2016 Catch-up Thread...and an apology

[Guru]

First I'd like to apologize for starting a couple threads last year and never following up on them and leaving folks hanging!

This was not done purposely, it was just me being excited to share my hunts with my TG family....but then the realization of never seeming to find the time(kids and work=life happening) to share the rest of the story and pix.

I love Trad Gang and all the great friends I've made here...TG has always been my internet home since almost day one, and that hasn't changed....life has...kids are involved in everything...but that's a good thing!

So, last May I started a thread that was titled something like "Two Hunts, Two Gobblers"...so lets start there...

  Two Hunts, Two Gobblers...

Scouting as usual showed a lot of promise...
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 Cade's youth weekend didn't really work out.. while providing a lot of gobbling, one close encounter with three big birds, and a passed-up jake....no arrows flew.

May 1st fell on a Sunday, so Cade of course was the shooter. Roosted birds, great set-up....but the gobbler and jakes kept their distance    :(  

Cade had school on Monday,and I was working nights, so I would be out by myself. I would hit a spot I scouted and knew very well.

Misty rain greeted me in the darkness, but set-up in the orchard was easy after a long walk in.

I was still getting things arranged in the blind as the first gobble rippled out of the timber!

A lot of gobbling, and about 40 mins. it was easy to tell the gobblers where now in the orchard closing in.

A few minutes later they broke out of the fog at about 80yds...time to get serious!!

This was the first time I was going to try to capture a hunt from 3 diff. camera angles...I had the main camera on a tripod in the blind, an action cam inside on me, and another action cam out by the decoys....all went on when I saw the birds....or so I thought...

Soon the birds where in the decoys juking at the strutting gobbler deke....I got to half draw twice before I actually followed through with the third attempt and released!

Another first on this hunt was a lighted nock for turks...in the low light in the blind it looked like a rocket launch!

The Big Jim, 300gr., monster 3 blade slammed home quartering away....seemingly perfect...but the big boy took flight and disappeared quickly as the string on the tracker burned out at hyper-speed...

After peeling out for about 10 seconds it suddenly stopped...a good thing right.... hopefully it meant it stopped because he was down for good.

But it could also mean the arrow fell out or the string broke.... without him in sight...it would mean I'd have to give him time.

Over the next 2 hrs. I would be well entertained by the other big bird he was with, a duo of jakes, and another big gobbler that came around...quite a show!

Cutting out the drama and doubt....I followed the string right to him...it looked as though he's die in flight and crash landed about 100yds. away...love a string tracker!

Although I would have found him with some searching, the tracker made it simple once again.

The shot was indeed right on the money, right through the liver and back part of his little turkey lungs...

This was the same bird I'd seen during a few scouting missions that I dubbed "Fat Beard" for obvious reasons.

As a side note....I did turn on 2 of the 3 cameras....the one on the decoys I had woken up, but never hit it again to record!!!

An awesome morning, but wish Cade had been with me to take the shot instead of me!!


Great call that had lead to the demise of several gobblers now...a gift from TG'er Bob Palmer, old wore out super glove, and the Sony action cam that I never did turn on!  
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String tracker unit...priceless!
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Happy ending...
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9 1/2"...
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7/8" spurs...
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"Fat Beard"...
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As I was packing up it started to pour...it's was a long soaking walk out...but well worth the effort!!!

Hunt 2 next...

[Deno]

Happy ending there!!  Thanks for posting.
Deno

[John146]

Excellent Curt!! Congrats!!

[kennym]

Great job brother!!

[Guru]

With predicted rain for the next couple days, work would get shut down for a few days...Cade still had school, but I would get to hunt again!


  May 4th...

Pre-dawn May 4th was again rainy. I would be heading to another spot that was well scouted.

 While I was driving, walking in, and setting up( both the blind and once again 3 cameras) in the dark...the rain was light.

But shortly after set-up it would get steadily harder. I was in the blind, so would stay fairly dry...

Dull gray light brought with it the first gobble of the morning and some hen talk...

It seemed to take forever for it to get light enough to see well. But, shortly after it was a gobbler appeared about 150 yds. away in the corning of the field!

Even with the horrible lighting and hard rain, my Leica's told me this was a nice bird with a long beard...and he was locked on to the decoys!

