The Adventure of Hope and Faith 2009/2010

[bow loving man]

Our one and only FAITH was truly tested....
A serpent appeared in the road before us, one that has a viper shaped head, and little beads in its tail to make that heart stopping music!  My Friend said, "Dang, I didn't even bring a gun!" I don't think he likes snakes too much.
 I replied, "Shoot don't worry I have Miss Faith!"
He said, "You're nuts!"  
I grabbed Miss Faith, nocked an arrow on the run,located the devious serpent in the grass, and the chase was on!!!

Remember, I am a longbow man, and Miss Faith is a dressed in her sweetest curves!  Our partner in this dance is a slithering, curving, sleek and slender temptor          I just had to trust in Miss Faith...

I spotted Mr No Legs at about 5 yards slithering through the grass, I pulled Miss Faith to anchor, and I felt the release...Dang, just to the right, I ran up grabbed my arrow out of the ground, tapped it so the dirt would fall off,nocked it again, and released that speedy arrow again...He went left my arrow landed where he was, missed again!  Enough of this I ran after that devious serpent, grabbed my arrow as I passed by it and tapped it on the ground.  I also decided to run up and tap Mr No Legs on the tail to get his attention and maybe he would stop!  NO such luck, in fact he sped up a notch or too,I think...
I nocked that arrow again, took careful aim....smack, that snake stopped and began to curl up!  Miss Faith had prevailed in her dance with the serpent!  The shot hit about two inches behind the head, almost severing his head from his body!
   

Just to put it in perspective, I am 6' 4" tall....

[wingnut]

Dang that's a big snake there.  Good shooting!!

Mike

[swp]

Nice shootin'!

[Guru]

Way to go Barry!!

[vermonster13]

Now wouldn't that look pretty on Miss Faith!

[bow loving man]

Thanks Guys, now lets go get that turkey!!! A week of vacation this week and Miss Faith and I are spending most of the days hunting together! Woo Hooo!

[Bodork]

Hey Barry, I saw this picture in my e-mail today! WOW!!! That's awesome! Up top on tradgang too!!  Congratulations! Mike

[smokin feathers]

Was really busy last week and wasnt able to get out and hunt any hogs with hope, but I did take her bowfishing sat night and took a few carp and buffalo with her. My pics got erased somehow so we will have to go again this week and get some more. Gonna to take her to the stick bow roundup this weekend and let a few others try her out as well.

[bow loving man]

Boy howdy am I learning alot!  Faith and I have been chasing the Turkey on my friends ranch for the last few days!  I have decoyed from a blind, which they stay out about 30-35 yards from the blind...not in my range...and we have sat up on a peak way above their territory and watched them, to learn to pattern them.  We have their activity down.  That means we know where to find them...Getting close enough for a shot is a different story!!!

We sat in the blind yesterday morning and had gobblers all around us.  Oh I forgot to tell u we are hunting a flock of only 8 or 10 birds, 3 huge gobblers in it though...One real old one and two good ones who sorta stay to themselves but in the same area.

We tried me in the blind and my friend, stationed under a cedar tree, we saw some wonderful strutting and thought it was all going to come together for the shot but after about 1 1/2 hours of watching a cool show. They wondered off when something buggered them from the west...

Then in the afternoon I had two chances to stalk, once on the two gobblers who were shaded up under a salt cedar bush, got busted 30 yards out when one of them suddenly appeared from one side of the bush, I was sneaking in the clear from one bush to the  back of their bush...

And another chance that evening on the big Gobbler with the hens, had him on the other side of a cedar bush when I eased around the south side to sneak a shot on him as he passed by...Bow ready, Gobbler coming...Just two more steps and I could draw and shoot this bird at about 8-10 yards!  Breathe Barry....

I inched myself to the last edge of full coverage by the cedar tree so I would be clear to shoot and I hear, kee poo, kee poo...

DANG!!!! Where did that hen come from?  She had me dead to rights...Needless to say that Gobbler grabbed is feathered butt and was gone....

What a great day, Faith and I had! Had to stay home today but tomorrow we will be hard at it again...Wish us luck!!!

[smokin feathers]

We had a heck of a time this weekend at the memorial shoot. I shot her through 120 targets and a bunch on the range with others shooting her as well. Gonna try to get some blood on her this week if I can catch a break.

[bow loving man]

Well, the Texas Turkeys won this year!  Miss Faith and I tried real hard, had some close encounters, but the rain and lightning cut our date short....We are headed to Kansas today to see if we can do better on the Turkeys up there!!!

