Just got back from a wonderful 3 day bowhunt in North Texas. I went with Will Cocke and two other great friends John Hust, and Jason Roberts. This is a bow hunt only hunt. Will and myself have really got the traditional bug so we took nothing but our trad bows. He took his new pch tiger myrtle widow 59lbs, and I took my beloved Morrison ILF with 50lb Timber rattler limbs.
The weather was great to start opening morning. We arrived the afternoon before on April 1st. We were hunting on the edge of a draw where the turkeys like to roost. We placed our blind at lunch on a large flat plataeu where we thought some birds might fly down. The farmer feeds hay to the cattle, and man do the turkeys love to scratch in it.
The plan was I was on left of Double Bull, and Will was on the right. Whoever gets a bird in range first would be the designated shooter. Well daylight came and 5 longbeards pitched 25yds from me on my side. I passed the shot while turkeys continued to fly off the roost. I called one time and a gobble came from behind us. Will peaked out the window to tell me that there were about 10 birds strutting on the hill behind us and hens everywhere. I hear the sound we all love to hear. Spit/ then drum right out side the left of blind. Will saw him first and told me he was strutting in. He struts to view at 15yds. I draw the bow, anf focus hard in on my spot. When I released, I knew the shot was in the pocket. Smoked him . It reminded me of what a tractor tire would do if it where blown of the rim. The bird was down right there.
We celebrated and took pictures then moved to another farm. Around one o'clock we were sitting in blind and hadn't been there 15 minutes when birds started crossing the hay meadow. Low and behold a big ole tom was in tow. I was giving Will a play by play as the Tom made his approach. He was not strutting, but was in love nonetheless. He cleared the first shooting hole and continued at about 17 steps. Will released the massive arrow out of his 59lb widow and anchored the bird right there.
This has been the most memorable experience of my hunting career. I feel like I have set goals and fulfilled my dream. I am traditional all the way. Not going back, but I am going back to Texas!!! :goldtooth:
Pics to come.
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Ok I will Start with My Kill and Setup.
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/FirstTradKilltky.jpg)
The above Picture was me right outside the Double Bull with my Morrison IlF and Bird. Arrow went thru bird, but was not complete passtrhu.
The better camera pics are coming now. This was a cell phone so I was not quite prepared.
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/Texas3.jpg)
This one is Myself and Will with my bird.
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/Texas1.jpg)
This is Will with his bird. What an exceptionally beautiful fan!!
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/Texas2011TurkeyHunt005.jpg)
I have to mention that the call I used was a mouth diaphram made just for me by my good friend Mike Langely. He is the owner of Head Crusher Game Calls and makes professional grade diaphrams here locally.
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/HeadcrusherCall.jpg)
More to come!!
I shot mine with a 200 grain simmons tree shark. The 2" cutter does a number on em.
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/SimmonsTreeShark2.jpg)
Will was shooting the same head, but he was pushing a 300grainer.
(http://i898.photobucket.com/albums/ac182/Pittfall/SimmonsTreeShark.jpg)
I have killed many gobblers with guns and one with a compound. There is not words to describe the high that I am still on after taking this animal with my best friend and with traditional gear.
Thanks to all of the many tradgang posts, I was well equipped with the right gear on this trip. I bought all of my gear from clothes, bows, arrows etc from sponsors right here on this site.
Thanks for letting me share.
Tom Pittman aka (Spurs)
:thumbsup:
killer hunt fellows , good story also, glad you could harvest the elusive yard bird without me. I will be on the next trip for sure. Bring on the whitetails baby.
Great shots, setups and birds!! Well done all around. Thanks for sharing.
Saturday morning will find me in the blind as well...
Had a great time on the hunt having killed many many turks with a shotgun and one with a compound this was my first witht he recurve it is truelly a blast. Had a great time Tom. Hope to have you with us next year Dave. WILL
Great story, Picts and photos. :clapper:
SWEET!! Great pics. and story!! Congrats on two very nice birds!! Nothin like it!! Shawn
Great story and pictures, contratulations!
How cool is this? ....Way!!!... I'm saying...
Thank you for sharing.
God bless,Mudd
nice job! im still workin on gettin one down but its only a matter of time... :archer:
Way to go! Thanks for sharing.
You guys did great...congrats!!! Sounds like an awesome place to hunt as well.
The feeling that comes after killing a gobbler with trad equipment never gets old!
Wow, congratulations! Looking for my chance at the end of the month here in WI.
congratts!! :thumbsup:
Nothing like a mature gobbler with a stick and string. congratulations!
Congrats on your birds, and nice pics! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :clapper: :clapper:
Well done and well told! That was a great story with two magnificent birds in the hand. Good job. :archer2:
Beautiful pictures of a great hunt! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Fantastic!! Great hunt and great birds. Thanks for sharing
Great job guys. It is an awesome feat to kill turkeys with trad gear. I have to wait awhile till I can hunt them. :notworthy:
Great job! I am trying to hunt them here with the longbow this year and it warms my heart to see another tradganger have success in a difficult creature to hunt. Congrats and thanks for sharing.
Well done Gents!
Man,you guys got me all pumped for this weekend here in Colorado!Congrats!
Excellent :thumbsup: Congrats!
Thank you for all the great replies. The Mississippi turkeys are a whole different animal. The closest that I have had one with trad gear is 40yds. The tough part is that when you find a place that seems perfect to bowhunt, you settle in for a sit, and a gun hunter seems to pop thru your set up. Frustrating to say the least, but we were lucky enough to find a guy in Texas that understands bowhunting, and the space one needs to leave as a sanctuary from the boom sticks. The blinds seem to bother the eastern birds more. I will keep plugging away.
COOL, CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOUS,ALSO I LIKE THE CAMO ON YOUR BLIND,BLENDS WELL WITH YOUR BACK GROUND,,,
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: Congrats! Great shooting!
Good Job! looks like lots of fun you had!
Congrats guys :thumbsup: Two very fine birds & doing it trad just makes it so much better.
congrats B E A utiful birds
im heading to camp this weekend to take my first stump shoot walk where im hunting on the 30th for turkey first year with a bow i think im going to give it a try i have a 60in. 35# fiberglass semirecurve and im shooting it prety good im hoping its enough #s im not ready with the 48# bow yet but think i can hit a bird at 15ish 20 yards at max you guys think 35# is enough for yard birds if i do my part.
awesome hunt fellas. turkey season is just days away , here in nc.
Heck yeah... Awesome and congrats !!!
Lanier
Congrats to the both of you on some fine birds.
Great set-up, great shots, awesome results. Nothing better than hearing those toms gobble and spit and drumming this time of year. Many times a successful hunt is just observing the birds, you took it to the top level. Thanks for sharing!
great pics
congrats
b44mag, I will say that at 15 yards shooting a 50lb Morrison with 2" head I stuck through the bird, but did not completely pass thru. This is fine with me, I want to stay in the bird anyway, but was surprised that I didn't pass through at that distance. 35lbs will probably do the job right on a close shot. I would want as heavy of an arrow as I could get. These birds are tougher than you think. Maybe someone could shed more light on this that shoots a lighter lb bow.