New Blind.....New Bow.....New Chair = Tom Turkey

[hitman]

Nice. What is the height of the bale blind?

[Duker]

How SWEEEEET it is   :D   Nice job Kevin  

[Shinken]

     

Good shot and nice pics!

Shoot straight, Shinken

 

[fnshtr]

Congrats! Nice bow and set up.
     

[Guru]

Congrats all around!!!!

[Kevin Winkler]

I'll try and answer some of the questions.

The Blind King chairs come in two models std. non-swivel seat and the deluxe model with swivel seat and individually adjustable legs. I had used a Huntmore 360 before this and the IMO the Blind King chair has my vote. I also have a Waldrop pack chair and each one has it's purpose.
The Blind King is rock solid. The std model weighs 8.5# and the deluxe 10.5# they set it by simply tipping the seat up and hooking the latch of the back leg over it.....it takes about 3 seconds. The best part is the chairs and blinds are made in Cross Plains, WI .....USA. Not China! This video link will show the chair  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHKng2wEbXA

The Sportsman Bale Blind has a inside height of 70" It is 64" wide and 72" in dia. with silent side windows on all sides and the interior frame is tubular alum. the whole blind weighs 68#.
It's not something that you will setup and move around like a popup, but it certainly has it place. I have a 170 acre farm and a lot of it is cropland and bottom ground with swamp, so I don't have any trees to hunt out of. The blind works great in fields and food plots.

I had mine setup in a clover plot next to the small parcel of wooded acreage that I own. The weather has been so cold and wet that the turkey hunting action hasn't been so great. Yes most places still have or had snow only a few weeks ago. We had over 5" of rain in one week and most of my property was flooded. Most of the birds had headed to higher ground. So Friday morning I was in my Bale blind in the clover plot next to the woods before first light, I figured I wouldn't see much action if any until 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM but I wanted to be in place. one of the only green patches is this clover plot and I know that they frequent it often. I had one Avian hen decoy out and about 8:00 AM a hen can through. She talked to me and my decoy for awhile and when she got bored she disappeared.

About 9:00 I heard a gobble to my south and then several minutes later a gobble to the north along the creek! Good, I thought.....I've got Tom's on two sides of me with a real decoy in between. after a little hen talk, I heard what I thought was the same hen, but it was two more hens. All three marched around the field for awhile and then they headed off. The Tom to my south would still gobble every 5 minutes or so, I knew I would have to wait him out without calling.

After a long wait I spotted a turkey head looking over the brush! It was that Tom, he saw the decoy and slowly over the next 1/2 hour approched the field edge. He wouldn't come any closer than 30 yds or so. He needed to get closer if I was going to take a shot. After what seemed forever, he headed away from me. After a few soft calls he circled off to my left and was heading into the clover patch at about 20 - 25 yds from the blind.  
Slowly I closed the side windows on the blind and opened the one on the end that he was. The silent side windows worked perfectly! The Tom would go in and out of strut and kept giving my decoy that llook ..... like he knew something wasn't right. I knew that it was going to be now or never, so I decided to try the shot. I knew that it was a good 20 yds or more so I drew picked a spot high and forward of his leg and held at anchor, then before I knew what happened the tom was on the ground!
I windage was perfect but I shot a little high and ended up breaking his spine. Best bad/good shot I have made on a turkey. It anchored him for good and after a short wait he was still. I paced off the shot at 23 yds. The bird weighed 23#, 9 1/4" beard and 1" spurs. Not a monster but a good one in my book.

I like this product so much, I have decided to handle these blinds and stools in my little archery shop.

[elkken]

   Congrats on a nice bird and some good pics. Love that blind !

[Bernie B.]

Congratulations!  Nice turkey and equipment!  These last two days have been fun sitting in a blind.  Great pictures also!    

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[maineac]

Congrats!!!

[Orion]

Hey Kevin.  Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then.  Congrats.  Your shooting is coming right along.      

[knobby]

Congratulations, Kevin. Nice bird and photos.

[doubleo]

Congrates on the beautiful gobbler,Kevin! Cool blind and pics.  

[Mike Vines]

Nice complete setup there Kevin.  Is the blind made to look like a roll of Hay?

[Dave Bowers]

Congrats...you should get that pic of you and the bird across the log blown up....thats a good pic.

[lunchbucket]

Congrates and job well done.

[shedhunta]

Thats awesome!!  congrats!

[beaunaro]

Congratulations, Kevin.
I knew I heard you shoot from my place!!
Irv Eichorst
www.truesouthadventures.com

[Lil Okie]

Great story and an awesome bird.

I really like the Thunder Child..Congrats

[Gun]

Nice Kevin! Congrats!

[nick_the_tinkerer]

Nice Congrats on your Bird!!