Gobblepazoolza 2014

[Mike Gerardi]

Looks like Mike was in a hurry to get at his snickers bar!   :D

[SheltonCreeker]

Put me in coach I'm ready to play. Okay sorry for the delay in my chiming in. First I want to tell Mike, Jeff and Zach how much fun I had hunting with each of you. It never ceases to amaze me how much I end up learning from the guys in camp. As I said before I would share a camp with any of you any where any time. I also want to thank the Nick and his family. What a great bunch of folks. Salt of the earth comes to mind. On with the hunt.
Mike and I departed my place early Wed morning. You know you have a good travel companion when you have a 12-14 hour drive and it seems to go by in no time. We arrived and met one of our campmates Critter. Shortly there after Jeff and Zach arrived. After we all got settled in Nick discussed the morning plans. He asked if minded sitting in the same blind I killed my bird out of last year. Its close to the bunk house. Mind I did not. Mikes alarm hits me between the eyes like a rock at 430. Knowing I didn't have to catch a ride to an out lying point I didn't spring out of bed.

[SheltonCreeker]

So I get out of bed and wish all my camp mates well as Nick starts taking guys to each of there desired locations. Nick comes back around 530 AM and tells me no need to rush if I am in by 6 AM that id be in good shape. Nick and I chew the fat for a half hour about nothing in particular. I have to admit my one on one conversations with Nick Klintworth have always been extremely enjoyable. I have an appreciation for what this man does for a living and who he is a person. I stroll down the hill behind the bunk house and settle in. Got my Waldrop all folded out in reclining position. Arrow nocked and bow at the ready. This spot is a little non traditional as it is a travel corridor and not a spot on the ranch you decoy and call. I lay in wait as the darkness gives way to another day on the the prairie. The cows are very vocal letting Mr. Klintworth know it is time to fire up the John Deere and deliver their daily rations. The turkeys have started their morning songs. Hens are yelping and the Gobblers.... yeah gobbling. More that you can imagine. One, Two, Three gobbles Four, Five, Six. This goes on and on as if gobbling is contagious. This is the same location I hunted last year so I'm ready. I mean the 35 min I hunted last year out of this blind pretty much make me a veteran this year right...?

[SheltonCreeker]

So the daily parade of turkeys begins shortly after fly down. I see some hens skirt my location go east thru the front part of the pasture. Then a strutting Tom passes just out of range. I contemplated the shot. But if there is anything hunting this ranch has taught me it is be patient shot opportunities seem to be around the corner. And then there was. I had been in my blind around 45 to 50 min. When a beautiful 2 year old Rio strutted past my first window at less than 10 yards. No time for nerves or contemplations. Just time for drawing anchoring and picking a spot. Full strutt 8 yards. Release.

The Results
 

 

My arrow broke the facing wing and passed thru both lungs. Tough animals as the arrow didn't pass thru the opposite side but a few inchs. I was elated as this was the first animal I had drew my bow on since a devistating shot in Manitoba at Stickflingers. I felt all the self doubt and tensions of a shot gone wrong lift. The perverbial monkey was no longer on my back or whispering in my ear. My world as a bowhunter was right once again. Hours of shooting from different positions in my yard and the spoils lay just a few yards away. Nick was hauling hay and as bad as I wanted I sit tight till I heard a voice say "Looks like someboday gets a snickers!" Nick had come up behind me. I couldn't wait to get out of the blind and put my hands on this wonderful gift from Nautre.

Happy Hunter!
 

 

[SheltonCreeker]

More to come as I enjoyed 2 Snickers!

[Dirtybird]

Way to go!!!!! Man do I love turkey hunting and hearing all the stories hear.

[Mike Yancey]

All good!

[Jayrod]

Wow is this an awesome thread ..opening day can't come soon enough on Saturday

[SheltonCreeker]

So after success that early in the hunt I knew I had to get to Nicks computer so that I could buy another tag. I did so and spent the next 2 and a half days trying to bag a bird without the concealment of a blind. I got a shot at a Jake that was giving my Jake decoy a beating and I got into my ghillie suit and missed low. I had several extremely close encounters with both Jakes and mature toms in my ghillie. There is something that satisfies me to be so close to a wild bird and know that his best defense has been defeated. Unfortunately just having a bird close doesn't mean they will let you draw and hit anchor. I also had a close encounter with my nemises species. Canis latrans- the american coyote. I lipped squicked a young dog into spitting distance and got caught drawing. The Klintworth has adventure over every horizon and around every bend. I saw Mulies and Whities and even a beautiful Cock Pheasant.

A view over a small part of the cattle operation.
 

So after two days of getting schooled by Nebraska birds I was starting to feel like I was chasing Easterns back home. So the last evening I decided I would try sitting in a blind again. I sat in what had started being referred to as the "hay bale blind". Nick had a double bull tucked into a row of hay bales close to the roost trees and in a main traveling corridor for the birds.

