TRKYSLR & JOEHUNTER 2015 turkey journey.
Turkey
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! This thread is going to be especially pic heavy once the end of March is here and will only grow thru to May. Joe and I again will be doing our yearly spring turkey thread, which starts now.
This is a seperate thread from the junior "Future of hunting" contest thread as that's for the juniors to shine! We plan on taking several juniors and several other bowsiter buddies throughout the season. It should be a blast full of some good times,,, and hopefully some super close natural setup head shots with fb and or dinosaur walks! As stated this thread will be heavy on pics and will only get more throughout the season with hunt stories and kills. Probably also some video!
With two weeks until Jr season opens here in Nor California, we decided to kick this off and post some recent scouting and scenery pics to get things warmed up! As usual we'll post some scenarios and tips along the way and feel free to ask questions or post to the thread as well. As marked were keeping this non debatable. Good luck to everyone this spring!
One of the few great things here in Cali is the spring time scenery
Some historical sites in these hills as well....
And in these hills there also other things to be pursued...
Nice to see green all i see is ice !! What kind of trees ? Best of Luck
Future stars and healthy meals!!!!!
City, these guys don't need luck...
He is right, though, a few more details about trees, etc., would be nice.
This doesn't get old.....
And neither does pursuing these guys!
A little scouting-pre elk hunt workout combined!
Our season is over 2 months away
City, mainly white and black oaks from valley floor up to 2000 ft with sporadic digger pines which they use to roost. Around 2000 ft pines and cedars get into the mix with oaks up to about 4000 ft. 4000 ft and higher mostly pines with a few oaks on the ridge tops.
Damn, it's green out there!!!
Looking forward to sharing the adventures with you Cali boys!
Shot placement 101 for you body shooters!! As I've preached I use a standard vpa 3 blade and believe in aiming small missing small. I don't like flimsy mechanical blades and the wing and leg bones are tougher than most think. I like to know I will have the punch to bust thru those if needed. Put it in the red an guarantee they dead!!! :-)
Or shootm in the head too.... I'm gonna shoot a large fixed head and if given the chance I'm gonna try a head shot and make things a little tougher little more precise. Should be fun either way!
That building looks familiar! Good luck to you guys!
Good luck on chasing the birds!
Thanks guys! Nick it's obviously world famous :-)
some nicce looking paint brushes !
Like those toms, I am also fired up. Looking forward to this. Thanks for the time and effort.
My best, Paul
Wish we were having som the that shorts and coatless weather!
Little scouting never hurts.... Some birds we found in a spot that's produced in years past.
QQ Archery will also be joining the california sunrise on opening day ,our Archery support stick proved to be a deadly!!! holding still and taking a big tom last year. sure do enjoy the video you both are sharing ,thank you ,sure gets us fired up , 19 days and counting
Thank God I can open a turkey thread again. You can count me in as a bowsiter that loves to hunt a gobbling spring bird and plan to do so in at least three states this year. Thanks for your entertaining threads every year.
Tip and personal preference on the Fighting purr call: the only time I use this is if I'm on a bird(s) that won't break away from his position, his hens, and isn't showing any interest in calls. This is kinda my last ditch move after I've thrown the kitchen sink at him before I move and maybe reposition on a bird if he's not gobbling much. Also I usually only use this during the beginning to the middle of the season when there are still birds in bigger groups. With the purrs I'll cut and yelp as well and make it seam like a bunch of birds fighting and chasing each other around. If I have birds in view of my deeks I won't use this call. Thinking back I have used this call sequence with joe a few times and about half the time it's fired up birds and got them on their way. Once I could tell they broke and were enroute Id go back to yelps and clucks to bring them in the rest of the way. Just a little calling tip for Ya guys.
Great Scenery pics! Can't wait to experience it. I still plan to arrive Friday evening March 27th.
Saw a flock of 15 or so across the street from Dairy Queen near my house yesterday...they, however, did NOT order a blizzard. :)
We'll be ready Kyle! Lots of birds
Gonna be awesome havin ya out here Kyle. Can't wait!!
One of these calls will victimize several longbeards this season! A little prep soaking! I soak my calls throughout the season before each use as it keeps the reads from sticking and they last longer for me.
Get on 'em early guys!
I called 7 jakes right to the truck on Thursday. This goofy CA winter has 'em all screwed up.
I'll miss the opener, but I'll be thinking about ya! Good Luck!!!!
See you at the CA WSF dinner!
Don.
How dare you disgrace that glass in such fashion! Do I need to come back up there and put on another clinic?
Nate I got plenty of these glasses! And don these birds will be hot from now until May... It's gonna be a good year as flocks are thriving with these mild winters.
As always...love the pictures. Any added narrative on the history of the old buildings if known, is welcome.
bb, that's an old Italian homestead from the 1800's I've been told by the owner. It's a pretty cool structure that has been used for photo opps for weddings and other events.
Just got done doing a little scouting and got a few pics of these two. Both 2 year olds and one of them is spurless... So I'll deff pass on him ;-)
Wohoooooooo! Here we go! Feel free to add the "teachings and tutorials" as much as you can.....always learn a ton on this thread!
Mark
Thanks Mark! Anything particular that I can go on for you?
