Ever since Bill Dunn announced his plan to introduce a 3 blade Grizzly broadhead I have been excited to give them a try. At the PBS gathering last month I was able to sweet talk Bill into letting take home a pack of some of the very first heads off the press. I did a little review of my initial impressions on an earlier thread here.
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=136766#000014
In that thread all I could do was shoot at sand piles and boards. The real tests would come in the field.
In another thread there was a discussion of the color of the head. Bill had decided on a nice tan color for this head. I have to say that it looks even better with some red tones added :goldtooth:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/Jlasch/20140418_151602_resized.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Jlasch/media/20140418_151602_resized.jpg.html)
Way to go, Whip!
Congrats!
Bisch
Congrats! Looks like it was a success.
Way to go Joe.
Congrats on a nice bird Joe!
Those heads do look nice in red!
The first week of our Wisconsin turkey season opened on Wednesday this week but I didn't get up to our hunting cabin until Thursday evening.
I wasn't in time to hunt that evening, so after dark I set up my blind in an old favorite location. My morning plan would be to walk down to that spot before daylight, listen for gobbles, and then decide what to do.
My preference is to head toward some close gobbles with the ghili suit and try to set up on some roosted birds. When the initial morning activity is over and the birds have inevitably given me the slip I will often return to the blind to spend the latter part of the morning.
To save on the amount of gear I would need to carry in the morning I stashed my Waldrop chair, ghili suit and decoys in the blind. That would prove to be a mistake...
The next morning as I stepped out of the cabin for a last sip of coffee I was blasted with raucous gobbles from what sounded like at least 5 toms less than 200 yards away! I had my bow, but no decoys, no ghili, and no blind. There was no way I would make it all the way down to retrieve my stuff and back before they would be off the roost.
It was a tough choice, but I ended up walking away from all those birds and on down to the blind. As you would expect, I heard no gobbles nearby once I got there. :banghead:
Awesome, buddy!
way to go Joe!
Nice job Joe!
:campfire:
I knew it wouldn't be long until someone tried to change the color of that head to red. It looks good like that!
Good stuff Joe, keep it coming!
Nice Tom. Hope to see if Texas hog blood similarly reflects well off the Instinct head.
:thumbsup:
Charlie; Big River should be here soon. He had to trim it from 62" to 60" to get my weight. No worries!!! Should push an Instinct very well.
The blind sits on an outside corner of woods at the intersection of three fields of corn, soybeans, and newly planted CRP. It is a natural turkey crossing area, and I have had great luck there in past years. When nothing else is happening elsewhere it is a great place to set up and just wait. There was also a halfway decent chance that those roosted birds from up behind the cabin would eventually make their way down to the fields.
The morning was crisp, calm, and bright. A perfect day to be in the woods. But after the initial gobbles from surrounding woods and the birds had flown down for the morning I didn't hear another sound. Not even a hen appeared in any of the fields that I could see. The early morning hours drifted by without a hint of a turkey in the area.
Finally, about 9 am I broke out some nuts for a snack and opened a book to pass some time. I hadn't even finished the forward of the book when I looked out to see a turkey crossing the corn field 300 yards out. Binoculars told me it was a mature tom!
He continued on down and into the CRP field. I cut loose with what I thought was sexy turkey talk. He never so much as broke stride or looked my direction. This guy was on a mission, and before I knew it, he was up and over a small rise and out of sight. Dang! I know I'm not the best caller in the world, but usually I can at least get a glance!
Not more than a few minutes later, right from the rise the tom had disappeared behind, a turkey came over the top headed my way. And he was coming on a dead run! I don't know if it was the same bird that suddenly had a change of heart, or another bird that had heard my calls, but this one was closing fast!
I scrambled to get my chair folded out of the way, windows of the blind adjusted, and an arrow knocked. At forty yards he put on the brakes and puffed into a half strut.
I had an alert hen decoy at about ten yards, and a breeding hen with a DSD jake behind her at seven. The tom worked his way steadily in while sizing up the competition from my jake. When he reached eight yards I drew, picked my spot, and the string slipped away.
At the shot the tom hobbled away on one good leg with the arrow hanging by the fletches from the opposite side. He made his way down to a little patch of brush and trees between the fields and held up there. Obviously not dead, but not feeling very well either. The good news was that I could keep eyes on him and he couldn't leave that little thicket without me seeing him go.
I know all too well what happens when a marginally hit bird is pushed too soon, so I just bidded my time watching and waiting. I wanted to give him as much time as I could.
To make a long story short, I eventually worked my way up to the mortally wounded bird, missed with a follow up arrow, and after a short foot chase ended up taking him down with a Clay Matthews style sack. He was finally mine!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/Jlasch/20140418_153124_resized_1.jpg) (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Jlasch/media/20140418_153124_resized_1.jpg.html)
Thanks for sharing, Would have loved to watch the tackle in person. :biglaugh:
Wisconsin spilts its spring turkey season into six different time periods and are awarded by drawing. This was the first week, and in many areas additional leftover tags can be purchased for the latter weeks of the season.
I do have another tag in my pocket for the middle of May in the zone at the cabin, plus another one for the zone at home. I am looking forward to some more great mornings in the woods.