This time I made sure all the cameras were rolling as he closed in      

Soon he was at the decoys and as he jockey'd around and got broad side...I released another Big Jim 300 tipped "rocket"!

The lighted nock made it easy to see the arrow struck a bit low....at impact the gobblers legs seemed to be taken out...but quickly re-gained as he flopped and got upright and ran right at the blind!

He knocked the camera out by the decoys over and looked as though he was going to join me in the blind!

He turned right at about an arrows length away from the blind, and only made it about 30yds.  flapping and flopping, while trying to run on his obviously very damaged thighs.

I knew I had to get on him quickly, so into the rain I went to claim my second big gobbler in two hunts!!!

Two hunts, Two Gobblers!!

The second ride this arrow took in 2 hunts...  
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One very wet gobbler...
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A very long beard, my first over 10"!
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Nice 1" spurs...
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The shot was a little low, but the massive Big Jim turned the tide on this hunt!
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Another hunt that I wished Cade had been with me, but he would get his chance!

Up next...Cade's hunt...

[Longbowlogan]

Great stuff Curt!

[JR Belk]

What bow is that?

[Guru]

Jack Kempf Kwyk Styk..."CY"...responsible for a lot critter deaths        

[Jayrod]

Love all your stories,pics and videography curt FINE WORK BROTHER!!  

[Guru]

May 14th...

With my 2 tags filled, it was all about getting Cade a bird or two...

Spring was a seriously busy time for us this past spring. Cade playing on 2 baseball teams, and Mae-Mae playing on 2 softball teams left very little time...but we were trying to make the most of it.

After a couple hunts since I'd filled my tags on the 2nd and 4th. Cade shot when he could to stay sharp...
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May 14th was forecaster to be beautiful day, but it would start out very foggy...as was evident on our drive.

We would be hunting a favorite spot, but we'd hunted it a couple times already, so, I wanted to try a diff. spot to set-up the blind. I just felt that by giving them a different look and approach....it might be just what we needed to seal it up for Cade this morning.

Dawn started to break, and we started to hear a lot of gobbling on the ridge about where we usually set up...

Soon we could tell they had flown down and were right up by where we would usually be...but they were coming slowly...

The fog was pea soup thick and made it very hard to see and distance. From the gobbling we could tell they closing, but couldn't see them...

At about 60yds. they ghosted out of the fog on the open hillside!

Gobbles from other directions indicated there were more gobblers around, but we were keyed in on these three...the same three gobblers Cade had a real close encounter with in the late April youth season...little by little they zig-zagged closer...

All three camera on, soon they where in the decoys with Cade just waiting for the right shot...

These birds were very edgy, and at about 10yds. we could tell they weren't sticking around...

As the closest bird cleared from the birds behind him, Cade drew and sent his Grizzly Instinct 3 blade on it's way....
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But his shot was low...he'd missed!!!

The three birds putted their way off back up the hill the way they'd come. Cade was angry! But it was still very early.

We cut the string, rigged another arrow, and kept on calling...they're were other birds getting closer...

Not 10 minutes later Cade whispers..."GOBBLER"!

He was already within 50yds. when he came out of the fog....I called and he turned right, and started in...all cameras on record!

I remember vividly whispering, "Make this one count bud"...

This bird again was very leary, and moving nervously. Out of the corner of my left eye, I could see Cade start his draw...

For the second time this morning he sent a Grizzly Instinct tipped carbon on a short 10yd. mission...
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this time it slammed home! But with the quartering-to angle it was a little low and back!

The gobbler pulled string as it hobbled up the hill and disappeared into the fog and the field edge simultaneously....we'd have to give this one time.........................

More birds showed in the next half hour, but the next 1.5 hours was spent enjoying some quiet time softly conversing, checking texts and such. We gave him 2 hrs...

Cade's trusty Stalker 'curve...  
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Where the gobbler Cade shot first appeared(fog had cleared some already)...
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Sony action camera captured the arrow coming out of the blind...
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Cade had a ball game to get to, so it was time to go try to find the gobbler...

We packed up, I put the action cam on a headstrap and gave it to Cade to wear for the recovery...and we started up the hill...    