Ike's in, saw over 100 birds in two areas...Going to be crazy!
First question:
How to get our wives to agree to multiple state/provinces for turkeys :-)
"Fighting purrs?" Seriously?
Chris, don't you remember.???..purr softly for 1.4 seconds, two clucks, three barely audible yelps and then put your calls away until the spring of 2016?
Everybody knows anything else is calling too much!, especially when the woods are full of two-year-old toms. :-)
When is your youth opener?
Ike Ya lotta birds with the mild winters! :-)
Sharp stick, only thing that's worked for me is every hunt is a hunt of a lifetime... A one in a chance sorta deal lol ;-) try that and see how it works.
Michael, I don't do anything soft in the turkey woods.... It's just against my nature. ;-) our jr weekend starts in 12 days. Can't wait!
That's a lie. The sweet caress I saw you giving Joe was lovingly soft.
Nate. Cmon bro I saw the drawing lol. Sharpstick. That's a tough one. Really don't have an answer for yA :-)
Sharpstick...spend enough time practicing your calls at home and she'll be more than happy to let you travel in the spring.
With me, it also helped when my kids got old enough to travel with me, working on their Grand Slams.
Nice pics which months do the turkeys breed, we don't have wild turkey right here they are further south, we ate one once they are tasty. Thanks for sharing
Alexis, here the birds have just began breading and it will continue through the end of May... And a few into June that get there late nests destroyed.
If you are going to put water in a whiskey glass, I might have to revoke your seats at the CA sheep dinner!
Nice pics guys!
Joe hows the predator problem up there ? a very healthy looking turkey population !
The only main "predator problem" is that they season isn't open for them, yet. :-)
"Alexis, here the birds have just began breading and it will continue through the end of May..."
Breeding maybe, 'breading' when they hit the skillet...Lol
Told Big C this morning I watched hens being bred...Mid 70's here, crazy and so are they!
That's some beautiful country to be chasing gobblers in. Good luck.
So I've gotten a few pm's regarding shot placement asking about shot height an such. I know I've said this in years past but for the guys who are new to Bowsite I figure they can maybe use this info. I'll try to make this as easy an short as possible to help a few of you guys out...
Typically on a standing broadside non-strutter bird the beard is a good height to reference for shot placement. Draw a horizontal line straight across from where the beard comes out and a vertical line right up the legs. Where those lines would intersect is ideal an puts you right in the goodies. There is one good pic in the drawing I did to show this.
Now on a broadside strutter since their heads tend to tuck a little I typically reference an inch below where neck and feathers meet horizontally and go right up the legs vertically. This will put you right behind the wing joint and dead in the armpit of the bird.
Also the legs are a great reference and will never lie. On a broadside bird, whether strutting or not, go straight up the legs. If they are quartering or head on aim to send the arrow directly between the legs and it will get you in the goodies every time.
Attached is a pic I think I posted last year but it shows the lines of a Broadside strutter an the reference points I am referring to. Hope this info helps you guys!
Good info buddy! But also don't forget the head shot. This spring I'm gonna shoot a big fixed Bh and if given the opportunity and right bird (preferably one that's locked in full strut or not moving fast) I will take the head shot to make things a little more challenging. This of coarse is a very precise shot with a 1 1/4" fixed bh. If the bird is dancing moving around too much I'll probably settle for body shot. I'm kinda liking the thought of having the option to shoot either kill spot with one bh. Hey Justin does that work for Ya?! :-)
Hey, I've killed a lot of turkeys and I still enjoy the shot-placement birds, a lot.
So, Chris, you wanna talk about decoy selection, and placement, early in the season vs. late, please?
Decoy selection and placement EARLY season take 1...... Off the roost I usually place a (DSD) jake, alert hen, submissive hen and feeding hen out. With a blind setup I'll place the jake 8-12 yards away with him facing the submissive hen which is usually 2-3 feet away. To the right 2-3 yards from the jake I'll place the alert hen but usually a yard or so closer to the blind. And then I'll position the feeding hen to the left of the jake 2-3 yards and 1-2 yards closer to the blind. The left and rights I'm referring to are from the view out from inside the blind. This can also change a little a yard here or there on distance based upon the terrain and view of the deeks. View of the deeks= placed in a spot with the best location of being seen by a bird from any direction and approaching lane. If I'm not using a blind I'll have a similar setup but will place the jake and submissive hen in a closer position to a tree base or small bush where when a bird comes in it passes behind the object to give me an opp to draw. Good example of that is in my first and third hunt from the video of last years hunts.
Early season later in the day, I usually ditch the feeding hen. I will run the same type of spread with the other three deeks but will deff strategize the direction the birds coming from even more. From the roost I've had birds land all around me so positioning the deeks for a certain gobbler approach is tougher but doable if I know their landing zone. Now mid day maybe one out of every 10 setups I may setup with just one alert hen... Naaaahhh more like one out of 20 lol. I love the Dsd jake too much to not use it most of the time. I call aggresive and when the birds come in the calling fires them up so when they see the jake it's usually all over.