This morning as I walked out from the cabin to look over the fields I could see a lone hen out in the middle of that CRP field with EIGHT strutting toms surrounding her! She must have been one hot babe!
To be continued! I hope!!
Good for you Joe, congrats on a fine Tom. A sack huh? I think you need to start using a Go-Pro if you're going to keep doing stuff like that.
Oh, and a follow up on the post mortum. I thought I hit just about exactly where I wanted to, but it turned out to be just a little too far forward. The arrow had passed through both sides of the breast and out the thigh on the other side without ever getting inside the vitals.
That is often a recipe for an unrecoverd bird. But there was a lot of blood loss and the broadhead did its job even with a less than perfect hit. In my book anyway, it passed the test with flying colors. :thumbsup: Tan and red colors!!
That's great Joe! You write a nice story that's made easy to read by your use of paragraphs. Congratulations on your first bird of the season! :thumbsup:
Bernie
QuoteOriginally posted by Pete McMiller:
Good for you Joe, congrats on a fine Tom. A sack huh? I think you need to start using a Go-Pro if you're going to keep doing stuff like that.
I guarantee that video would have gone viral! :biglaugh:
Nice one Joe. Way to make your experience work for you. Many would have pushed that bird. I think quartering away up thru the drumstick is about the best you can get now. Lost too many birds with what I thought was an excellent shot.
Fine bird Joe .... congrats and good luck on that future tag
Congrats my friend.
Nice bird Joe. That's a fine start to the season.
Way to go Joe!!! Love it when a plan comes together. Gonna miss you at the Klintworth this week, but I will do my best to get along with the crew we got :)
Congrats Joe!
I guess you will need thumb surgery now if you sacked him like Matthews. :D
Nice Izzy!
Great Job!
Congrats Joe !!! :clapper:
Bill
Great job, Whip! I like the looks of the Instinct with red accents! Congrats on the inaugural kill and the sack! (I'm sure it would've made the highlights reel!) Can't wait to hear the tale of the next filled tag.
Hope to hear from Bill soon to tell me mine are on the way (and praying that the ones he sends me have some of that Mojo, too)!
Congrats Joe!
I enjoyed your story! That looks to be a fine bird.
Congrats!!!
Congrats on a nice bird (and great story)!!!
Less than 2 weeks till season opens here in PA.....
Great bird and way to break in them new grizzly heads!
Great job and beautiful bird Whip! The first kill with Bill's new heads. Now that is cool.
Nice bird and recovery. I like that shot at the base of the legs. I find it at very deadly and at times much easier to pick than the chest vitals.
Great Tom and great story. Thanks for sharing.
Perfect Plan Whip! hunt where they are going , not where they are roosted!!......paid off big time...good luck rest of season
Way to go Whip!
Awesome......boy I can't wait till Friday when our season opens.!
I had to do a DeMarcus Ware sack on the only tom I was able to bag this year (I'm from Cowboy land)!
Yes, the video would have been awesome........for all my friends to laugh at!
Congrats again, Whip!
Bisch
Congratulations, Joe!!
Today is opening day here.I had a bird working but he was just teasing me. He must have had plenty of girls with him. He would tell me how sexy I sounded but he was not interested in coming to take a closer look.
Bill
Congats Joe. You beat me too it. Great Bird!!
Great story and kill Joe! The Intinct records its first of many kills!
Wish you were wearing one of those cameras on your head for the chase and takedown.
Ha! Congrats, Joe!
Super job Joe! Good luck on #2 and #3.
Way to go Joe! Congratulations!
Beautiful bird Joe. I like chasing your wounded birds. Wish I'd been there to help you chase that one!
Nice work Joe!
QuoteOriginally posted by DanielB89:
Nice Izzy!
Great Job!
I just realized i said, "nice Izzy". lol.
Way to go Joe! You're off to a great start to your seasons.
-Jay
Awesome buddy!! Cade was hoping to be the first to kill one with the Instinct....but we don't start till theis weekend coming....our youth season....
Congrats brother!!!
Congratulations, Joe. You are one hunting machine!
homebru
Congrats, Joe. Nice touch of color to your broadhead!!
Great story Joe!
Nice shooting!
Those heads of Bill's have already claimed a few critters lives :thumbsup:
Curt, Cade would have been my nominee to be first on the board with an Instinct. But your season just opens so darn late! I couldn't wait that long. :dunno: Mike G. was right behind me...
Good luck to you both when you can get in the woods!
Way to go!
Awesome! I agree that a GoPro video is in order next time around!
Awesome gobbler Joe, congrats! I have to wait till May 7.
I always love reading the stories!
Todd
Well done Joe,I think you are the first to christen the Instinct.
Congratulations Joe. I can picture the whole scene from your account. I would even read it again in the Stump Shooter. ;^)
Good shooting Joe.
Congrats! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper: :jumper:
Nice work Joe! Kudos and congrats!
Way to go, Joe! Missed you in Nebraska this year! Thanks for sharing for sharing. Got a few days left in Illinois.
Awesome Joe, congrats buddy!!!
Tracy
Sweet!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :clapper:
Congrats Joe!