BREAKING NEWS: E. Bunny Gets Reprieve. Tom Turkey....Not So Lucky

[archeryx]

Well, it's a good thing the Easter Bunny was on duty today.  He did, however, fail to warn his friend 'Tom' to stay on roost.  


I have to go to the inlaw's for lunch but I'll get back with you all this afternoon for the rest of the story...........    

Happy Easter!!

[T-Bowhunter]

[archeryx]

First off, we should all feel very lucky to have such a great forum to be a part of day in and day out.  I read topics every day, be it 2 PM or 2 AM.  I’m truly addicted to the ‘Gang’ and there are some great folks.  With that said, I feel that it’s time I contribute to the gang with a little story of my own.

This season has been up and down so far.  I’ve sat for about 40 hours leading up to this morning.  The majority of visitors have been hens and the twin fawns I got to enjoy all last deer season.  The Toms have been very vocal but very shy.  My normal morning starts out with up to at least a dozen different gobblers roosted in a 360 degree zone around me.  Some were very close.  I had a near miss second time out nearly ruining a rod on my new Double Bull.  Arrow sailed over his back.  Lucky I shot high otherwise the rod wouldn’t have fared so well.  While climbing out of the blind several times, I’ve encountered strutters in the middle part of the hay field I hunt.  I’ve even stumbled across them near the truck of all things.  I felt yesterday at lunch that I needed to make a big change and roll the dice.
 
I’ve never sat up in this particular part of the hay.  It is the inside corner of the ‘L’ shaped field where it meets the big timber (Public Land).  There is a water way that runs from the middle of the ‘L’ downhill to this corner containing tall grass and a few cedars.   On the North side of the waterway there is a small stretch of low green grass with some hedge trees sporadically spaced.  Placing my decoys and blind near one of the hedge trees would give me great vision to the rest of the hay field.  My previous set was nestled in a cedar patch with a small clearing not allowing me to see the rest of the field.
 
I left the field after setting up my blind in the new spot at around noon yesterday only to stumble across another tom just 200 yards from the truck.  ‘I sure hope this works’ I thought to myself.  Easter morning was my shot at redemption and it was just a mere 18 hours away……..


I've really got to go eat folks.  I promise to finish the story this afternoon!!

[rwbowman]

Sounds like this should play out well. Tuned in!

[Jayrod]

[archeryx]

This morning came early again as the alarm clock struck 0415.  Hit the snooze once and rolled out of bed around 0430.  Showered, got dressed, eggs and toast, and I was out the door around 0520.  The moon was still bright but mostly obscured by some high clouds.  I sure hope those clouds break off by sunrise.  Those Toms will be more apt to strutting around in the fresh green with some sun on their backs.  Got to my blind and pulled out my Dave Smith’s.  An alert hen, feeding hen, and the strutter with a Jake fan with wing butts were the ‘uniform of the day’.  I got the decoys set about the time the sky was starting to lighten up and I could see more than just shapes across the field.  I settled into the blind anticipating a newfound confidence of my roll of the dice.

…..And there it was.  Silence.  Dead silence.  Not a cackle or gobble once in the timber next to me.  The previous two days sounded like an orchestra of turkey in that 360 degree circle.  Today was different, way different.  The only gobbles I heard were distant and across the road at that.  Well over a quarter mile away and I began to think that I did all that work for nothing.  I thought to myself that for all the action in the timber the past two days and no toms showing up, maybe this was a good thing.  Maybe the Easter Bunny would deliver a nice surprise.  As the sun rose above the horizon, the distant gobbles gave way to one that was on my side of the road in the timber to my East.  Now we’re talking.  I figured they may be on the far East end of the hayfield heading my direction.  About 20 minutes later, I looked up on the high part of the hayfield to see 2 jakes and 2 Toms training along.  They stopped on the top of the hill to get a glimpse of my spread.  Some soft feeding purrs and yelps ignited a gobble fest leading to the Toms playing a little game of tag with the Jakes.  

