A couple of 51 year olds chasing turkeys

maineac · May 14, 2013, 03:06:00 PM

Earlier this year playing around on the classifieds I commented on a '62 Bear Kodiak that I would live to buy it if it was '61 so I could hunt with a bow as old as I am. George Boy (Chuck) pm'ed me that he had a '61 he was looking to sell. A few pm's later and I had the bow, and a quest. I wanted to kill a turkey with a bow as old as I am.

I have a great season, with birds in range several times. Opening morning I watched four mature toms and six hens for an hour. They then all came in range as they followed the hen who spotted movement when I broke down my blind, but they all ignored my decoys at 10 yards and did not come into my shooting lanes.

Another morning on a "scout" morning I called a tom out of tree across a marsh. He flew and banked around a tree and landed 8 yards away. I was able to draw and release. the arrow looked perfect, but on examination had nothing on it. One of the small trees that had tipped over with the larger trees had deflected the arrow. Watching that big bird make a 90 degree bank in the air wit his tail and wings flared was probably one of the coolest turkey hunting experiences I have had.

Here is the root wad I crouched behind. You can see the pine he was in in the background.

More later.

JEFF B · May 14, 2013, 03:36:00 PM

thats cool lets hope ya have better luck next time

T-Bowhunter · May 14, 2013, 04:37:00 PM

Keep after them, I hope you have better luck the next time you go after those turkeys.

Jerry Jeffer · May 14, 2013, 04:53:00 PM

Wow, would like to have seen that fly in. Thanks for sharing your story.

wooddamon1 · May 14, 2013, 04:54:00 PM

JMG · May 14, 2013, 05:44:00 PM

Thanks for sharing!!! Hope you get another chance!!

Cyclic-Rivers · May 14, 2013, 05:55:00 PM

Good shooting Bow, No doubt it will do the trick, good luck!

maineac · May 14, 2013, 07:26:00 PM

I have another spot that the mother of a former student has asked me to come hunt, because she hates the turkeys. A classic Maine edge of town. Houses strung along the street, but a lot of woods behind. Still neighbors close enough that she does not want guns going off (though she had no issue when I had to use one last year due to a shoulder injury that kept me from drawing a bow). On my second trip there I had two hens lead three toms past at 18 yards. The toms did not like the look of my hen decoy and started walk away. One stopped and looked back and I let fly. The arrow looked good, but the turkey gave almost no reaction and walked off quickly. I looked but no turkey, or feathers at the site of where he left. A look after school with the dog and nothing. I couldn't find the arrow, but no signs.

So I went back Monday. All the talk about better decoys had me put some of my stashed coaching money towards a DSD Jake. I set him up and had birds gobbling at 4:50 behind me on the edge of the steep hill.

Here is view back towards the blind tucked into some old glacial boulders.

I did a fly down when I thought the birds were on the ground. I was able to get some responses from the toms, but they were holding strong at the corn bar next door. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye through the pine on my left. Then a putt and the bird going back. I immediately tried to figure out what I had done to spook it. Then back he comes and another putt or two and I figure out it is the jake decoy. He comes to the decoy and nudges it, but moves back the way he came to quickly for me to get a shot. Then his buddy shows up and they both come back to the decoy. I set it up facing me since toms are supposed to approach jakes from the front, but it would seem jakes like to approach from behind because both birds were behind the decoy the whole time. I drew and let down twice because I could not get a clean shot past the decoy. Finally they move to the left and separate a bit and I lean forward and release at the bigger of the two.

Here is a pict from the blind out to the decoy. Look close at the ground behind him.

RC · May 14, 2013, 09:06:00 PM

Cool pics. Just looking if you move over in front of the rock you will have nothing open behind you maybe.RC

maineac · May 14, 2013, 09:29:00 PM

RC, true, but this blind slopes back, so the rocks block views into the blind from the sides if turkeys don't come in from the front. so far I have about 14 birds in front and none have reacted. I drew and let down on the jakes 12 yards away three times, and they never noticed.

But back to the story. I leaned forward to get the right angle as the birds were moving left. Both were hunched like the decoy, but heads up a bit more. I release and see the arrow go a tad high of the shoulder, but I here slicing sound and the bird does a back flip and rolls and flaps a flips a few times, but I can tell he is toast. By the way if you look close, the brown"rock" behind the decoy in the pict is the Jake. As he is flapping the toms back at the singles bar sound off a couple of times. I let his buddy walk, hoping the toms and hens will come. No dice.

Here he is as I found him with the other 51 year old.

Here is the other 50ish part of the equation. Visiting with family over the Mother's Day one of my Uncles gave a knife his dad had given him around 50 years ago. It is a really cool open assist folder. I came home Sunday night and sharpened it up on my grandfathers old whetstone wheel. I carried it yesterday on the hunt and used it to butcher the bird.

wooddamon1 · May 14, 2013, 09:35:00 PM

Cool story, congrats!

HuronArcher · May 14, 2013, 09:45:00 PM

Enjoyed that...thanks for sharing

May 14, 2013, 10:20:00 PM

Way to go! Congrats on the bird.

1961 was a great year.....I was born that year too!

Bisch

DEATHMASTER · May 14, 2013, 10:25:00 PM

Us old things still work as good as or better than new.
Great story for us "old" guys.

Ed Frye · May 14, 2013, 10:38:00 PM

rastaman · May 14, 2013, 10:46:00 PM

Way to go sir!

tracker1 · May 14, 2013, 10:53:00 PM

Thanks for sharing. That was a great story and pictures.

DamselflyFarm · May 14, 2013, 11:10:00 PM

Great story, and thanks for taking us along with you. I'm still trying to get them in close here in Greene.

VictoryHunter · May 14, 2013, 11:12:00 PM

Congrats! Cool green bear bow :D

cacciatore · May 14, 2013, 11:30:00 PM

Well done and congrats for the bow of choice.