?, Heading south to hunt with True South Adventures

[CRS]

My son and I are heading south to hunt with Jim & Irv at True South Adventures April 5-7.

Taking one piece longbows built by friends.
Son's bow is 55# @ 28 and he is pulling approx 52#.  My bow is 54# @28 and I am right at 28" draw.  Arrows are tuned we are both shooting confidently.

What advice do all you southern guys have for a a couple of Yankees?  

Plan is to have a good time, hunt Osceola's and  wild pork sausage.

Any and all input welcome.

[Bernie B.]

Can't give you any advice, but I know you'll have a great time!  It's always fun to hunt with a son.  Be sure to post some pictures with a tale or two when you get home.    

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[CRS]

Absolutely, don't know if I can match up to some of the yarn spinners on here, but I will try.

[huskyarcher]

Bug spray, thermacell, o yea and something for bugs.

Whoever you want to kill the most, put them in the double stand.

Oh and dont drive off to hunt with your bow on top of the truck    

Butt... if you do, Irv will hook you up.

[killinstuff]

You will need your themo-cell and if you really want to kill a pig, up your odds by being ready to keep on sitting after the sun goes down. Also bring a foam seat cushion. The longer you wait the better chances. Folks worry to much about their equipment (toys?) when they should be thinking of how they can get as much time on the stand as possible.  Irv and Jim will help you be successful you can count on that.

[tarponnut]

It's a turkey hunt guys!
Chad you are welcome to sit all night waiting for a tom to come into your decoy spread though(LOL)!

That's get a couple turkeys down first, but the hogs are pretty active now,too. (they've had a rest).
Thanks guys.

[CRS]

Jim,
Only if you stick me under the roost tree!  He may fall into the decoy spread.  

But I imagine Florida has some laws against that kind of thing.

In all seriousness.  We are going to go down, have fun, and let the hunt unfold.  Looking forward to seeing and experiencing Florida hunting.

Thanks for suggestions.  Keepem coming

[beaunaro]

Chad,
Unfortunately, I am going to miss you guys. I have to return to WI about 2 weeks earlier than planned to get a hernia repaired. I'm sorry to leave Jim there alone, but he will treat you well. We've already talked about where to set you guys up and Jim is buying a brand new ground blind so you both can be mobile in addition to our fixed blinds.
From what we've seen and learned from the previous hunts,these Osceolas tend to be a lot quieter than other species of turkeys.
Both Kent Zocher's and Sean Bleakley's birds came in completely silent.
We always let you guys decide what to use and how to call, so take this with a grain of salt.
Sean calls as well as any hunter I have seen and he was mostly offering a few soft yelps and purrs every 1/2 hour or so.
Rod Schaeffer followed the same routine and almost got it done on the last day.
We seem to have one resident hen who is very friendly. She likes to come join your decoy layout and hang out. Great entertainment. You might want to get some video.
If you have room, bring your bowfishing gear. There are miles of canals to bank fish in the area, and they offer Gar for fun, and Tillapia for delicious fillets.
Sorry I am going to miss you guys.
Irv Eichorst
True South Adventures

[beaunaro]

Chad,
Unfortunately, I am going to miss you guys. I have to return to WI about 2 weeks earlier than planned to get a hernia repaired. I'm sorry to leave Jim there alone, but he will treat you well. We've already talked about where to set you guys up and Jim is buying a brand new ground blind so you both can be mobile in addition to our fixed blinds.
From what we've seen and learned from the previous hunts,these Osceolas tend to be a lot quieter than other species of turkeys.
Both Kent Zocher's and Sean Bleakley's birds came in completely silent.
We always let you guys decide what to use and how to call, so take this with a grain of salt.
Sean calls as well as any hunter I have seen and he was mostly offering a few soft yelps and purrs every 1/2 hour or so.
Rod Schaeffer followed the same routine and almost got it done on the last day.
We seem to have one resident hen who is very friendly. She likes to come join your decoy layout and hang out. Great entertainment. You might want to get some video.
If you have room, bring your bowfishing gear. There are miles of canals to bank fish in the area, and they offer Gar for fun, and Tillapia for delicious fillets.
Sorry I am going to miss you guys.
Irv Eichorst
True South Adventures

[rbcorbitt]

Speedy recovery on your hernia repair!

Definitely gonna have to come down to play next year.  It is obvious that you and Jim put all of your energies behind your clients having the best hunt possibile!

[Sean B]

Chad, These birds are very cautious, & don't gobble a whole lot on the ground. So you need to be very patient. You'll hear gobbling while they're on the roost, but not much if any while they're on the ground. even the hens yalp very softly and not a long cadence.  Kent and I had several hens with in 5 to 6 yards of us, and I don't recall hearing one purr.

I set a hen decoy at 7 yards facing me and a jake about 3 yards behind her.  See how first light goes.  Soft tree yalps.  Let them know you're there. As Irv said, a few soft yalps,clucks and purrs about every 20 to 30 mins.  Stay alert, I think Kent Zocher's came in at around 8 or 830, Mine came in at 1015.  Neither bird made a sound. Both went to the Jake decoy.

Hope this helps, Good Luck-Sean

[VictoryHunter]

Shoot straight!  

[beaunaro]

Thanks for the kind words rbcorbitt.
We do try hard to please. Our conversations always seem to center around customer service..
Sometimes i think it pains us more than the archer, when the game doesn't read the script.Luckily that doesn't happen often, but occasionally we get some bad weather, wind or full moon. Most guys have a great time. I always tell Jim that my favorite partis meeting all the fantastic people who become repeat clients and great friends.
We would sure be glad to have you.
Irv Eichorst
True South Adventures

[CRS]

Leaving on a 7:10 am flight, thanks for all the advice.

Irv, Jim told me about your hernia issue, really sorry to miss you.  Maybe next year!  

Definitely going to have a great time regardless of how the animals cooperate.  Always excited to hear the woods come alive and watch the sun make it's daily trek across new landscapes and horizons.

I think those Osceola's are going to be a whole lot diferent than the Merriam's we normally chase.  I do have limited experience with Easterns.  My favorite time to hunt Merriams is actually 10am to 2pm.  I feel the natural competition has waned and they are more eager.

Bowfishing gear is packed and looking forward to to that also.

Will get a full report posted after we return.

[Roddo]

CRS: This was my second trip with Jim and Irv and I was pretty conservative on the calling. I had hens in and one that stayed from dawn until noon when Irv came to pick me up. She walked up to my jake and begged for some attention.She was almost in the blind. She was soft at times and loud at times. But, no gobbler ever answered her. My last day I was loud and agressive, had birds responding, but a jogger with a dog came into my set and that ended. I heard one gobble, that is it. I would try it all. Great hunt but these birds are really cautious. Jim and Irv are great guys to hunt with.

[tarponnut]

Rod, the birds were really going off yesterday and were also moving a lot more on our side of the canal. Chad's son Cade heard toms in the three different directions and had a close encounter(I'll let Chad tell that one).