This story started when I began hanging around the History/Collecting forum here. I like old stuff and antiques and fixing up fine pieces, examples of hands on craftsmanship. I learned that '59 marked the beginning of the common use of exotic woods in risers and many consider these bows the pinnacle of artistic form from makers like Bear. Trap started a thread called "Happy Birthday 59" about 1959 bows and using them to hunt this year for a 50th anniversary celebration. I do like a challenge that fits my style and chosen methods.

My wallet became lighter as I dabbled in collecting some examples of these beauties. I have a couple of '59 Bear Kodiaks that are fast shooting and a joy to the eye. Their graceful narrow limbs and "I" beam rosewood and purple heart risers echo a time just before serious mass production took over.

But I am a longbow shooter at heart. I like the forgiving nature of longbows and need all the help I can get when the chips are down. It turns out that years ago I had purchased a '59 Bear before I even new it was hip. This bow is the Alaskan model nicknamed the Halloween bow because of its black back and orange belly glass. I had purchased it because it had a double shelf and I was toying with the idea of learning to shoot off my dominant eye (left) side. At 44# I figured I could learn to pull it standing on the other side of the bow - never did much lefty shooting but kept the bow.

I decided to clean up this old bow and fitted it with a period bow quiver and arrows - and of course Bear Razorheads. I managed to put down a nice song dog with this set up in Texas with my buddies of the TXSweat gang in February. Maybe I would hunt with the set up all year. Turkey season rolls around and sure enough I've still got 59 fever.

Now thats what I'm talking about! Way to go..  

I'm using my old Browning Cobra this spring. Just something about regressing to those older bows. Nice bird.....

Nice Shaun
Very nice...

Cody

Last fall my pal MD called and asked if he and his wife Julie could come harvest some late muzzle loader venison on my place. This project worked out well and MD insisted that I should join him for a spring turkey hunt. MD is not a turkey hunter - he is a turkey fanatic. The man is damn near worthless from early April till Mother's Day. If he did not make part of his living writing about it, including a fine book on how-to, I'm sure his concerned relatives would seek help for his problem (after he called in their spring bird).

CALL ON THURSDAY

"Hey MD, tomorrow Friday looks like a fine sunny morning and the beginning of second season..." (MD is always booked up during first season)

"Dang it! I have to work Friday and Saturday. Its supposed to rain on Sunday. How about next Tuesday?"

"OK. That works for me. I'll be there about 5AM."

OH YEAH!!

Plans, weather and strategy were being discussed back and forth by e as we both attempted to concentrate on work. If you work on the computer it is easy to toss off a message now and then - no really, we were working, kind of. Also, getting really fired up about the upcoming hunt.

One such e-mail on Friday ended with this note from MD,

"PS - We don't work on Sunday, 19 April. Would you be interested in coming up then? If it's just overcast with intermittent showers - not a downpour - we'll be just fine. In fact, we might be better off if it's cloudy. Think about it. I can set stuff up tomorrow afternoon, and have it all ready to go -"

So much for waiting for Tuesday. When I went to bed last night, the weather man was predicting cooler with 80% chance of rain. When I got up this morning it was cloudy but not raining and when I stepped outside with my heavy coat, I turned around and went back in to exchange it for a lighter jacket - 52 degrees felt balmy.

Howwwwwwwwwwwww SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!

I've been lurking a lot in that "collector" area keeping tabs on you boys.  I have a hard enough time shooting my "modern" bows so have not taken any plunges...

That looks like a limbhanger!  Congrats  

Ya man, you got my att.!!  

Its about an hour drive north to MD's place and I made it at 5:05 to find him standing next to his truck and ready. We were soon at a nearby spot that he had set up the day before with blind and decoys in the tent ready to set out. The location was a grassy north east fence corner of a soybean field about 100 yards from a small timber. MD said there was no hunting allowed in that timber or the fields around it and it was a virtual sanctuary for turkeys and big deer. Our wide open field was the closest property that he or anyone else could hunt these birds. There was only one fly in the ointment, a brand new 4 foot woven fence that the birds would have to cross to reach us.

Today's plan was to place a bunch of decoys out including a strutter and see if that would be enough enticement to bring the turkeys over the fence. We set out 7 hens and a full strut tom with natural tail feathers. The decoys were close together and at my effective range - that is you could not actually reach them by sticking your bow out of the blind, but almost.

 

Hey Shaun, since your going to use that '59er for huntin this fall, how about sending me one of those fine selfbows you've made so it won't set idle. I'd hate to see that happen! More story, please! Steve

A little before daylight, the turkeys in that timber started to sing. There was more than one, heck, there were eight or ten toms announcing their readiness. Hard to believe how successful the reintroduction of turkeys in Iowa has been. 30 years ago it would have been only the small songbirds filling the predawn with music. MD's first yelps on the diaphragm call brought back an immediate chorus of mature gobbles. After it got fly down light, things got quiet again. They were out there, but they were busy.

