I Sure Do Love Turkey Hunting UPDATE PICS AND STORIES FINISHED PG.3/4

[huskyarcher]

It has been a heck of a season so here in the hills and hollars of NC. My jake decoy, Marvin, has taken more beatings than the Cowboys last season. Yesterday morning however, it was finally my turrn to be behind the weapon. The turkeys didn't disappoint.

Trying to call a girl her first bird at the moment, more later.

     

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats Dalton.  Looking forward to the details.  Good luck calling one in a bird for your partner.

In!

And I'm sure congrats are in order!

Bisch

[A.S.]

Dalton, you are a killing machine!  Looking forward to the rest of the story.

[huskyarcher]

This last week or so has been a blast. As some of you who know me personally may know, its been a heck of a season so far. I was fortunate enough to get to call in a young boy his first on youth day, a double in to Ethan Henson (hensone) and another boy, as well as my dad got his first ever bow killed bird with his Omega on opening day.

It was awesome to hear dad, who is a ridiculously accomplished hunter, but new to the trad game completely out of breathe and freaking out on the phone as he stood over his bird on opening day. He said he didn't even want to touch it he was so pumped, just wanted to "look at it." I quickly told him that feeling is why i do this crap.

He gladly told me the whole story, and i was glad to hear it as opening day had finally made to the mountains of NC, and boy did it take forever to get here. He was hunting in about a blizzard, pouring the snow and 25+mph winds. He heard a gobble which surprised him, and before he could really do anything there was a real mad tom beating the heck out of his Avian jake. He quickly executed judgement on the bird, which was guilty of assualt, an offense that is only punishable by arrow and broadhead. At 4 yards dad put it in his boiler room and the bird limped to its final resting spot a mere 40 yards away. My dad, who has killed everything under the sun, was reduced to the likes of a kid on Christmas morning. Needless to say he said hes taking his bow the rest of the year. I asked him if an "I told you so" was needed, but he didnt respond.

[huskyarcher]

So after all this, i was really pumped and ready for my turn. All that changed however when my best friend since i was little told me his girlfriend was dying to go, and he needed my blind and decoys so that she could see a show and be comfortable. I agreed although partly sad i would have to wait one more day. I set my alarm for early, but was surprised when i couldnt get ahold of either one of them that next morning.

I called another buddy to see if he wanted to go, but he too was unreachable. So with rain in the forecast and nowhere to go, i just slept in a bit longer.

At about 830-9 my phone finally rang and my friend Cory was wanting to go chase overweight chickens. Finally!

[huskyarcher]

We did what any good hunters would do, and made a pitstop at hardees, then headed to the woods. This place he can hunt is in a failed housing development. His cousin owns two lots on opposite sides of the development so the plan was go get on one lot, which was hardwoods surrounded by feilds and more hardwoods, and sit a while and see if we couldnt bring one to us. Since the lots are very small, our only hope was that we could bring a lonely tom in to the 2 acres or so we could hunt.

As we reached the lot, we stood and listened, and it didnt take very long for a bird to answer a pack of crows cutting a shine.

I told cory if he could hear us it might work, but it was a long shot as he was 2 hollars or more over, that was a long way to come.

None the less i ripped into my mouth call with all i had, as i suspected he couldnt hear me, but he continued to answer the crows.

I brought out a glass call i have that is absolutley obnoxious, it literally hurts your ears. When all went quiet i hit it as hard as i could.

He answered.

[huskyarcher]

We were excited, but knew that really didnt mean anything other than that he could hear us. We waited a minute or two and hit it again.

We were surprised when no less than 3-4 of them gobbled and even better than that, they had cut a good 50-75 yards off the distance.

We went into auto pilot, blind up decoys out, camera on the tripod, tie on the String tracker from Chad Orde, and get quiet.

I called again, and they had easily cut it in half, they were coming hard!

[Warden609]

[huskyarcher]

I waited and waited, as long as i could really, (im not real patient) and soft called. They nearly shook the blind. They were less than 50 yards, game on!

Shortly there after, we heard birds trotting through the leaves, fighting purrs, spitting drummming, you name it, they were doing it.

I thought ol' Marvin was going to get a heck of a butt whoopin again, but for some reason they stopped about 4 yards from him, which was about 8 yards from us and went in and out of strut.

[huskyarcher]

Only two made it to that close, im not sure where the others ended up, but honestly it didnt matter because there was all i needed within range, and all i had to do was wait for the right shot.

After standing in the same place for what seemed like forever, they finally broke strut and started walking to our left, which would finally put them where i could shoot.

As the strutter came into a lane, a whispered to cory and made sure he had the camera on him, then brought the Ol' trusty Omega to full draw, focused and released.

The arrow hit just above where i was looking, and that thing went nuts. He jumped, and flopped and crawled and finally stopped, sprawled out with his head up.

I waited for a second, but decided that i knew for a fact i could run him down and i wasnt taking any chances. I walked toward him, but as i neared he started trying to run off, and i was really surprised at how well he moved. I was persistent though, and after a full sprint down the hollar he finally tripped over a log and just layed there. A quick follow up shot was all she wrote.

I was wore out, but tickled to death! Finally on the board!

[huskyarcher]

Upon inspection i found that i went straight through his wing bone, and into the chest cavity. Never doubt the toughness of a turkey as i looked at the blood from the log he tripped on, and it was frothy pink lung blood. That bird was fatally hit the whole time, i guess i just gave him a boost by chasing him. Whatever the case, i had just filled my first tag for the year, and taken my 3rd trad bird.

[huskyarcher]

Here is a cool pic i snapped off of the video, the bird is completely upside down in the air, and if you look close you can see the attached string tracker!

[huskyarcher]

And of course the obligatory hero shots:

 

[huskyarcher]

Thanks for the look! I hope i gave you a glimpse into the excitement of a perfect turkey hunt. Equipment notes: #40@28 (i draw 29) Omega Shortbow Beman Bowhunter 500s, 225gr Wensel Woodsman up front. Also a string tracker from Chad Orde.

Hopefully if the footage turned out ok, you'll get to see the whole hunt on a future episode of Traditional Adventures.  

 

[Longbowlogan]

Great hunt man, I hope to get into some birds once season opens up on Monday!

[Yohon]

Awesome and thanks for posting the pixs....CONGRATS    

[jt85]

Congrats on a nice bird and a great hunt.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Congrats Dalton!!!!

[Homey88]

Congrats!