Decoy selection and placement LATE season take 1..... practice and execute the selection and placement from the above EARLY season lol. My setups are pretty much the same throughout the season. Imo the Dsd jake is the deadliest decoy made and it's hard for me to not have a setup without it. Hope that helps and is as clear as mud
To add on decoy setups here's a Tactic for hot days. On a spring warm or hot day when it's mid day, I will also setup and have my decoys in the shade under the canopy of a tree. When birds are breeding and it gets warm they too like any other animal will seek out shade if possible. Setting up in the shade on hot days just adds to the realism and will make your setup more desirable for that bird to come in.
Thanks for the info guys on the breeding seasons good to know, do they stay in pretty good shape over winter just wondering how they are to eat in the spring.
Good Luck Chris and Joe...looking forward to your posts.
GR
OK, Chris,....
What about when you're working a flock of toms and hens? Do you call any differently, softer, trying to get then hens to come in? Mimic a hen trying to get the lead-she ticked off and coming?
Have you had success calling aggressively, trying to pull a sub-dominate two or three-year off of a flock? :-)
yes on all of that Michael lol... If im on a flock where the toms wont break from the hens ill mimic the boss hen if she pipes up. and yes i have a lot of success calling aggressive and pulling birds away from flocks. probably half the birds I call in are pulled from a flock of hens whether that 1-20 hens in the so called flock.
This spring im going to try and video a whole hunt with the calling (first call to turkey death) with no stoppage on the camera for people to see how I call. More times then not on videos of turkey or elk hunts I have never seen a full hunt showing all the calling without time during the call in being removed to speed up the hunt.
Some recent pix from scouting trips
Couple 2 year olds insisted I get a picture of them flexing their muscles for the ladies. Cool colors with the sunlight.
Birds are starting to seperate, so with these scouting results we should have some fun. Can't wait!
Holy mother load. Nice pics.
Appreciate this guys. I've posted it before and I'll say it again. You guys got me started on turkey hunting. I never gave it much thought until I saw how much fun y'all were having. I still wouldn't have guessed how much fun it would be to shoot a bird! Thanks again for all your time and effort.
Thanks guys. We enjoy doing this as its a deff passion. Scouted yesterday a little and saw some mature burds broke away from the other boys so things are right on schedule. One week and I'll be hunting with Jr's.!
CAMO tip for all you natural setup bowhunters. Very simple, just match your clothing with the same general colors you are setup/hunting in. Turkeys eye sight is sharp and even the wrong type of camo that may stand out will catch their eye. A couple years ago I wore some vias camo attack pants in the spring and as soon as the birds got into my view they picked me off. The light colored sections of the camo didn't match with our deep green and brown colors. Also don't skimp on little things like the color of your under shirt or socks if they can be seen while sitting. A small section of a white or non natural color Tshirt showing or socks will draw a birds eye to you then they study the object with the color showing. This can be the same with the bow setup if you have any bright colors dull them down with a natural color... For example my arrows for turkeys have all the fletchings and wraps spray painted black or tan to blend in. Hope this helps.
Example of matching your clothes to the woods with this pic from one of joe's hunts last year
I really enjoy all of the effort that you put into these threads and their pics. You guys do a great job. Thanks again for putting this together. Looking forward to following this.
:-)
...and the best camo in the world won't help you if you get caught moving.
Writer, nope sure won't! Gotta move/draw when the times right! Even our cali birds have been known to pick us off a few times cuz of movement or poor positioning on the setup. But for every time that's happened we are learning and don't seam to make the same mistakes a second time! :-)
Looking forward to this. Gotta get my son out there to CA one of these years. Not too far away plus a nice hunt to pass the time spent waiting on the AZ elk draw!
I need to not open this thread ever again. Lol
Love the pictures!!!
Azbugler it's deff a great place in the spring..
Nick open open open... This threads about to get rolling this weekend with season (jr) opening. Can't wait!
Birds are fired up and searching for hens.... Things rt on schedule! Can't wait!
Love the pics sure turning green down there nice.
Oh man, always learning from you guys and loving the pics and stories!!!
Keep 'em coming!
Mark
Today it's the JR opening weekend and time to pass it on. We're taking a couple diff Jr's out one which hasn't killed a turkey yet so the pressure is on me to make it happen. This is what it's about and probably the best part of he whole season for me. Hope to have some pics and stories for Ya later.
Good luck! Is CA a draw for NR?
Well jr weekend came and went and was a lot of fun! We took Adam and his son Cole and Cole killed his first turkey! We had a great morning and have another turkey slayer in the woods now. We also took jasmine and family. She had some close calls but when a shot opportunity quickly presented itself she wasn't sure of the angle. Smart girl. So I'll let the pics fill in the blanks... Enjoy!
One more of big man Cole with his first bird!
Next weekend we get into the mix with Kyle last years nsob contest winner! Should be fun!
Jazi and I hunted together the first morning. She wanted to go natrual setup so I knew the challenge was on. I called 2 jakes into about 20 yards but they never quite committed as I think they could sense something was off. I didn't want her to take the shot as I thought there would be better opportunities later in the day. It's super tough trying to get to full draw undetected alone and adding the element of a junior really makes it challenging. None the less it was an awesome weekend and we now ready for next weekend. Gonna be lights out as we have 4 straight days to hunt. Should be awesome.
Way to get it going Chris and Joe!