We chatted in the blind and drank coffee from MD's thermos. It was a great morning to be afield and soon the toms would start roaming and looking for new hens - or so we hoped. I can make a reasonable facsimile of turkey noise, but MD can really call - it was a pleasure to listen. He sent nice raspy hen yelps out every half hour or so and there were some distant replies, but nothing came in sight.

 

Note that MD has removed the screen in the wide narrow "viewing" window in his double bull. He told me this was for shotgun work. This window will come into play later in the tale.

Really good pic up top!!!!  It speaks volumes.

I am really enjoying this story...Well Done!

Its raining and I should be mushroom hunting, but this is good stuff.

About an hour later things started to heat up. Sometimes the plan works just like you figured, but its hunting and often some other scenario plays out. We were sure the birds from the little timber would eventually head our way and hang up at the fence. Then we planned to sweet talk them over the fence and into our trap.

We were looking north towards the little timber when out of the corner of our eyes we both spot a black shape over the decoys to the west - 200 yards away but in our field! No fence between us and I could see a beard at this distance!

Here's the west view over our decoys. The tom appeared on the far ridge of the bean field silhouetted against the far green hay field.

 


He had come from at least a half mile to the west - the closest roost timber that direction. The east wind had carried MD's yelps his way and he was hot. He puffed up on the far ridge when he spotted our flock of decoys. But he did not spend much time trying to pull the hens from our strutter. He marched right towards us.

Some good story tellin so far Shaun.

Come on Shaun, I have to flight tomorrow early morning and here is almost dark.Good story

Its humorous to watch a hot tom try to march, swagger and strut all at the same time. As he went out of sight in the small valley between our blind and the ridge, I positioned myself and the bow for the shot. When he came over the near ridge he would be close and looking right towards my shooting window.

He peaked over the close ridge and MD switched to a slate for a couple soft yelps and purrs. Up went the fan and then right back down as he came on. He paused at 20 yards then suddenly ran right at the strutter decoy and loomed over it. Pop pop pop he pecked the decoy on the head. Instead of facing the decoy and presenting me the planned quartering away shot, he jumped right up on its back! He squished the strutter flat to the ground and puffed up. He started marching in place on the strutter's back and then stopped with a perplexed look. This fight was not going the way he had thought.

Stalemate. The turkey is 5 yards away and looking right into the shooting windows. In one window is me with my bow up and in the other is MD hiding behind his camera. He's too close! We were afraid to move or even breath. The bird was magnificent! His head was glowing with red anger, his body iridescent black, his beady eyes fixed straight ahead (unfortunately towards us) and his mind appeared to have short circuited.

For the longest 90 seconds you can imagine he just stood there. Finally his mind started working again and he bent down to peck the decoy's head a few more times for good measure. I took the opportunity to draw and shoot. The arrow cut across his back in a cloud of feathers and he hopped off his hapless foe. He walked in a confused, dazed and possibly wounded fashion towards the fence. MD leaned back out of the way of the side window and whispered, "Shoot him again."

Thank goodness for bow quivers. The second arrow was already finding its way to the string. As I aimed out the skinny side window I noted that my tab had slipped and I had the string on my fingers and that I could not reach full draw in this direction - no time to fuss over details. I had my quartering away angle and the slow walking bird was still less than 10 yards away.

This arrow went right where I wanted it - between the tops of his drumsticks and into the goodies. He ran back to the west with the arrow hanging out the back and disappeared in the valley of the bean field. We could see if he came up the other side and he never did.

Gotta love second chances, aye Shaun!

Funny Kenny, I was thinking of a post I made yesterday on the H/C forum in reply to a question about brace height and specs from another Alaskan shooter.

QuoteOriginally posted by Shaun:
7.75" and I'm all tuned up for turkey in the AM. Seems to like a low spined arrow since its cut out from center with the double shelf. I am shooting 45# old ceders 29" BOP with razorheads - total wt 460 grn. Hoping the black back glass will be invisible in a double bull tomorrow and that the turkey stays for a second shot.

Congrats on a fine bird and story. Happy 50th.
Mike

Well, he had stayed for that second shot and I had a good feeling about the placement. MD was really pumped. He had never seen a turkey shot with an arrow before. We waited and eased down from the rush of having the bird so close. I told him we would never have experienced that up close and personal action if I'd had a 12 gauge - I would have been blasting away as soon as he came over the closer ridge.

After a while we settled down and the bird had not appeared out of the valley. We cautiously headed his way. As we glassed the grassy swale in the bottom of this draw I saw a wing flap down towards the fence. It looked like the final flap and it turned out to be so. The arrow had fallen out about 20 yards short of the final spot and there was a huge blood trail from the arrow to the bird.