My Double Bull and a fresh season

[Charlie Lamb]

It seems like anymore I'm either gettin ready to hunt (3D shoots fall in that category along with equiptment prep), actually hunting, or recovering from a hunt (which includes writing about it).

This year is no exception. We're currently locked into a nasty cold weather pattern here in the midwest with temps hovering in the twenties and below for most of the last 3 weeks.

It sucks (spent a long time in a really cold place, so I know it could be worse) but before long it will be turkey season again and I'm prepping for that.

I can say that with the purchase of a new blind (Double Bull "Matrix"), I'm going into this coming season with renewed confidence... of course I say that every year.

The thing is that now I can shoot whatever bow I want and not have to worry about the length. My favorite is 62" with another at 64". Both can be used out of the "Matrix" and neither could be used out of my old "Brickhouse".

I'd had to buy a much shorter bow than I like to use with my longer draw and just wasn't confident with it. I mean it shot ok but just wasn't "me".

I'm probably gonna stick with my favorite broadhead... the Magnus I "Eviscerator", Turkeys take a lot of killin.

Having lost my share of birds to arrows which seemed well placed I'm using a string tracker. It's my second year with it and will remain a part of my "turkey gear" from now on.

If turkeys are anything it's tough and hard to track. The string thing should help immensely with recovery.
Ever notice how a bird that seems as big as a barn when he's alive shrinks to near invisibility once he dies?

I am taking a long hard look at the "Turkey Guillotine" but have yet to form a solid opinion. I'm puttin it in the "might try" category for now.

Up till now I've tried to predetermine turkey movement and placed my blind ahead of time. I've only had minimal success with that strategy and am considering a more "run and gun" style this year.  

I'll be using diaphram calls again on a limited basis. My preferred calls are slate and striker type.
May even drag out one of my dad's old box calls and take it to the woods in his memory. I have never quite had the "nack" with box calls.

Gonna cut down my decoy flock as well. I've used two jakes and a hen for the past few years and am considering just using a single hen decoy.

Need to talk to the boys at Double Bull about it. They've made a few comments about jake decoys that make me curious.... anything that helps, I figure.

So for now I'm hoping to see a little discussion here (I know there's another thread or two going but it's better than having to wade through and remove dog threads, and all the other stuff that some guys put up when they get bored in mid winter    )

[kennym]

This cold DOES suck,and if ya need a halfstrut jake,lemme know!! He's scared off  several gobblers for me. If I had a nice big blind,I might make that ol bird just keep lookin without any dekes till he got close enough.  :D   Seems like every bird and situation calls for something different,sometimes I'm lucky nuff to get part of it right......... Good luck!!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I hear ya! After loosing 2 birds last year to what I thought were perfect hits( one left a blood trail thru the woods for several hundred yards before taking flight off a steep hill)I decided to try the guillotine head this year. I always limit my shots to 12 yards or less and I'll share with you my results.  One decoy set up I love is a jake with a real tail fanned out a few feet away for a feeding hen. It drives the bigs boys nuts and they come running. I place the jake at 12 steps from my blind and the hen at 7 steps and the almaost all ways come and get in between giving me a 8 to 12 yard shot.

[korn stalker]

Hey guys, I too am using a string tracker this year...... and I think I am going to buy a Double Bull blind this season. I currently have a old Ameri-step pop up, it's hard to shoot a 60 inch bow out of..... hard to put up.. etc.

For you Double Bull owners, do you like the T5 or the Matrix? Why? Is the 67" model big enough for a 60 inch recurve or would you go with the "Recurve Model"..... Your Thoughts?

[Guru]

I love my Matrix blind,I got it with the light carbon rods to cut the weight a few pounds.I would think you'd be fine with a 60" bow out of the standard blind.

I've shot my 60" Silvertip out of it, but have only hunted out of it with my 56" KS.

Charlie, I don't dare leave mine out,too many thieves around here!  But,I've gotten to the point(as will you) that I can carry it in and be totally set up, in the dark, very quickly! That big ol' Magnus you shoot will be fine bud.

Remember to try to hit BEHIND the wingbutt...not on it.This is a much better place to try to hit with an arrow.And a slightly off hit any way will still get you your bird.A hit in the wingbutt will do it,but very little room for error.I hit a bird once right on the butt(found round bone chips from the "ball"),arrow absolutely stopped!!! Never made it to the vitals and he was still alive 2 hrs. later!

My preferred decoy set up is 1-2 hens with a jake behind them. But if I had to hunt with just one, it would hands down be a jake!  I learned this while gun hunting.For years I carried just one hen and had very little luck.One year I decided to change things up and took a red magic marker to the head and attached a short catwiskers beard.The results were amazing! I still carry that same jake deke today,10 yrs. later....

[Stone Knife]

Charlie,
I really love a slate call for turkeys, you can really get some nice soft sweet notes off a good slate and man made slates. Those soft calls really work good on a high pressure tom. I only use a diaphragm if i need a call at the moment of truth to get the bird to commit the last few feet. I have taken many turkeys with a gun, this will be my first season hunting with a bow and it will be a longbow 66" in length. I have a ameristep penthouse i believe it is a little bigger than the double bull, I'll bet it weighs more also. Not a lot of fun to pack in but worth it when it is set up.

[Shaun]

Dang turkeys! I got so used to missing them that I was totally surprised when I finally drilled one. In the videos they seem to stand around at 6 yards and hold still. The few I can get to come real close never stand still. The vitals are lower and farther back than makes sense. Just above the legs is a good spot and quartering to facing away works good.

Calling, I have had good luck with soft tree calls and then shutting up if I get to the morning strut spot first. Mid day in the woods, I have had good luck with loud box calls.