A cut body feather with bloody on it, a good sign...
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[Guru]

The set-up...
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And once again, the string track made it very easy to see where he'd entered the brushy field edge...a tiny spot of blood and some flipped weeds zero'd us right to the exact spot he'd walked...  

This brush was very thick with thick clumps of brier.  I whispered to Cade that we would slowly start in...

Just then a huge commotion with flapping and cracking brush broke out not 5 yds. in front of us!

We both ran in as he' tried to get away! But he was so entangled and obviously weakened from the shot damage, he couldn't get out of the thick brier's he'd worked himself into...

We crashed in and quickly found a tiny hole to get an arrow through and Cade quickly finished him off...Cade had his gobbler!!!

Grizzly Instinct...
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Cade claiming his prize...
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A very wet gobbler...
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Proud Dad moment...
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Luv this picture...
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Tag filled!!
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We did manage to get out a couple more times before the season ended. We had action, but Cade never did let another arrow fly...

Up next...some bowfishing...

[ChuckC]

Very nice.   Looks like you had a good turkey season there.

Thanks for sharing

[23feetupandhappy]

Man oh Man its good to see you posting again Curt    

Love seeing the Turkey thread, it wont be long and it will be here,  I'm in for the rest  

[Guru]

Thanks fellas!!  Made a new year res. to get back to TG way more often, and to stay in better touch with my friends.....this is a start!

Spring faded into summer and I did get out wading with my bow once in June, I shot 3 fish and a lot of video....but never did snap a picture          

Sorry for the poor Iphone pix     :(    

 We shot some whoppers!
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Terry and Cade...
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[Guru]

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Thanks again to Terry for a great night!!!

[bunyan]

Great stories and pics as always! It's good to see you back! Thanks for sharing and Hopefully theres some bunny hunting pics to come!

[Guru]

Summer quickly became early fall and found us busier than ever with everything else going on, Mae Mae was now playing on a very good travel softball team that practiced and played a lot!

Cade was also playing on his American Legion baseball team(most games in NJ) and varsity golf...busy, busy, busy!!

To be honest though, I missed a lot of hunting...but there's nothing I'd rather do than watch my kids play!!

Cade and I hunted for a couple hours Oct. 1st, opening morning of bow season....we saw nothing and had games to get to...we bailed about 9:00.


  October 2nd...

After a morning ball game in New Jersey, Cade and I found ourselves heading for a stand that I hardly ever hunt, and he's never hunted. I'd killed a doe from this stand on video two years prior. Not a lot of deer, but with the right wind....it's worth sitting...

We drove into the orchard, parked, got changed and were soon at the base of the ladder stand. This was a single set-up, so I went up first and hung a stand above the ladder platform...then Cade came up and we got settled in...wind was perfect, light, and from the southwest...

With plenty of time left before light started to fade, all of a sudden I saw Cade quickly stand as he reached for his bow looking south...I reached for my cameras!

Within seconds I caught movement and what I saw was amazing...I knew immediately I was looking at the oldest deer I'd ever laid eyes on!!!

I've seen literally thousands of deer in the woods, and worked on probably, at least, a thousand deer in my taxidermy shop over the years....I knew before us right now, was something very few get to see...

She was a monster!  She had a huge frame, but was so gaunt, ribs, hips and spine were very evident...

She was so big, she made the "normal sized" doe that was following her look tiny...

And her face...her face was so pale it looked white...

She was an ancient, slow walking, true matriarch of the woods!

With only a few year under his belt, Cade really had no idea what he was looking at, but she was about to be in a position for a shot!

[Zradix]

   

[Guru]

She slowly walked forward...and out into the open... he made a "meeeh" sound to stop her at about 17-18yds. broadside drew and released a Grizzly Instinct tipped carbon arrow on it's way...
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the arrow was a little off... sight and sound both confirmed it!

It "plunked" in way too far back to hit anything vital and disappeared though her like like she was made of paper...she was quickly gobbled up by the thick brush as she retreated...

I told Cade that there was no doubt that he'd just shot the oldest deer I'd ever seen!

He was beside himself about his shot, but there was no doubt what we had to do...this would have to wait till morning...

[Buckeye1977]

That's awesome as always! Enjoy reading the stories and following along with pics and some outstanding video! Also congrats to both of you on filling some turkey tags during my favorite time of year.