Just wanted to hear and see about turkey hunting this season. I am currently deployed in Afghanistan so I thought I'd at least get some enjoyment out of hearing stories and seeing pictures :)
Welcome from Florida, there should be some members along shortly with some stories and pictures. I hope everything is going well for you in Afghanistan and be safe. This is a great site with great members. :archer:
Thank you for your service.
I hope to have a story in a few weeks.
Welcome, I hope I can help give yo something to bring you home for a few minutes. Thanks for being over there for us.
I am a big IBO 3D shooter and avid hunter, Havent been able to do these things for quite some time... It really stinks. So Please feel free to talk about any hunting stories :) I am all ears gentlemen!!
Here's a photo from yesterday. Had a bird really hot on roost hit the ground still hot walked by the blind at 50 yards then satiated out 120 yards on a ridge strutting and gobbling for 20 minutes.
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee206/Marylandbowhunter/null.jpg)
I hunted Florida with Jim & Irv of True South Adventures, trying to get going on my 2nd subspecies for my turkey slam. After a few close encounters with some hens on the 1st day, the 3rd I set up in an orange grove that had a bunch of sign in it.
one of the"dusting" bowls
(http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/seanb45/IMG_0354_zpse2cf00e8.jpg) (http://s1225.photobucket.com/user/seanb45/media/IMG_0354_zpse2cf00e8.jpg.html)
(http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/seanb45/IMG_0353_zps876b3b18.jpg) (http://s1225.photobucket.com/user/seanb45/media/IMG_0353_zps876b3b18.jpg.html)
(http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/seanb45/IMG_0351_zps50b6f34e.jpg) (http://s1225.photobucket.com/user/seanb45/media/IMG_0351_zps50b6f34e.jpg.html)
I got in the double bull about an hour before daylight. As daylight broke, I could hear a few gobbles in the distance. I let out a few soft tree yalps, and just listened.
The 1st turkey I had ever shot was with my Jim Jones Firefly FX model Longbow. It was opening day of youth season in Southeastern Ohio on public land. The bird was real hot on the roost and even after he had flew down. Came right in to about 25 yards and I 10 ringed him. 24 pounds with a 11 inch beard for public land in Ohio thats not bad!!
The gobbling was sparse while I was there. My buddy Kent Zocher stuck a beauty a few days before I got down there. He actually took his Osceola, Rio, & Merriam all in the same month!!!!
I let out some yalps cuts, clucks and purrs with my mouth call every half hour. The Sun kept getting higher, and I realized that it was in front of me!!!! 31 years of turkey hunting, and I made a rookie mistake!! In my defense, I was sooo excited when I found the turkey sign, and the overcast evening, I didn't take the direction into consideration :knothead: ...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!
Anyway.....Some light was getting in, so I tried to stay in the shadow and not move. I use a screen on my own blind, this one didn't have it in.
About 10:15, I saw the scarlet head coming down the grove, cautiously walking right to the jake decoy. My heart was pounding!!! as he approached I SLOWLY raised my bow, he stopped and looked right in the blind, the slowly, almost on eggshells, continued to the jake when I picked a spot and put tension on the string......he whipped around and started running, I drew and shot, but the arrow sailed behind him as he flew off. I sat there shaking for quite awhile after. I tried to text Irv and Jim, but I couldn't hit the right keys on my IPhone. It was just as exciting as if I had taken him.
After I calmed down, I pulled out an arrow with a judo point, Just to get my confidence back, I picked out a spot on a big ole orange about 15 yards away and let it fly!
(http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/seanb45/IMG_0355_zps46c8f296.jpg) (http://s1225.photobucket.com/user/seanb45/media/IMG_0355_zps46c8f296.jpg.html)
I didn't get a gobbler on that trip, but it was worth the missed fights and long security lines!!