As they headed West parallel to me, I began to think that they weren’t interested.  They turned north and started walking along the high terrace towards, you guessed it, my former blind spot.  Fitting, huh?  As they got to the end of the waterway that runs in front of me, they made a hard right.  Oh crap, this is it!  Here they come, right into my lap.  The jakes are in the lead with no concern.  The Toms, however, are not so sure.........

[archeryx]

Alert with heads up, the Toms stood fast, letting the younger generation be the guinea pigs.  I shook my head and said, “you frickin’ dummies.  Look at this strapping young lad honin’ in on your girls!”  The jakes continued perilously right up to my strutter.  As I peeked out the side window of the DB, I could see that the Toms had no interest and were starting to turn back towards my old set up.  I grasped the Bocote veneered Widow PSA’s string and tensed it up once or twice.  Lucky Jakes they were.  Broadside at 8 yards and were getting a free pass.  What?????  I peeked out the back window this time to see one ornery Tom sneaking around back.  The old circle attack.  When he didn’t show, I watched the Jakes start to walk off.  I looked out the back again to see both Toms headed straight to the Northwest towards the old set once again.  Dang it!  So close this time!

I put the Widow back down and sounded off some desperate pleas for return.  To no avail, I watched the boys disappear over the terrace.  Feeling kind of low, I thought surely they will get curious and come back to see, right???  I sat in silence for the next hour thinking to myself, that I made a huge mistake and should have left things alone.  I HAD a great setup that was known for funneling birds in the North end of the property and I changed it.  Bad move?  Maybe.

[Keith Zimmerman]

Did u fall asleep Brian???

[archeryx]

HAHA.  Almost!  Typing makes me tired!

Soon my friend.  Soon!

[archeryx]

Silence fell over the hayfield again with only noise from farm implements nearby and the ever increasing wind.  I knew that the wind would get high enough today that my decoys would start having seizure like activity making things look too unnatural.  I started blaming myself for screwing up a good thing.  Sometimes we try to out think the opponent too much leading to frustration and disappointment.  The thing is….I love the challenge of outsmarting one of nature’s sharpest eyed critters.  These aren’t your ordinary critters either.  These dudes spend 50% or more of their time on public land.  Shotgun blasts broke up the monotony of my previous sits the last week and a half.  

Would I be in for another long sit till lunch at the in-laws?  As I stated earlier, I have sat for around 40 hours so far with a 10 and a couple of 6 hour stints in the blind.  I’m a glutton for punishment I guess.  I finally said to myself that I just need to break it all down and move it back to the area that has brought me so much success over the last 8+ years of hunting this spot for turkey.  “Thirty more minutes.  Just thirty more and I’ll move.”  Thirty minutes came and went and I began to pack up my calls and gear.  Arrows nestled back in the quiver, calls put away, and my shooting glove hanging loosely around my wrist not on my fingers.  Remember that little part in a few minutes.

The ambient farm noise continued and then I thought I heard what sounded like a car door shutting off in the distance.  The neighbor’s house was about 400 yards away and sound travels well there.  I thought nothing of it and then heard it again a minute later.  Still not putting two and two together, I had out my knife getting ready to trim a thread off my bag chair.  There it was again a pretty good thud and some running sound in the fresh short grass……….

[Keith Zimmerman]

Sounds like some turkeys got pushed ur way....or a yote!

[Keith Zimmerman]

Sounds like some turkeys got pushed ur way....

[archeryx]

Oh no Keith.  That was no push, that was actually him thumping (drumming) mad and me not bothering to look!!!!

Out of a thin slit of the front opening, I saw a white head and feathers.  This dude was angry and came in on a sprint with wings spread and a deployed tail fan.  Right up to the strutter, he came to an abrupt halt.  Good thing I had packed everything up and put my arrows back in the quiver, huh?  I was fumbling around like a nervous Nelly.  I couldn’t get arrows out quick enough.  I’m sure I was making enough noise to ward off the wariest of animals.  Good thing he was seeing red and not listening.  I finally got an arrow out and was kneeling with both knees in the dirt.  Remember my DB stools and bag chair had all been put up.  Good thing I took some practice shots in the driveway this morning kneeling on the ground, right?   Remember that little bit about my shooting glove hanging off my wrist and not on my fingers……..