Practice both setting up the blind and shooting out of it at home. Easy enough, but tricky to figure out in the dark without practice.

Soon as the Texas hog/javie winter break is over, I'm gonna start thinking real hard about gobblers.

[Charlie Lamb]

Curt... I had begun to question the kind of deal I'd gotten on my Matrix. I only see one listed at the different places and they retail for what I paid.

Mine has the light weight poles and is "the recurve model". Does that sound right and what kind of price would that be.

I'm planning on making the shot at the bird facing away or head on if it's at all possible. I sure don't like the broadside shot on the dang things.

Heck, I've zorked em right in the middle of the good spot and lost em and then again I had one that the arrow glanced off the breast, the turkey did a little circle, laid down and died. Never could figure what I hit that was lethal. Just a slash across the breast.

You won't find me leaving any blind sitting out. I put them up when I get there and they come out with me when I leave. Especially at the price of the DB.

I'll be prepared to adjust decoys to see what works. Sometimes I think it's a regional thing. All I know is if Curt Cabrera says the single jake works, then I'm gonna try it.

Shaun... I'm gonna start prep for the Texas thing right away... soon as it warms up a little. But I can tell ya, I have a harder time hitting a turkey than some old goat.  :D

[oddan]

Charlie,,If'in ya need to sell dem short bows lets me know. On a serious note I would not try the Gulatine head with a string tracker. The videos I have watched show that broadhead does not penatrate very well in the body. Its made for a neck shot,and on a neck shot it does great. A hit in the body and the shaft falling out would leave you without a trail. JMHO

[Charlie Lamb]

Dan... already sold off that one short bow. I understand the  concept of head shooting only with the Guillotine. Never hurts to keep that clear for those that don't.  

It would almost surely bounce off on a body shot. Lots of guys don't understand how difficult it can be to penetrate a turkey... I mean, they're only made of feathers, right!?    :D

[the Ferret]

They're out there waiting on you Charlie

 

 

[Charlie Lamb]

Yeah Mick! They just hang around all friendly like until the season actually arrives and then they want to play hard to get.

I drive by a flock of 50 or so almost everyday. Some days they are right next to the road. It just ain't fair.

[Bob Morrison]

Charlie, Your going to like the DD. I have found if it get to slow you can actually sleep in it.

Bob

[cjones]

Charlie,
The matrix recurve model retails for $439 and the std model is $399. I'm not sure what the extra cost of the lw poles would be. I'll be buying a matrix before turkey season myself. My brickhouse has worked well but i could reall tell the difference this winter when i hunted out of Jeff's matrix. The deception camo just blended in so much better in the bare winter woods.

[Missouri CK]

I've been looking at the double bull myself. I e-mailed them about the recurve model.  I figured for the price difference it was worth the extra room.  Pretty soon I'll have to squeeze the boy in with Andrew and I.  

I've never really seen too many price mark downs on the double bulls. $429 seems to be the regular price for the recurve model.  One shop said they would sell it for $400.  The regular matrix model seem to be $399 everywhere I've looked.  I talked to the guys at double bull and apparently you can buy a demo model for about 10% off the regular price but it has been used.

I'm not sure if I've missed it, but I've never seen a retail store list the type of poles (carbon vs whatever else).  Is their a price difference as well?  

Curt,  I'm interested in your thoughts about the jake decoy only.  Are you still make hen clucks and other "hen" calls even when they are getting close enough to see the set up (i.e. when they can see its a jake).

Chris

[Guru]

Tha lightweight poles are a $70 dollor option from DB...worth it!!

 Chris, Yes hunt just like you normally would, hen calls. I might as well throw out my hen dekes,cause 100 percent of the time a bird comes in(commits to the decoys) he doesn't even pay attention to the hen decoys.They are always 100 percent focused on the jake. I've never had a tom/jake come to my decoys and sidle up to a hen deke,always the jake.

With just the jake they come in thinking theres a hen or 2 around, see the jake.....apparently forget about the hen.....

But I do like to put a hen or 2 out,because sometimes it/they will bring in other hens.And a  lot of times they drag in a tom with them.

[Charlie Lamb]

Bob... me sleep when the huntin's slow. Why I never heard of such a thing.     It's actually something I really like about them.

The other is being able to put a small heater in them for those chilly mornings... that may be an old guy thing, though.  :D  

Chad... I'm thinking more and more about adding the pop up to my deer hunting bag of tricks. I see a lot of advantages and your success this winter sure adds confidence.

Chris... those blinds are super for kids. I've buddied up with guys in them and it's amazing what you can get by with from both the movement and noise angles.

I had been thinking that I got taken on my Double Bull deal, but now think the guy actually made me a pretty good deal.

Recurve blind, with lightweight poles for $400.

[fireman_3311]

That's a good price, Charlie...does he have any more left??? Where is your dealer located?

I also use a standing jake deke, with 1 or 2 hens...but hate my old half strut jake...like said above, it has scared off more birds than it's brought in!!!

[Charlie Lamb]

Brad... local guy down in St. Marys, Mo. named Jim and his outfit is called JP Enterprises. I'll PM you his phone, but this was a pretty special deal with slight damage to the blind.

[Charlie Lamb]

I'm not sure how much difference the lightweight poles make, but the rig feels "A LOT" lighter than my Ameristep Brickhouse.

I may start out with just a single Jake decoy this spring and see how it goes. In the past about the best I've done is to have a couple of gobblers walk by at 60 yards and pay no attention to the spread.... hen with two jakes.

Frustrating, but at least they didn't blow out of the country.