Greatest Accomplishment of My Hunting Career Occured Tonight!!

[the Ferret]

Now THAT'S the way a hunter should look after accomplishing something awesome like that.

Bet that's one tape that will get watched and shown a few times.

Congrats of the highest order sir.

Gonna have to change you name to beagles, bucks & birds now  

[Randy Morin]

Sweet Beagles...congrats on a fine hunt and milestone.      

[bentpole]

That is great! Nice bird and nice bow too. A PL Greybark huh?

[hunt it]

Congrats on a fine bird. Well done!

[beaglesandbucks]

bentpole...you are correct sir.

I promised myself that after I took my first traditional deer....I would reward myself with a custom bow.

Well....I took 2 deer...a buck and a doe....with my Martin Savannah last season and kept my promise to myself.

I did the BW "test drive"...and was pleased.  In addition....I really, really needed a take down long bow for a summer hog hunt coming up.

Ordered it in December and received it in February.

Love the greybark color.

I really like the autumn oak too.  I'm sure there is one of those in my future.  

[jonesy]

OUTSTANDING!!!!

[Raineman]

That is awesome. I know I have this Trad thing bad, because when I clicked on your pic the first thing I looked at was your bow...LOL

Congratulations.

[matthewp]

Congratulations !  I know what a challenge it is to harvest a turkey with a bow.  I have been trying for two seasons now.  I could have taken at least 8 birds at 35-40 yards(shotgun range), but none have came within range of the recurve yet.  I am determined and I am not going to give up.  Congratulations again.  That is a mighty fine bird to be proud of.  
        Matt

[beaglesandbucks]

Matthewp....I know what you mean about the shotgun.  You don't know how many times I was tempted....even the night I shot this one....I actually thought about taking the shotgun out.  Can you imagine how sick I would have been when this turkey showed up initially at 12 yards!!!!

The funny thing was .... I never let out a single call that night.

Through just pure luck....I was on the way home early from a hunt two nights earlier....after sitting for 2 1/2 hours and only seeing a hen.

Just down the road from my house....I saw two gobblers heading from a cornfield into a woodlot...and I knew that as late as it was...they had to be heading in there to roost.

I went right home...acquired permission...and went out the next morning to listen.  I went in where the landowner said he thought they were roosting...and he was right on the money.

I came back mid-day to scout the property.  I looked over a number of places to place my blind.....but there was only one place that I knew they were going to come to and that was the roost area.

And that's how it went down.  Where I set up was in a place we had rabbit hunted in the fall and winter.  It is a little meadow....right under some cottonwoods.

I put out no decoys...and did no calling.  There was no need to arouse suspicion....and this time of year after being blasted at for a week and half now....that's what is really is.

(Side note:  Yesterday a good friend of mine harvested a bird with a shotgun.  I put him in a good spot and said..."No decoys...and don't call.  Less than 30 minutes after I left...he had one on the ground.)

I expected something to go down...but not for a couple of hours.  Imagine my surprise when 45 minutes into the hunt two hens showed up feeding in front of the blind only 12 yards away...and then from the opposite direction...my blind side....my son said..."Dad...a gobbler....get your bow ready."

I missed him the first time...at about 15 yards...(bad follow through).  He just skipped foward two steps...and then went back into a semi-strut.  The next shot....was textbook.  Right through the hip....up into the body...crushing the thigh bone.  Recovery was about 40 yards.

My point is....when you hunt fields....you face a lot of opportunties like you are talking about.  Turkeys must decoy in order to get the shot.  That works pretty well early in the season...and on very, very lightly hunted areas.

But in late season...or in areas of high pressure...I would suggest more of a "deer hunting" approach.  Find roosting or strutting areas (i.e., turkey funnel areas).....set up....sit tight...and keep your lips sealed.

Good luck!! Hang tough!!  When its meant to be....it will happen.

[John Krause]

BBB
That's awesome.  No problem being proud. We all understand what an accomplihment it is.