I predict Jazi will get it done knowing you guys, and congrats to Cole on a fine bird...but tell your dad he has a feather stuck in his butt ;)
Great job getting those kids out there, Chris and Joe.
A big congrats to Cole, and I'm looking forward to Jazi's next hunt.
Best of Luck, Jeff
Great stuff guys! That pic of Cole is worth a mint!
Mark
great job with the kids! I hope to get some out in a week or two! first of Spring is sweet!!!
Congrats to Cole on a nice first turkey!
I have two more days of pretending to work before I head out ;)
Nice job guys and congrats to Cole!
Tmrw the opener begins and Kyle (ridge wraith) will be here to kill some Rio's... Should be good! Can't wait!
Today was openig day for the general season and we had Kyle (ridge wraith) with as he was the winner of last years NSOB contest. I think kyle's impression of turkey hunting here in nor cal today was a good one. With Kyle up to bat as first shooter we were setup (natural) on a ridge as the sun began to rise. With a hot bird roosted 150 yards away I gave him some sweet talk and he ultimately strutted rt up the ridge into the decoys. The longbeard ended up mounting the alert hen decoy for 15 minutes until Kyle put a kill shot on him. It was cool as the bird put on a great show! Kyle was pumped! One down two birds to go. We then hunted three other spots with birds gobbling but nothing workin out. Hog wire fence and hens played a part. On our fifth spot (noonish) we located two hot birds and a ridge then set up 120 away. With the first call they cut me off and were on there way. Joe and I were setup no blind ready. The two monarchs strutter in hot rt up to deeks putting on a great show in the sun. At 15 yards I shot the strutter at the jake decoy and he took three steps then fell over. Joe then followed up on his buddy who was standing over his fallen compadre. Joes bird died quickly. We ended the day with a double natural no blind call in on two great birds.. A 3 and 4 year old. For an opening day we couldn't ask for a better day. All on video too!
First day 3 for 3 on tags filled! 5 diff spots/setups two successful hunts.... Until tmrw!
Off to a good start. Way to go!
What a day. Epic!! More to come
Poor turkeys don't stand a chance! :) Congrats to u guys!
Good job boys. This will definitely be a pic heavy thread before it is over!
Shot of the video. This is what Trkyslr view looked like today. I was setup just to the right of the camera. Both arrows were on their way within 5 seconds of eachother with some comical audio after the shot. The video is gonna be awesome...
Looks like fun fellas, hate I'm missing spring in CA this year!
trkylsr, wish I was having as much fun, Great Job. do you just use face paint or do you use a face mask also ? Forrest
Incredible Opener guys!!! Keep the pics and stories rolling! Video?!
Mark
Forrest mostly paint cuz I don't like shooting with a mask on.
Way to go guys!
Keep it up!!!
Nice work ladies! Fine scrotum heads.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Great thread, great pics. Great birds.
Thanks guys! Today was tougher as we were mostly on Henner up birds that didn't want to play. Found Jake city usa today but we let them go. Tmrw should be better!
Today we made the rounds in a few diff looking terrain to show Kyle around.
Awesome!! Those birds have some nice color sheen to them. Of all the birds I've killed in VA only one, the doube beard, had colors like that. Nice hooks on that bird Joe.
Awesome. I just flew back into Cali today. Couldn't wait to get out there already. You guys are killing me.
What an epic day with TRKYSLR and JOEHUNTER! I got the chance to get out for the first time this year with the boys today and they put this guy in front of me for a 30 yd. shot. We were NSOB and I had one lone tree to draw behind but the bird did not completely commit to decoys so I had to take the looooong 30 yarder! Lol Thanks again CS and JF, good times!
Let me just say that I didn't give the bird a chance to commit because I drew early. He was just taking his sweet time and I don't think I could have held my bow that long.
Well today we got things Rollin with an early call in off the roost but things exactly didn't work out in Kyle's (ridge wraith) favor. All in all it was great to have Kyle out here all the way from Illinois. Speaking of Illinois it was funny when today he said in the last three days he had seen and heard more gobbling then ten years of hunting in Illinois. Kyle left with a Rio and some good times.
Brent also was up to hunting today and after a few setups with no action we moved and it worked in our favor. We got a hot solo bird to come in late morning and Brent put a perfect shot on him. Good job buddy! We ended the day with several more setups but with warm temps the birds were a little lazy sorta speak. Tmrw it's suppose to be cooler temps so should be better!
Here's some more pics...
Another great shot of Brent and his bird.. gotta love spring colors!
Turkey blood pool... No trailing neccesary !
Kyle playing pro camera dude...
Outstanding opening weekend fellas!
...and Kyle, A+ on the photos!
Awesome photos keep 'em coming. Congrats on some great hunts!!!
Awesome job guys! Congrats on a great opening weekend!
Congratulations!!!
...good stuff!
Awesome Brent! Great pics all of you!
