Official FUTURE OF HUNTING thread!!!!
Turkey
This spring we'll (Joe, Brent, and I) will be giving the juniors of bowsite and or relatives of bowsiters the spotlight and contest challenge. spring time is a great time to get kids involved in the outdoors and whack some turkeys. We really think this will turn out good as we have had our own great memorable hunts with juniors, which is what it is about. And maybe this will get one or more kids involved into hunting, which is a positive step forward as today's youth needs assistance in getting into the woods to share what his/her ancestors shared. The rules are - A junior will be a bowhunter who's 16 years of age at time of the hunt or younger.
-Junior must have valid license when hunting (honor system).
-Junior entry must be a 'bow' hunt.
- limit of 2 entries per jr.
-The hunt submission must have three of the following pictures for judging,
1. A photograph of the bird(s) coming into or in the setup. This should be doable as most juniors have a grownup with them who can take the photo while the junior is in hunt mode getting ready for the shot.
2. A trophy/hero photo of the junior posing with his/hers turkey and bow.
3. A photo of the junior during the hunt at some point presenting the phrase "Future of Hunting" in a creative way whether it's a sign, flag, clothing, or some other way to show that. This is where creativeness can really pay off.
included we'll like to see a short story of the hunt to be fair maybe under 3 full paragraphs from the subject posting the entry.
We'll be judging this by having the three requested photos, the quality of the photo's, the required sign or way of showing the "future of hunting" phrase, and the smile and emotion captured in the photo of the junior bowhunter. The winner will be selected by us and two additional bowsiters.
The prize for the winning junior will be a full weekend to come out and hunt the opening spring turkey Junior weekend of 2016, which is the first season of spring and is usually phenomenal as the birds have not been pressured. This is in Northern California. This hunt will be with Joe and I. Based upon the generous offers from fellow bowsiters it looks like this trip's travel cost will be covered to make this happen for the winner!!!! Thanks bowsiter's !!.
This should be a great contest! Also we'll be doing our own semi-live season thread as usual. So for all the Jrs good luck and we can't wait to see your entries.
Atta boy Chris... Pass It On!
Yup joe... Should be blast! I'm taking at least three Jr's out myself this year. Can't wait!
A couple more weeks here in not cal and I'll be helping out some kids. Can't wait for the seasons to start and this thread to get rolling! Good luck to all the Jr's!!!!!!
Scoot can't wait to see his entries! Good luck!
Excellent, good luck to the kids!
14dys 11hrs 50 min. COLDKILLR is coming!!
"Hi Chris,
I've been talking with my son, Ryan, about your turkey contest and he's super jacked up about it! He can't wait to get started on it. He asked me quite a few questions about the contest, many of which I could answer. One question he asked me, that I wasn't sure about, is does the size of the turkey matter? Also, if I understand right, what really matters is the quality of the pictures, right? They're obviously related questions, but not totally redundant...
My impression is that the size of the tom doesn't matter, that the quality of photos will be the primary determinant of who the winner is, and a final determining factor will be the creativity-factor associated with how the "Future of Hunting" sign is shown. Am I on the right track with this? Thanks for the info and thanks much for doing this. Ryan is really excited and I'm looking forward to helping him put a good effort in on this. Should be fun! Scott"
To answer this pm and a few others here's my response. No the size of a turkey doesn't matter for this contest. Imo any jr that bow kills any legal turkey is doing great things! And yes quality and originality with the pics does help with the judging.... And so does the smiles on the Jr's faces. This should be good and can't wait to start seeing some jr kills in the next few weeks! Good luck to all the Jrs!
You guys are great. Paying it forward is awesome!
Hey guys, junior hunts are getting near and I thought I would offer up some advice/tips for those taking juniors out and want to get into the contest.
My advice would be to get your digital camera set up on a tripod either in your blind or camouflaged with some netting if your going to do a natural style set up. Getting the pic of the bird coming in or actually in your set up may be the tricky part. Almost all digital cameras have a "silent Shutter" setting that you can turn off the noise of the shutter so you do not spook the bird. Cell phone camera would probably work but may end up being a little shaky under circumstances.