I thought to myself, ‘well, I’ve never practiced without my glove on.  This ought to be interesting.”  Good thing he’s only at 7 yards.  Facing straight away and at full strut, I drew back and decided on the old Texas heart shot.  My fingers relaxed and the 190 grain Simmons tree shark was on the way.  Cutting through the mesh like it wasn’t there, the arrow zipped just to the left and blew through his feathers just between his left wing and his body.  He jumped and ran a couple of steps.  He looked around trying to figure out what just happened.  I knew that I just grazed him and that it wouldn’t be a fatal hit.  I scrambled for another arrow (Still in the quiver! Doh!        ).   I nocked the second arrow and grasped the string once again with bare fingers.  He was starting to leave!  I silently cried out “No, we haven’t gotten this thing done yet!”  

At this point I was starting to feel that it was too late.  He was 15 yards and heading straight away.  It’s now or never.  I came to full draw and held for a couple seconds and almost thought of letting down.  Then that little voice that I had a couple years ago on my last stickbow deer said ‘You got this.’  …And there it goes.  Arrow speeding through the mesh on its way to the mark.  The absolute perfect arrow flight landed square just at the line of where the fan meets the body.  The tree shark adorned Gold Tip drove through the vitals stopping at the breast plate.  Told you that the Easter bunny was safe from harm.      

He jumped straight up and took off in a hobbled run.  He made it about 20 yards and hit the tall grass in the waterway.  There is a 6” deep eroded water channel in the bottom of the waterway and he found it with an emphatic nose dive head over heels.  Next came a flow of emotion that is hard to describe.  I got this tingly feeling followed by trembling and tears of joy.  I did it!  My venture from the norm paid off.  My gamble and roll of the dice just hit big.  This was just awesome.  I couldn’t believe it went down that fast.  To think I was 5 minutes from packing up and moving the blind back to its old home.  What a morning!  As I walked up to him, I could only think of my friends Kim and Keith Zimmerman, who have given me support and words of encouragement on my slow departure from the world of wheels.  

You see, I don’t regret killing my biggest deer ever this past November with the compound, but I did feel like I let myself down by not fully converting to the stick and string for the entire deer season.  I’ve been saying I’m switching for the past two seasons.  Now it’s a given.  Both turkey last year were taken with the Widow and Wild Horse Creek Kestrel.  My two deer taken with the stickbow a couple years ago have come via a JK Kanati and WHC Mariah.

 I shoot for my local shop as a Hoyt shop shooter.  Fully rigged out Carbon Spyder 34 for hunting and Pro Comp Elite for targets.  I do have and shoot about nine other longbows and recurves as well.  Well whatdaya know!  Hoyt makes the Buffalo and Formula HPX!!  Maybe my next shop staff bows?????

Thanks again to all my fellow ‘gangers’ for giving hope to all of us who strive to be better stickbow hunters and shooters.  The moderators and everyone here should feel like they had a hand in this special Easter morning hunt.  You may not think it, but the Tradgang community played a big part in my inspiration for this journey.

See you all on the next thread.  Sorry if it was word heavy.

   

10 1/2" beard. 1" spur on the right.  Broken 3/4" spur on the left.  

Oh yeah he was a bit of a 'toad':
   

[Keith Zimmerman]

Jeez.  Hes a big one!!  If u dont get him mounted, save the wings.  We will get gbow to make some special arrows for this fall using the feathers!

[archeryx]

Already spread out on cardboard bro!

[rwbowman]

Man that's a porker! Nice bird and awesome story! You are absolutely right about the community here. I love this bar...

[Warden609]

Great story and picture. Congrats!!

[Jayrod]

Heck of a bird congrats on a job well done way to stick with it

[Whip]

Great bird and great story!  Glad to see your gamble paid off.  Sometimes you just need to shake things up and try something different.  Doesn't always work,  but sure is sweet when it does.

[JMR]

Nice bird! Congratulations!