Yesterday we got out and had a great day in the woods! It was joe, Brent, his bro- in law Steve, and I. With Steve up to bat we had about 6 birds sounding off from their separate own roost within 600 yards. 30 minutes after flydown we had a hot bird answering all our calls from a hilltop one hundred yards away but he wouldn't budge. Joe and I were giving him the multiple dueling hen talk. We then gave him the silent treatment with the occasional soft purrs and cluck every 10-15 minutes. The silent treatment brought the bird down about 30 minutes later with his little buddy jake. Once the birds saw the decoys they marched right in and attacked the jake decoy. Steves first shot was a low hit but the bird continued to fight the decoy. Steve ultimately brought his follow up shot higher and killed the bird. Bird went rt down. It was a great colorful two year old with a thick long beard. We then checked another location and located a group of hot birds. Joe and I were next armed with our bows. We got in front of them and setup. 3 longbeards marched into view and when they saw the decoys they came in for a fight. As they approached the decoys one of the toms saw a small movement and the game was over as they vacated the area. This shows you with a natural setup being still is key and spotted movement can ruin a call in. And that cali birds are not dumb ;-) We checked a few other spots and the birds were not cooperating. We ended the day with the one kill and had another great day in the woods... And gained more experience to be better. Here's some pics from yesterday.
Steve with his great bird!
Do you guys shoot with your bow holders on the bow (clip on bipods)?
Was looking at getting one but wondered how they worked for hunting and if you can shoot with them on
Sharp stick, I've shot using the stand from a blind with close shots but not from a natural setup. Setting up next to brush it could get in the way of drawing and moving.
Yesterday reminded me of how tough NSOB can be. Another great day in the books looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow!
Looking good guys!
Congrats! Killing it again!
Mark
Man those birds have some awesome color out there! Are you using a polorizer filter? Awesome pics!! I can tell a few of those were taken with a kicker fast lense.
Could you elaborate on determining a 3 vs 4 year old bird? It's easy to determine a 2 vs a 3, but past 3, I wasn't aware of any surefire ways to determine a birds age?
Eagle, you presented an interesting question concerning "determining age" and I was interested also so,
I Googled , Age of Wild Turkey , and found good info under:
How to age your wild turkey, Dundee Sportsman's Club.
The info shows there are various factors, so worth the read. The average life expediency is 3-4 years. From this reading, I learned more than I expected.
My best, Paul
Paul,
That website pretty much tells me what I've always thought, there's no way to really determine a birds age past 3. In my area, there are a lot of rocks, and it's very rare to see a bird with more than 1.125" spurs in the "mountainous" areas I have access to hunt. The amber color at the end of the beard is the most obvious sign a bird is 2, along with spurs that are under an inch with no curve and little sharpness.
Perhaps that area of Nor Cal has few rocks (certainly looks that way in the pictures) and they have killed enough birds to have a good feel that if a bird has say 1.25" spurs, it's 4 years old or older. Otherwise, I'm not sure what else they could use as a determining factor. Always interested in learning something new.
Eagle you are correct! I've seen about 400+ dead birds from these woods so have an idea. Several years ago me and a buddy hunted a monarch for three straight years until I killed him. The first year we saw him we estimated him as a three year old by his Spurs, beard, etc. so when he was killed he was 6 minimum. Re Spurs Depending on the colors, sharpness, length we are able to judge them pretty well.
Today was a great day, which we'll share later! :-)
Can't wait for the update!!!
Do you guys have jobs?
Yesterday was a great day with Brent. We met later in the morning for a mid morning hunt. We located a few birds about 250 yards away but couldn't move on them due to the terrain that opened up. So after a couple hours of running the the ridge calling as an excited hen every 20 minutes they birds started heading our way around 1100. The birds closed in fast into our setup and went to a full strut display. With me shooter one and Brent number two and filming I hit my bird and he went 15 yards dead. Brent then quickly drew, anchored, and shot the second magnum! Bird dropped in its tracks! We pulled off another natural no blind double and we're all smiles! It was a great morning. Both birds were big 3 year old with 1 - 1 1/8 sharp Spurs with thick beards. Things are off to a great start!
Not sure if I like the previous pic or this one better...
Awesome scenery here in the spring!
Thanks guys for the comments! We're glad you enjoy this thread.
The decoys in the first picture do add some extra flare and interest. I like that one.
My best, Paul
I wish you would show the Beards and how many inches also, i guess I'm a Beard guy...
Thanks Paul, Turkeyhnter60 request will be granted! Thanks guys!
Hopefully, I won't take this discussion too far off course. But, I wanted to thank Chris and Joe again for having me out last weekend.
It was truly a great experience with tons of turkey action, spectacular scenery, and plenty of learning along the way.
I can't tell you how many times I was asked, before I left, why I would go all the way to California to hunt turkeys. Now after sharing pictures and stories, that question never seems to come up anymore;)
These guys really know their stuff! Every setup has a plan, from where the birds will likely be coming, to where to place the decoys, and when/where to draw as they approach. I learned a ton about calling techniques, decoying, identifying workable birds, shot placement and equipment setup for those tough ol' birds.
Overall this was a great experience to hunt with these guys. It will certainly make local turkey huting a little more... "meh". :)
Best of luck to them and all throughout the season.
Good stuff! Wish we had the number of turkeys in SE Oklahoma that you guys have in Cali.
Great photos!
Thanks for the comments Kyle and we had a great time hunting with you. Glad you enjoyed you're time out here and learned some new tactics and tech info. Good luck the rest of your spring season and this fall for elk.
