfection. In my mind, he made the call from a cedar on the same property I'm so blessed to hunt today. Like I said earlier, there were no turkey's on this place when I was growing up. I remember when I was living in Florida, Dad called me up and told me he'd killed a gobbler at the farm and took it straight to Cousin Maud so she could see it and enjoy the significance. So, I don't turkey hunt where there's lots of birds. It is a two hour drive and I don't get there as often as I like. However, I guess you could say I'm one with the Back 40. I can't focus on anything else this time of year. I'd never played much with this call and years ago when I did, I couldn't make it sound like much. However, after pulling it down for these picks I promised Joebuck, I sat down and tried to coax her into song. I finally found a real small sweet spot and boy was it sweet. I've got some practice to do with this one but I'm sure you can figure out what my next quest is gonna be.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j112/Dutch4duck/IMG_1769.jpg)
Joebuck,
I don't think he did but I'll check and let you know.
Steve O,
Deal buddy. My Dad will not know it's gone as long as it isn't in April!