For for you trophy/hero shot take the time to present the bird in a clean, respectable way. rearrange feathers, wipe off blood, and spread out tail feathers to show off your juniors trophy. Use of logs or rocks to prop up the bird and get him elevated off the ground is very useful. You can also arrange the bird over a knee for a tasteful shot. Pay attention to lighting and use the flash to fill in any shadows.See pics below for a couple diff ideas on bird presentation.
I feel like the use of the "Future of Hunting" slogan is going to be big points on my end. Get creative, make a sign, spell it out with flowers, use rocks, natural surroundings and such. For last years NSOB season Chris used a cardboard pizza box for our slogan, but it did the trick this fine and was a fun piece for us to include in our hunts. We even went as far as placing the sign on a tree or near our setup in hopes of getting the sign in the kill scene. Main thing here is be creative!
I will add some pics below to help support the ideas I mentioned below, good luck to all and have fun with it!
Good use of a rock to show off bird
An up close look at the sign Chris made for last years NSOB challenge
A great example of the type of shot we are looking for with bird coming into set up
If you want to accentuate the look of the wide spread wings after the kill hang the bird in a tree and pull down hard on the wings to get them to spread out then allow it to hang a bit and it will keep wings spread out instead of them wanting to fold in tight to the body.
Making sure my makeup is just right for opening day tomorrow!!
Love it jazi... Classic! Good luck tmrw! Shoot straight!
TTT- I see some kids are starting to pile up some birds. Hope to see some entries on here soon. Good luck Jr's!
This post doesn't meet the criteria but I figured that I would like to show it off any way. My daughter saw this bearded hen two weeks ago and wanted to take her. On 4/25/15 We had a tom less than 7 yards away from the blind, she waited until the bearded hen was 15 and made the shot count. She has killed several with her thunder stick but this is the first with her bow. Straight up the leg about 1/2" above her beard in the imaginary X that You guys and your excellent kill spot pics taught her. The bird went about 6 yards.
12 years old, shooting 49 pounds, VPA 125 non vented.
stickman, congrats to you and your daughter,, thats awesome!!!!!!
Thanks, I'm very proud of her. I should have taken more time to meet the criteria but to us its about spending time together. We Doubled up, I ended up shooting the tom she passed, while he was being a tom on her turkey. He is by far the prettiest turkey I have shot. They are all Merriam's turkeys in the mountains where we hunt.
Awesome Stick man! Congrats to you and your daughter! My girl's been trying hard but she's missed once and got a handful of feathers on another hunt. One more chance for her to get an entry to the contest before the season's over!
I'm posting this pic of My daughter with permission of trkyslr. I wanted to show the bird she passed on to get her bearded hen. I do not want to steal any thunder from the kiddos. Thanks again. Jesse.
Nice job Future.
You're story telling is good, and your writing - spelling, punctuation, grammar - are almost perfect!
Great job Cade! Sweet story and good pics to go along with it! I know the spot where that first pic was taken! Congrats!
That last pic was great! Way to go, Cade!
Excellent!!! CONGRATULATIONS!
Didn't have a kid to take hunting so I had to borrow one. My buddy Collin. First bird.
Good job Collin, great bird!
I'm there with you Scott. This coming weekend is my daughter's last chance to get an entry in. She's had a couple real good chances but I'll save those stories for the end of the season. Good luck to you and Ryan, you never know when it might come together!
Seasons are a few weeks from winding down.... Hope to see more junior success or even stories with close calls. Last year from memory there was deff a few more jr bow kills on this site. Good luck kids!
Well our season wrapped up this past weekend, still one weekend left but other commitments will keep us out of the field. We had an epic battle with a big tom on Saturday, had him into 25 yards but could not get him to commit to the decoys. He strutted and gobbled and gobbled and strutted for 45 minutes inside of 40 yards but he knew how the game was supposed to work, that hen should be coming to him! Eventually he figured it out and moved off. I could have shot him easily had I been the trigger man but my daughter needs them 20 yards and in and she did an amazing job of sticking to her effective range! Lots of smiles and fun was had by all involved this season. I'll try to put a thread together this week with our stories and pics. Thanks again Chris and Joe for doing this!
Couple more weeks left for some northern states... Good luck to the juniors!
Chris,
Do the contest rules say that a kill has to be part of the entered package?
As you know, some of our best hunts and seasons end when and where the youth doesn't fill their permit but a lot is learned, and some great time spent with the parent or other adult.