Today we're having a tough one... Called two birds in which were acting a little nervous. By the time we could get a shot they were moving off and didn't present a great shot, which resulted in a miss. They're attitude may have been due to seein one of us or been a little pressured. A reminder how no blind close callins can be tough. Time for lunch then back at it.....
Your photos are fantastic especially your trophy photos. It takes planning and patience to get those results!
Enjoy your treasure!
Great pics as always guys !!
Kyle we really enjoyed havin you out here. Was a trip definitely worth it. These birds have been kickin my butt this weekend. Humbling to say the least.
Thanks Charlie and Michael! Michael small world as Dave told me today about your friendship as we were hunting.
You guys do awesome work!! can't wait to get out and hunt we like 1 more week.
You mean you have "Decoy Dave" down hunting with you ?
I sure every time we get out to hunt together, although totally different birds !!
More pix from last few days
You guys run into many Rattlers out there..
No snake boots on them I would guess no.
Snakes? A few rattlers here and there. With the number of miles we cover I prefer my salomons.. Years ago wore snake boots and they killed my feet and ankles. I figure with my hikers I'm a lot faster so I can leap away from snakes if needed ;-)
Today was a good day as my calls were working and joes shooting was ... Well I'll let him tell you what happened. I also had an opportunity and had a bird at 18 which I took a head shot on and missed by a blade thickness or two lol... That alright as I'm still hunting and have one more tag to fill. Joe will have some pics of today's events.
Thanks for the update, looking forward to Joe's account.
That country is really spectacular. Very scenic. Almost park like.
Fun for sure. Paul
I'll keep the writing short as I know it's not real desirable to read long winded stuff. I'm more into letting pics do the talkin. Anyways after 10 minutes of callin in a new spot debating what to do a bird lit up an gobbled all the way in. Tried to mount the hen deek and I made his day real bad. I was able to draw as he turned his fan toward me as you'll eventually see in the video. Such an awesome hunt and I learned a few valuable lessons today. Bird #2 in the books and here are few pix from today's adventures.
Bird ignored the jake and went right to mount the DSD hen making for some great video. Also giving me plenty of time to be patient and pick the perfect time to draw.
Another setup that didn't produce
My arrow stuck right in the hen deek. Pulled it out and the deek went right back to shape...
And finally the money shot!!
Your shot placement on the decoy isn't the best, but it looks like she'll live to tell the tale. :)
Nice bird Joe
Good try Chris!!
Nice Joe. Another great bird
Like I said last year you guys are awesome pulling that off without blinds.
I tried to pull it off again this year in Virginia on opening day. Called in 4 longbeards that that would have been in the bag with a shotgun but something about the decoys had them hung up and skittish. Its been 5 years since Turkey would be with a bow or no for me. Another opening day no here.
Well this weekend was more about giving back to one of my mentors (same as other thread) who was my uncle Jim. When I was young he really got me into hunting and always made it fun with his sense of humor. Well he's starting to slow down do to age and other things but wanted to get out into the woods. Due to his climbing capabilities I really had to work at getting him to locations for setups but all in all we made it work and had a little luck with hot two year old birds! He ended up tagging two great gobblers (warning gun kills) which I was happy for him. For the fire he lit in me as a teenager it was the least I could do for uncle Jim.
Then the rest of the weekend ended with me taking my 4 year old daughter Gia out who has been wanting to go 'turkey hunting' with daddy since opening day. We had a blast together in the blind even tho the birds didn't cooperate. Gia just loves being in the "tent" which she calls it lol. We had a great time as you can see in her smiles!
In between the hunts I got a chance to try for my third and had two hot birds coming in fast. I sat up against a big oak and as the birds came in I could feel the sun move out away from the branch that once provided me shade and cover. The sun beamed on me and I felt like I stood out which the birds even sensed I think. They got to 25-30 yards and wouldn't commit to the deeks as they looked me over. As the birds moved off I had a long shot which I didn't connect on. Shows how tough natural can be. Looking back not being in enough cover and shadows cost that setup but it sure is fun and a learning experience to only make me better! Here's pics from the weekend. Enjoy!
Gia had to have camo face paint on!
Oh man hauling that blind out there was deff a reminder how I like to go natural no blind now but with gia it was must and I had no problem giving in to get her out hunting. Windy conditions today.
Views like this never get old or unnoticed.
Gia in the "tent" and all smiles!
Gia helping out with the deeks... My new favorite pic!!!!!!!
What it's all about! Until next weekend.....
Awesome! The pictures in this thread are awesome but the smiles on some of these kids is even better!! Keep up the slaying work!
Great stuff as always guys!
Great thread! And congratulations too! :)
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Congratulations guys!!!
Joe, good thing you were not shooting a Rage... it would have been like throwing an axe through your decoy!
Andy, if he did he wouldn't have nearly the penetration hehe
... you are right, the arrow would have never made it to the decoy ;)
Awesome thread, not sure how I missed it previously.
Incredibly pics and extremely informative.
Thanks guys!