[bow loving man]

Well my Kansas trip got cut to about 24 hrs.  I went up on Thursday,arrived about 5pm, got settled in and change clothes and off to Bear Creek to see if we could find some birds...sure enough we pulled up to the creek and out in the field next to it were about 15 birds!!! We backed up and devised a plan...
We set up next to some tall cottonwoods next to the creek and eased our decoys out into the edge of the field...
We thought we could ease in there a call some birds to us...They had other ideas...no response except from one lone gobbler who would walk our way and gobble...That was fine with me just keep coming big boy!
It ended up just him by himself as the other moved towards their roost for the night on the other side of the field...So my friend told me to sneak down bear creek and see if I could get a little closer to him...
Bear creek is deep enough that I can walk down its dry bed and the birds can not see me until I make my way up one side...After about one hour of calling and sneaking,which at one point I had him with in 35 yards, but no shot with Miss Faith...I decided to follow the creek all the way around and come up somewhere between his roost and where we had set up, he definitely was not coming to the decoys!  
So I moved through the creek bottom, eased up in the deep sage on the pasture, crawled behind it and the different plum thickets and found a good sand hill to make my stand....Needless to say as I was moving I guess he was too...I never saw him again and my buddy had no idea where he went, I think he was napping while I was stalking!  Oh well it was getting close to dark...I need rest...

[bow loving man]

We decided that on Friday morning we would hunt Sandy Creek since he knew some birds have a daily ritual of coming there it strut and preen and whatever else they do in this particular area... He has sent me many pics of the birds just to tease me!  
 
I set up my pop up and got ready for the day. I called as I heard the gobblers in the distance and I waited, had some great time sitting in the blind watching squirrels, and rabbits, even the flock of sheep came meanering by, but no turkeys...Don't know if the blind buggered them or what...
My friend texted me and said there were turkeys on the creek by the house, so I waited about 30 minutes and got out of my blind, i thought they might make their way down the creek towards this set up...I made my way back to the house and was drinking a diet coke when I saw that bunch of turkeys in the shelter belt to the north!  I had been in the one to the south...So I grabbed my stuff and began a stalk that lasted quite awhile as I figured out how to get close to those dang birds...Once again, I could get close but just not close enough,,,,Think Barry think!!! Time is running out!  I had to leave by 1 pm!

[bow loving man]

It was 11:45 and I had to leave around 1pm.  I went back to the house and talked with my friend, "Run me up to Bear Creek again and let's see what is up there maybe..."  We drove to Bear Creek crossing and eased to the edge of the field and sure enough, under a tree some 300 yards up Bear Creek to the east, were some turkey and at least one gobbler we could tell...we backed up, and got out and started a stalked down bear creek...I walked, crawled over washed up timber, belly crawled when I had to go around a big pile in the creek...I went slowly and cautiously, wind was in my face the whole way!  I edged up twice to check on the position of the turkey and just to check my progress...
The last time, and I knew I was close, I peaked over the edge through little bush, I couldn't believe what I saw...3 BIG gobblers all with their fans up and they were what I would call coveyed up in the sunlight!  They were backed up to one another each looking a different direction and all the while there fans were up in full display...I wish I would have had my camera out and ready but I was to focused  on my task at hand...I figure I was still a little far for a shot so I closed the distance to right next to the tree they were beside now...They had not clue I was there!!! I just had to rise up slowly above the edge of the deep creek and get off a shot...
I eased my head up just to eye level of the creek bank and they were still doing their thing! So I came on up with Miss Faith and chose to shoot the bird to the right of the tree. I picked my spot, began my draw...He lowered his fan and began to walk away at about 15 yards!!!!
Take the shot...good form shooting from down in the creek, just ease the shot off and let it fly!
I released that arrow and it was like it was in slow motion...headed right for that TOM!  and I heard THWACK!  That was loud I thought and the Tom was still standing...This is what I saw!!!!

 

How did I hit that limb!  
I jumped up out to the creek to discover 4 gobblers starting to run across the pasture and manuvuered to get another shot but to no avail. My Kansas quest was over...It took sometime to get that arrow loose...No turkey but what a great time Miss Faith and I had!  Oh well time for some hog hunting next...

[swp]

Dang it! Nice story Barry and a fine looking trophy limb.

[Buckskin57]

alot of work,alot of fun,for a Great cause.Good job,proud to be part of the Gang.