I did get some bowfishing in
(http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/seanb45/IMG_0345_zpsf03c2bbd.jpg) (http://s1225.photobucket.com/user/seanb45/media/IMG_0345_zpsf03c2bbd.jpg.html)
Thank you for your service and come home safe!
Thank you for the pictures Sean!! I find that Judo's are the best way to practice (for me anyways)
This was last week on opening day. Not quite what I'm looking for. Sorry for the tilting camera, but I was trying to peek around trees.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X8WrAcOm1qo
Michael,
Thank you for your service. Pennsylvania's season just started today(youth hunt) Regular season comes in next Saturday. Hoping to hunt the whole first week with maybe a few pictures,until then.......
(http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/rr330/livrht/1010120922.jpg)
We have been hammered with rain and snow our first week. I have still not recovered enough from removing the downed branches from mine and my neighbors properties to hunt very aggressively. I did make it out to an area that in the past has had dense turkey numbers, but ice and snow kept my disabled butt up on the flat land. While sitting there, I vividly recalled another year like this when winter would not give up. When it warmed up, it turned into summer temps over night.
I was sitting on the steep hill side, 10:00 AM Sunday morning, a warm dead calm morning. The sun was hot, the snow was gone, and down the hill on the other side of the river, from the town of Fareview, I could hear the folks in the church singing hymns. Sitting dead still in a cedar clump and occasionally clucking, there were a bunch of turkeys way down along the river that were taking their dear sweet time working their way up the hill. When suddenly something frightened them and they started running up the hill. A canoe on the river. It looked like I was going to get in some shooting as they were getting within 50 yards. Then without any reason, they all took to wing and flew back down the hill and across the river. I heard something overhead, a jet sound. A big pinky striped hot air balloon about 500 feet straight up. Frustrated, I stood up and yelled at the top of my operatic voice,"PARDON ME". A head peered over the side and looked down at me. "WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY GREY POUPON?"
A loud voice answered back "SORRY FRESH OUT." The folks down at the church a half mile away got a good laugh going, the guy I was hunting with lost his footing a rolled into a ravine and I heard a woman making a cackling sound from the public pond a quarter mile over the hill behind me. I picked up and decided to see if the fish were biting. I went over to the pond and the woman I heard said, "I am very sorry that we don't have any grey poupon either, but I can offer you a soda and a brat with regular mustard." I accepted, it was a really tasty brat.
HAHA!! Wow I would of died id I were there....
Every thinks im crazy when I go outside with my mouth call and practice over here....lol
Armylongbow, there are a couple of post a few pages back on some recent turkey hunts from this year. I was in South Dakota and there are some from Florida. Be safe and thank you for keeping us safe.
Here you are sir. Thank you for serving.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=127483;p=1
Talked with my good friend from back home last night, and he had 19 turkeys within 30 yards of his blind yesterday morning. 2 toms just hammering right in front of him. Then out of no where a dog comes running up the fence line and spooks them all away. shame lol
http://www.tradbow.com/public/Finding-Roots.cfm
ArmyLongbow, above is a link to an on-line article I wrote about my first turkey hunt that resulted in a kill. Enjoy and I echo everyone above, stay safe and come home soon to hunt those birdies!
- Jeremy (former Spc. in the USAR) :coffee:
Armylongbow,
So glad to see that you have the love of the sport and have carried it with you half way around the world while you keep all of us safe here. Thank you and all of your fellow sericemen for what you unselfishly do.
Thank you isn't really enough.
And Sean...don't blame yourself for the blind set-up. I didn't think of it either. I guess it's a good lesson. Just like trailcams, North is the safest direction I guess, but it isn't always possible.
Nice photos Sean. I was happy to be part of your hunt.
Lasting memories, for sure.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Irv Eichorst
www.truesouthadventures.com (http://www.truesouthadventures.com)
Thanks Irv, Its still one of those, "what ifs??" I'll be back!!!!! I'm gearing up for our NY May 1st opener...I hope I have some good stories to post by then!