Today was a fun but rough day... One of those days little dumb mistakes cost us birds... I had two opportunities at birds, one which strutted in to the deeks and as I was getting ready to shoot him he spotted something not camo'd which wasn't covered before the setup was made. Bird then walked away without giving me a shot. Next we called a bird in and with the tall grass used the jake decoy similar to a heads up way and the longbeard marched rt in. I got to full draw undetected and then as justin would say got a little turkey panic lol..so I thought.. I ended shooting and missing to the rt hitting a small tree.. Later when I got home I found out my arrows were hitting 2-3" rt at 20,, so at some point something moved since yesterday. The encounter was fun as the bird rushed in straight at me. Tmrw we'll be back at it... Here's a few screen shots of video from today's call in.
Yesterday was a slow day as it appears to be in the week lull of the season. Birds not talking, resting, and not too responsive. It was also warm, which may have shut them down as well. We hunted all day and at about the 6 spot checked we finally got a bird responding well at 150 yards out. This was at 2 pm. The bird answered each call and wasn't moving any closer. I then gave him the silent treatment and about 8-10 minutes later we hear footsteps behind and to the side of us in the leaves as the longbeard snuck in to 4 yards then spotted one of us. The bird didn't take the easy route and came through the thicker more steep route circling on us.. Just shows turkeys aren't always predictable. Here's a few scenic pics from yesterday.
Any day in the woods better then any day at work! Until next weekend. We're suppose to get a cold front and maybe some rain by this weekend so that should light the birds up a bit.
Nice thing about the henned-up lull is that when it's over, some of the real longspurs will be lonely.
I wonder if the Rios in northern California send pics to their relatives in the Texas desert, saying, "Scenery is beautiful, wish you were here"?"
Hard to believe that's the same sub-species of birds. I know where I'd rather live.
Hope your daughter's with you next time you shoot one, Chris.
Thanks Michael... Yea gonna try get her out again soon! Yea expecting the next week or two it will be real good. Yesterday's call in showed just how a no blind setup can be tough.. If we were in a blind I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have pegged is and saw the deeks then strolled rt in.. Sure does make it fun tho when it works!
That bust hurt but you can't win them all! Still a great day in the field, thanks boys!
Yesterday, some work obligations got cancelled and I found myself in the woods with joe trying to tag our third birds. First location off the roost we had three solo birds within 200 really cuttin it loose. The birds came off the roost and joined together as they followed one hen away from us. Give these birds 3 hours they be right for the picking. We left and drove to another spot. Once we were setup on a known travel route we got a response only 60 yards away. This bird circled us enroute to his mid morning spot as he was not playing our games. This was same spot I missed that one with a head shot attempt over a week ago so he may have been the same bird (s). We then checked another spot and had some birds responding to my calls 400 yards away. I lit into them with aggresive cutts and yelps and had several birds coming fast. Joe was the shooter and we were tucked into a great group of trees for a natural setup on a flat.... I'll let joe continue with this hunt as it's pretty good... ;-)
Later in the morning we were checking another spot and I had a bird respond from about 800 yards away across a canyon on a another ranch I know gets a lot of hunting pressure. With 20 minutes this bird was coming in hot as he answered every call I gave him. As he got within 40 yards he saw the decoys and went into full strut. He was a very cautious bird carefully looking and studying the spread. He closed in slowly to 25 yards and saw something he did not like, maybe me maybe joe maybe he was too wise as he's been hunted hard on the other ranch and knew better. One wary tough bird for sure... Probably toughest bird in the country heheheee.... We got it all on film and will share this one to show a setup that didn't work as requested last year. We then checked another ranch at around 2 pm and found birds spread out in an area that has been a ghost town the last month. Birds were everywhere now as we spotted several birds and heard others. The only issue with this ranch was hog wire fence was used and not barbwire. Long story short I called in several birds which some came in on the other side of fence and hung up. On the side I was on we had several birds working and had two longbeards held up in a little bottom only 60 yards away. At this point joe tells me the video camera died so for sake of filming do we leave the birds for another day.... Nope I'm not leaving workable killable birds as the video is not my main factor and purpose for being out in the woods. With the two longbeards held up I tell joe to try the jake sneak (same as fanning) with the Jake deek up to a little tree in front of me to see if the two birds see him and break in. It worked like a charm as the two birds saw the deek and strolled rt in. At 20 yards one of the birds began pecking the ground and I drew my bow undetected by him. His buddy saw me but only stood straight up. I then anchored on the unaware bird and drilled him as he jumped in the air and landed onto his back without another flinch. He was instantly dead as I later discovered my arrow sliced his heart. TAGGED OUT on 3 birds again not using a blind I was pumped! After some pics I went and picked up my daughter to show her the bird. She helped me clean it and I explained a lot of things about the turkey to her. I think all she got was we were gonna have turkey strips like chicken strips (one of her favorites lol) but it was Quality time! Now being tagged out I'll play assistant guide and help friends out, which will get me into the woods for more opps to call in birds and more good times! Here's some pics and thanks for following along! This is the bird that lived to see another day...
Until next time for this guy...
The one that won't see another day but see my dinner plate!
Good two year old will work!
Can't be mad at that lol... It was a great day with cooler temps, broken up clouds and turkeys gobbling.. We love this stuff and truelly appreciate it!
Spring time is the right time!
Shot this one with vpa spur... Worked well!
