Short story for a longbow... and a turkey.

[Walt Francis]

Great start Charlie, looking forward to the rest of the story.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I have a plan Charlie, next year I'm going to give you a wake up call maybe that will work better!          

The new camera is taking great pics buddy.

Tracy

[kennym]

Things are lookin good buddy!    

What camera didja get?

[bowhunterfrompast]

Great pics and hunt so far      

[Stone Knife]

I love a good longbow story  

[snakebit40]

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by jonsimoneau:
Charlie's stories are always fit for a book.  

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Guru:
Been waiting to hear this story since I got that text a week or so back        

What?....Charlie has a phone that will text now???

COOL!

[ozzyshane]

love your work charlie keep it coming Thanks Shane

[maineac]

Always stories worth waiting for.

[Ben Maher]

Turkeys and Longbows via a Mr Lamb story .......

Cool ..... slowly told  obviously but way cool !

[Charlie Lamb]

I really hadn't intended this much delay in the telling guys. The day didn't start out all that well.

With a busy schedule I had allotted an hour early this morning. Forty five minutes into it and my computer went into update mode and ate what I had written.
You can imagine that I was quite upset but I had to take the wifey to the Dr. for what should have been an hour procedure. That little foray lasted 4 hours... it was a routine thing so Billie is just fine.
Demands of the shop took up the rest of the afternoon. So here I am and will get on with it.

Kenny... the new camera is a Nikon L120. Pretty nice little point and shoot type camera with a 14 mega pixel ability and limited but simple adjustments.

[Charlie Lamb]

The day turned out to be a rainy one. Intermittently clear skys with periods of cow whizzin on a flat rock down pours.

Each time I'd let my guard down and relax a little another bird would show up. The rainy spells would bring a nice drop in temperature that would make me pull down into my jacket for added warmth and when I got all cozy warm, I'd catch myself dozing and as soon as I'd nod a little a bird would come strolling by.

Sometimes they'd be clear across the clearing where they seemed to show up the most, but on occasion I'd suddenly have one appear from my blind side.

My first clue might be some small sound but it was just as likely that there'd be a blue head bobbing  along withing a few yards of the blind.

Of course I'd instantly be on high alert in case a gobbler was trailing along but it just wasn't turning out that way.
I still had a lot of fun just watching the hens at such close range.
I'd consider shot angles while focusing on particular feathers or pondering timing as they strolled by. Good  stuff.

[Charlie Lamb]

Along about 2 P.M. as I once more sat with jacket pulled over my head dozing a subdued "putt" brought me to attention.
It had come from behind the blind. Behind being the direction I least expected action and the side that of the blind I had buttoned up tight.

Looking all around I could see nothing in front or to the sides of the blind and since I needed to stretch a little anyway, I stood up and turned around.

Pulling the nylon window open just a smidge at the top I peeked out to see two hens standing straight and tall fifteen yards away.
In seconds they turned and ambled away.

[Charlie Lamb]

I really like the blind I was using and it has become my favorite. It's a Barronet 350 and it's a BIG hub style blind. The center height is a full 80 inches. It's tall enough that a big ole boy like me can stand up and stretch real good.

So after the hens moved off I arched my back and threw my shoulders back working out a couple of kinks as I turned casually around. To my horror what I saw was no less than six jakes at 15 yards and closing.

This was no time for finesse. I plunked my butt down in my chair and grabbed my bow. Sure they weren't big old braggin sized gobblers with paint brush size beards, but they were legal birds and given the chance I was going to get all Fred Eichler on one of them.

[Charlie Lamb]

There was one in the bunch that seemed a little taller than the others and a little more aggressive. He moved around more in the group than any of the others. I focused on him.

I'd have never gotten away with any of what I'd done to this point if I didn't have the screens up. I haven't gotten totally confident leaving the windows wide open and have become pretty proficient shooting through the screens,so I leave them up

With only a short swing of the bow into position I hit anchor and a split second later the arrow was away.
At the short distance of 10 yards I drove the Simmon's Tree Shark w/bleeder into the wing butt of the broadside bird.

As a group the the young birds raced about 15 yards directly away from the blind and then in unison they made an abrupt left turn and ran into the strip of trees to my left.

In the confusion I lost track of which bird was mine as they trotted through the trees. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him going down. I wanted it worse than anything, but it didn't happen. I sat alone listening.

It may have been a minute later or it could have been longer or shorter. I don't know for sure. What I did know was that I faintly heard wings flopping.

[Charlie Lamb]

It was about then that the sky opened up and it got seriously wet out. The rain made a terrific din pelting down on the nylon blind.
I settled in to wait out the deluge. There was no hurry. The strip of trees was less than 30 yards wide and beyond was wide open prairie that had been recently burned off. There was nothing out there taller than 3 inches. If he was dead I'd find him and if not.... well I'd face that outcome when the time came.

It must have rained hard and steady for almost an hour and a half but finally it let up. In a light drizzle I unzipped the blind and set off in the direction the birds had gone.

There was a defined trail where they'd entered the trees. I wasn't aware of it previously, but made note of it now. There had been several birds appear right there and that was the key to that question and another piece of puzzle to add to the memory bank.

As I left the sheltering trees and stepped into the prairie grass stubble I could see a dark object laying in a small swale fifty yards distant.

I knew what it had to be, but I wasn't going to get ahead of myself until I was close enough to make out details.
I was not dissappointed! There in the cold and wet was my jake. Stiff as a board and soaking wet he still looked pretty good to me.

I have to admit that I rushed through the picture taking to spare my camera a wetting. The rain was coming back.  
 
 

(cont.)

[Orion]

Excellent rendition, Charlie.  Nice pix as well. Thanks for taking us along.

[StanM]

As always, a great read!  Yeah, I'd buy the book  

Congrats on the bird Charlie!!!!!! Any turkey with a stick is a trophy for sure......it don't matter how long or thick his paint brush is!

Bisch