(Not asking this for personal reasons, none of the kids I took qualify because of a lack of photography on my part or they used shotguns....just curious.)
Michael, any junior can enter with what required pics and story they have. As listed one of the pics requested is one of the junior "posing with their turkey and bow" so if they dont have this pic it may result in their score being lower but maybe they can make up some points with the other requested pics/story. so yes a junior can enter without a kill but it will just decrease their total score per the rules/requirements of the contest. and even hunts with no kill are welcome and i would like to see them.
About a week left.. Hope some juniors are still at it!
some nice birds keep them coming good luck to all.
Back to the thread.... Congrats Ryan!! We now have a contest between two fantastic entries and still time for more! Awesome!
Ryan, winner winner turkey dinner!
Great hunts and stories you guys!
WOHOOOOO!
Mark
Congratulations Ryan... great gobbler!!!
Good entry right there. Great story!! Congrats Ryan way to stick it out
Maine closes on the 6th, so the 7th we'll hopefully get some results on this.
*******It's official the Junior contest is at and end and we have chosen a winner amongst Cade and Ryan. Cade came out and set the pace with a solid entry that was looking like it may be the only entry then Ryan came out of nowhere before the fat lady could sing to join the party. First off I wanna congratulate Cade, Ryan, and the other juniors who made it to the field with intentions of arrowing a bird and most important creating special memories, kill or no kill. Once the last day closed yesterday, 5 of us bowsiters from across the country enjoyed and judged Cade and Ryan's stories and pictures from their hunts. Both entries in their own way we're special and showed what it's about by the smiles. Both entries fulfilled the rules asked. I will say I enjoyed all the pics very much but the future of hunting pics were my favorite. Each entry was great! Cade's with both father and son foot prints with turkey track included was awesome! Ryan's with his skunk killa hat and future of hunting face paint was great as well. Anyways once the end was hear I got in contact with all the judges and tallied up the votes... It was a great contest with both Cade and Ryan each coming out on top in different pic and or story categories... But when the last vote/score came out the chosen winner for the contest was ....... Ryan! Congrats Ryan and look forward to having you out here next year to kill some nor cal birds! I would also like to thank all the bowsiters who have contacted me to help donate any financial cost in getting Ryan out here to claim his prize and create some memories with us cali boys. I was amazed by your generosity. I'm very excited to be apart of this and see the kids involved as they are the future of hunting!
Major congrats to Ryan and Scott, getting to hunt the hallowed ground of Cali with the masters!
Cade...I guess you get to hunt with THE MASTER, and shoot birds he calls in, whenever you want, anyway. :-) And your Future of Hunting sign with the turkey track for the T, and the father-son foot prints could not possibly have been beaten.
Major envy for that creativity!
Congrats Ryan and Scott! Very well deserved! You guys worked hard and made lots of memories together! Way to go!
Great job, to the kiddos. Great job to the parents and mentors. Writer, my hat is off to you for taking kids who would otherwise would have not gotten to go. Joe and Turkey slayer, you guys are the real deal and in my opinion all of us should take these examples and put them into use, getting kids into the woods. Turkey, deer, bear, elk, or just fishing, maximum outdoor exposure will take away the perspective good old Disney has tried to pass on to the younger generations.
Congrats Ryan! I can't wait to hear the stories from your hunt next year! What a cool opportunity to get to go to California to hunt for turkeys!
Cade, I loved reading your story as well, and really liked your "Future of Hunting" photo! I hope you get a chance to go back to Nebraska next year for a crack at another great tom.
Congrats Ryan! Soak it all up when you go to Cali. Them boys are great bowhunters and no doubt you'll be the same one day. Definitely bring that skunk cap. That thing is AWESOME!
Also, big thanks to Chris and Joe for doing this for the youngsters. We need more dudes like you guys. Thanks for all you do!
Way to go Ryan. Thanks guys for all you do. Hunt
Good stuff guys, congrats to all the youngsters that made it out!
Congrats Ryan! Both were excellent entries! Ryan you are in for a special treat. I would also like to make a donation to help get Ryan and his dad out west next season.
Chris/Joe, would like donations sent directly to you or should we coordinate that with Scott? Either way works for me.