I really only had a couple days left for me to hunt so I was getting antsy. Chris talked me into it. This MONSTER jake wouldn't leave and Chris kept sayin shoot him. So I decided If I'm gonna tag out on a jake minus well do it in style. Here are a few pix from my hunt. All I'm gonna say is Ermine where you at?!?! Lol
See me back there? Jake didn't either
Awesome! Head shot! I challenged and you excepted in a big way! Great shooting!
Another day of no bow bird for me here in VA. Both my gun huntin' buddies tagged nice ones. One had a 11 3/4" beard. Heading for an out of state hunt in a couple weeks. Tied up with businees and no chance to hunt between now and then. Hoping a change of scenery will bring a change of luck. They seem to have a lot of birds there.
Great job Chris and Joe and awesome pics. Thanks for taking me along. I can't wait to use some of the things I learned when my turkey hunting season opens up here next weekend.
Awesome season guys and heck of a shot Joe:)
Awesome job guys and good shootin' Joe!
I've been trying to kill these orchard birds over here without a blind but it's been tough. Probably gonna break out the Double Bull this weekend.
Thanks guys appreciate it!
Always love those two-year-old turkeys.
Helluva a shot on the jake, too.
Thanks, fun again.
When does your season close in northern California?
Michael we still have three more weeks of fun crazy turkey hunting!
David, yes orchard birds are tough without a blind... We've considered and tried a few olive orchards and it really depends on the trees maturity in size and if they're overgrown or not for adequate cover. Good luck!
Congrats again boys! Another excellent season and the photos just keep getting better and better! Video will be off the hook
Awesome photos and stories to go along with them! I enjoy this thread immensely each season and really appreciate the time you guys take with it. Congrats!
Hey guys thanks. Not gonna lie it was a pretty cool feeling watching that arrow hit my mark on the bird. The video is awesome.
Awesome stuff guys, the pictures are unbelievable! Looking forward to the video as well, thanks for taking us along!
Great pics and highlights, Gentlemen!
Hope to see you guys up in Redding this Weekend...looks like Joe is ready for the big shoot!
Best of Luck Jeff
Joe and Chris,
Thanks for sharing as you do every year. It seems like your photo quality has stepped up. Did you get a new camera? The photos are awesome.
Julius
Congrats on another EPIC season guys!!
Got to love the frontal lobotomy on the jake!
Did I hear something about a video?!
Mark
Congratulations guys... good job!!!
Thanks guys! I got the new point shoot cannon g7x which is awesome! Very versatile!
*********Well it is looking like our 2015 spring season has wrapped up here in Nor Cal as were tagged out and have no one else to take with the closing week on us. It was a great season with a lot of success and learning. Last season’s success was at a high that may have looked and felt easy but this season was different. We were reminded on many levels how difficult bowhunting turkeys within close range with “NO” blind can be as movement, camo, and setups can make a hunt or spoil a hunt. Having the toughest birds in the country was the main factor ;-) . We were also reminded how with most of bowhunting; patience, a well thought out plan, and an opportunity results in success more than anything. When it comes together and results in success it makes it that much sweeter. We were fortunate again to have several great days in the turkey woods and have many memories with friends (old and new), family, and juniors. We also got more of it on video so eventually we’ll have it put together for you to watch. Looking back on the birds it was an odd year as birds acted a little differently, were in different locations, were roosted in different spots, which changed a few factors but in the end we adapted and made things work. The last couple years here we have had a big drought and odd weather conditions, which may be the factor to the birds different behavior and locations. I would like to thank the bowsiters who followed along this season and hope you all got something out of the thread and pics. Also to the several bowsiters who pm’d me with questions I hope I was able to help you out and enjoyed the conversations we had. Now time to switch things up with summer and fall approaching… and good luck to everyone for the remainder of the year!*********
Congrats on a great season. Looks like it was a blast!
Yep, the season is over but the memories will be there always.
GOOD JOB guys. My best, Paul
Congrats on a great season.
Hey thanks guys! Funny yesterday I was typing that last post and joe sends me a few pics that you'll see shortly.. Ain't over yet for some I guess. Dan pm sent.
Is there any video footage of the head shot?
Kind of an unexpected last minute deal. A friend of mine really has been buggin me to take her all season and finally our schedules allowed. Long story short birds were not talking it was more like hunting deer. After all day failed attempt after failed attempt we found some birds that were "stalkable" a careful Indianism type sneak was planned. Birds picked her off as she came into view at full draw but she made a clutch 20 yard shot and the bird was dead shortly after. Her first archery bird and a giant if that. Enjoy the pix :-)
She wanted a "pic like me" lol
Jake yes there is video of the head shot. It will be on the video. As Chris said it was a fun season with lots of lessons learned. Thanks everyone for following us and giving is positive feedback it fuels our fire to get better. Til next time good huntin yall
That's awesome Joe! Congrats to your lady friend! I knew pink bows could kill!
SWEET HUNT FOR SURE, pink and all.
My best, Paul
Way to get it done.
Congratulations to you both!!!
Love the pink and the hooks on that bird.
Woulda hung from a redbud limb, for sure.
Great way for you to end the season.
She has been Bugging you to take her Turkey Hunting? Seems like as pretty( and photogenic) as she is , you should have been Bugging her...Good Job..