[SheltonCreeker]

Not 15 min after getting in the blind I had a nice mature tom pop out from around the end of one of the bales in front of me. He spotted me move in the blind and abruptly headed the other direction. It was warm. So I was in short sleeves. I'm sure with the sun setting in the western sky and my blind facing that way I wasn't as concealed as I would have liked. I decided I would stretch out in my Waldrop pac seat and just rest my eyes for a moment. No need not to live up to my name "dirtnap". So instead of resting my eyes in the warm glow of the sun. I fell asleep. I come to with a mature tom. picking thru the hay less than 8 yards away. I slowly get my bow and get ready. Instead of walking back past the blind like every other bird. This toms hops on top of the hay bale and goes the other way. By time he shows himself again he is still in range but alert to my presence. I drew and sent and arrow down range but it landed under his feet.

I wasn't too disapointed turkeys are hard to hit and I was confident another shot opportunity would be along.

It wasnt long when a wad of Jakes attack my position. They came in relaxed and gave plenty of time to pick a spot draw anchor and release.

The jake went down immediately. It wasn't long Nick came over and got me. My hunt was complete. Two birds. I was very happy and very thankful.

 


Blood on the Klintworth.
 

[Cyclic-Rivers]

That's awesome Dirt!  Congrats on both birds!

[wapiti792]

Naw, naw, naw...you didn't get your nickname by napping or not taking a bath. You got that nickname 'cause everything in range takes a Dirtnap    

I was there and it was still cool reading brutha. Congrats again!

Got a little more...

I went blindless except for one evening sit, an hour one morning, and a nooner. One sit I passed jakes (dumb), missed an alert gobbler I had no business shooting at (dumber), and got caught with my back to the blind picking up my stuff on said nooner (dumbest).

I had encounters with BIG gobblers twice in my Ghilli sets. Once I had a puffed up bird strutting by himself to my dekes and I prematurely drew. Always, always, always let the gobbler come to the dekes and start a fight. Kill him while he's busy...but I didn't do that. He caught me redhanded!

The next one was tougher. I called hens to my set with a giant Merrihams in tow. They got to my dekes and flared at the last second taking the prettiest bird I have ever seen in my life right outa range. The set looked good but my deflated beat-down high dollar decoy gave them away.
 
I had Nick take a pic. I think my set was good:

 

My hunt ended with one bird, but I went out with a smile on my face. The last night I got dropped off a mile from the barn. I called 5 different hens to my set and even had one bed down 10 feet away. I had a morning sit left but knew when the sun went down that night I was a happy hunter myself and a happy campmate for my friends on this hunt.

[zipper bowss]

 Nicely done!

[Dirtybird]

Thanks for sharing fellas.

Congrats David and Mike!

What about the Tippets?

Bisch

[SheltonCreeker]

Jeff and Zach must be busy at their forges!

[Matty]

 
This is great congrats guys. Looks like a great time!!

[tippit]

The first morning I was in the hay bale blind with hens & jakes all over me but the toms strutted way out of range.  In the afternoon, I had seven jakes come into the blind @ 5-10 yards.  They had a lot of white on their tails & back so I assumed they were Merriams.  Last year I shot a nice Rio Gobbler the first day and got a double bearded jake the last morning.  After seeing these jakes I called Mike back at the bunk house to try to verify if they were indeed Merriams.  My goal for this year was to try for a Merriam or another nice gobbler.  After getting Mike's opinion, I decided I'd try for one of the jakes if they came back.  Sure enough within an hour they all reappeared.  I had my Snickers        ...but unfortunately the jake was a Rio/Merriam cross.

I was shooting a 13" metal ILF Morrison Gen 3 riser with black Dryad Epic recurve limbs for a 56" 45# bow along with a 3 blade Grizzly head.

       

       

     

[tippit]

I got back to the bunk house early. From the window you can see the barn yard blind that Dave shot his gobbler in the morning.  Zach was currently hunting it.  So I got to enjoy seeing what was coming and watching his shot on a bird.  He hasn't been hunting but a few times so for Dad to be able to watch was very special!  Hopefully he'll get on to tell all his stories.  Being able to double up on birds the same day was an experience I'll never forget.  But this was only the first day with Everyone in camp eating Snickers      

More stories to come but probably after the TN Classic this weekend as I gotta re-pack...tippit

Zach's first a nice Rio jake taken with a 55# Morrison Shawnee recurve.

     

     

The Springer boys & Nick...

     

[wapiti792]

Great photos Jeff! What a guy misses while he is away planning a meal    Seeing you guys together with your birds is special. I would love to repeat it myself in a few years.

Hope the knee is getting better. Have fun at the Classic! We have a week of season here and I have 2 tags left