Brotsky and the rest that have graciously offered to make a donation for Ryan 'a expense out here next spring, let's just pm Scott for this and you guys/gals can send it to him directly without a middle man.
Again thanks to everyone who's wanted to make donations for Ryan to come out here next spring and claim his prize. You all are awesome!!!
Congrats Ryan. Really looking forward to next year having you guys out here. It will be a blast no doubt. And everyone who is willing to help and contribute to make this come together thank all of you for being so generous. I can't wait!!
congrats to all that were involved in the turkey hunt this spring, and a special congrats to you Ryan good job on the turkeys and I also like that hat. Sent you's a PM.
Great hunts fellas. Thanks for sharing with us all.
As the winner of the NSOB contest last year I got to go out to Nor Cal and hunt with Chris and Joe this spring. It's a great experience with some incredible scenery and tons of turkey action. I have no doubt you'll enjoy the heck out of the hunt and meet some great guys who know their turkeys!
Congrats and have fun.
Again Id like to thank all those who offered to donate to Ryan to make next springs trip a reality and a great one at that! Thanks!
Congrats Ryan and Scoot (and everybody that participated)!
Wohooooo...Cali, here you come!
Mark
I just got back from bear hunting and could not wait to check this thread.
Congratulations to both Ryan & Cade for submitting two fine entries. Both were entertaining and I am sure the judging was tough.
Congratulations to Scott & Ryan for the winning entry!
As I promised earlier, I am making a custom box call for the winner. I will post a photo of Ryan's call in this thread when it is complete.
PM sent to Scott.
Here is the turkey call I made for Ryan, the winner of "The Future of Hunting" contest. It is a single side Hollowbody box call. The Hollowbody calls are of my own design. This one has a figured Mango body and a Zebrawood paddle over a Mahogany soundboard. The paddle has a gobbler head painted in acrylic and ink.
Andy Cobb
Congratulations Ryan!
Oh my, that is beautiful!!! Awesome, Ghostbird!! Very generous gift!
Wow! Thats pretty, Andy! Great work
We also had an excellent entry from Cade and I know the judging must have been tough. I decided to make a call for Cade as well. His call is also a single side Hollowbody box call. Cade's call has a Tornillo body and a Cherry paddle over a Mahogany soundboard. The paddle features artwork depicting his "Future of Hunting" photo of the words drawn into the mud with father & son boot prints.
I need to verify Cade's mailing address to send him the call. PM sent to Cade.
Andy Cobb
Wow! Amazing work as always GB! What a prize for the two entrants! You've got some good Karma coming your way!
Thanks guys.
Both young men deserved an award for sure. It was my pleasure.
Andy those both are truelly amazing looking calls!!! Thank you very much!!! Do you take special orders lol?!!!!
Wow, if those calls sound as good as they look, there's a whole lot of turkeys gonna be dying in coming springs.
Nice gesture.
Ha...hook line and sinker!
Andy those are really neat looking calls and as said, you have a real talent! Thank you for what you are doing for the kids!
Thanks again guys... it was my way to support "The Future of Hunting".
sorry just realized wrong thread
Thanks Andy. Those are beautiful calls. Congrats Cade and Ryan. Hunt
Congrats guys! Scott, I guess Ryan was right with the whole "You work harder, you are usually rewarded...." crap huh?! :) That is awesome!!!
Thanks guys. The calls will be mailed on Monday.
I hope both boys can look at their calls years from now and remember every detail of their time spent hunting with their father.
That's awesome Scott! That may be one of the best prizes he gets, a truly one of a kind gift and something he can treasure for a lifetime. Good on you Andy for making it for him!
awesome!!!!!!! Cali birds dont stand a chance next spring for Ryan!
I'm glad Ryan likes the call. Again, it was my pleasure.
Will be here before you know it! Good luck!
That turned out awesome Scott! Looking forward to seeing how the hunt goes in March! Best of luck to you and Ryan!
Scott looks awesome.... March season be here real soon. Can't wait!
Reeeeally looking forward to the March hunt, with the Cali scenery, great photography and a kid that ain't afraid to get dirty, wait patiently for hours, release a string or wear that kinda smile.
Maybe the best live-hunt of the spring. :-)
I'm envious of all parties involved. It'll be great.
The display looks fantastic. Good luck this spring!
