EQUIPMENT:
Sponsors
of the Grand Slam 6-Pack | Getting The Gear Ready |
OUTFITTERS:
|
Wells
Creek Outfitters |
HUNTS:
The
Osceola | Rio Grande | Merriam's | Eastern
Hunt
Status: Who Has Their Grand Slam So Far?
Grand
Slam 6-pack
Bowhunting:
South
Florida | Central Florida | Texas
| Nebraska | Illinois |
Texas
Hunt #2
Rios
- Still huntin' right to the season's end
Roy Keefer Comes Through Too ...
When Kenny McCrea and I
arrived at the lodge Roy Keefer was already there. Here
is his hunt...
Gettin' Er' Done At Rocky Creek
Afternoon of Day 3
- The message I left Kenny on his cell said I gave another turkey a haircut
and wanted to go home. I was just kidding. GO...
Morning of Day 3
- Eric McCrea took me to an flater, more open area. Pics
& The Hunt...
NEW :(May
8) Last Day Cliffhanger
Dressed in black and ready
for the last afternoon's turkey hunt, I called every 20 minutes beginning
at 3:00pm. GO...
(May 8) Last Morning
For the last day of seaon
I hunted the same place that it started, on the dam. As I unzipped the
blind;s door it turned into a rainy morning. Windy too. Rain started blowing
into the blind on the north side and I closed that side up tight. This
Double Bull Matrix is some cool blind, it protects you from rain too.
It stayed dark a long time
-- except for occasional lightening. Finally at 7:21 there was enough daylight
that a turkey could fly down. Hunting wise, there were no gobbles and no
responses to my calls.
When 8:30 came I walked
to the truck and drove home. My truck thermometer had dropped 12 degrees.
As I started to write this update the turkey meister Rick Philippi phoned
and he got two big toms this morning, one had an 11 1/2" beard and the
other a 10.
NEW:This
Morning's Hunt (May 7)
The "Slunge"
Comes To Call
 
(L) the Slunge, getting
ready to dance. (R) the dance floor
Gobble! I called and reached
to open a shooting space in the Matrix 360. A hen walked out of the woods
and stopped a few feet from my blind. And a big fan popped up behind her.
Pics
& Hunt...
Nice
Day For A Grand Slam
Rios - Back To
The Apr 28 Hunt
 
The plan was to only hunt
an hour. That was before a longbeard showed up. To
The Hunt...
Rocky
Creek Ranch For Rios
Day 2: Roy's Turkey
Haircut
Roy Keefer invents the "Turkey
Haircut." Hunt &
Pics...
Day 2: Afternoon
- A Bad Haircut Day
You'd think it was a gobbler
traffic jam, the way they kept showing up this afternoon. GO...
Day 2 - Morning
Our goal was to get to the
blind near the roost tree without disrupting the turkeys in it. GO..
Day 1: Afternoon
- More Gobblers
A Tom stepped over the creek
bank and stopped at the cross trail. The blind's shooting windows were
closed and I opened them one at a time. The Tom did not notice. Hunt
& Pics...
Day 1: Morning
- Gobblers
Surprise! In the moonlight
we could see wild turkeys roosted in a big Pecan Tree near where our blind
was. Kenny McCrea and I waited until they flew down and snuck in along
a rocky creek bottom. It did't take long. To
Hunt & Pics...
Rios
- Still Hunting For One
Apr 26 - Gobble On Over
Here come the gobblers.
And the Duck has a trick for the Longbeard Trio. To
Hunt...
Apr 25 - The Longbeard Trio
Gobblers are working the
hens hard. So they are not coming to calls now. But they are constantly
on the move and the time proven turkey areas are paying off. To
The Hunt...
Apr 24 - Longbeards, Ready Or
Not
One gobble sounded louder
than the rest and I smacked down a hen and jake decoy and got in the blind.
Gobble! Close! Like 60 to
70 yards. I reached to make a shooting window.
Woops! Hold up! A longbeard
walked out. To Hunt...
April 23 - I hunted
the Gate and Point. To The Hunt
and a couple of pics...
April 22 - Afternoon
-
Since it was so hot erlier I set up at the "gate" with the Double Bull
Matrix blind. I mean right at the gate too, 6 yards from it, right against
the fence on the west side -- which is the non-cow pasture side. (Cows
are not ground blind friendly.)
I called in two different
toms. They jammed on the brakes and studied my lone hen decoy. And blew
her off. Lots of gobbles this afternoon, mostly from the west and the river
area.
April
21 - Dry Tank - With a rio grande yet to get I'm digging in and
will start to hunt this afternoon. I called in 5 jakes. One gobbled once
and they hung out but would not get in bow range.
Bowhunting
Illinois
 
Guides Bob McNeff
and Fred Lutger
|
Our
host for the Illinois Hunt is Wells Creek Outfitters. Famous
for its trophy whitetail buck operation they also have spring wild turkey
hunts guided by Fred & Bob McNeff.
For
Information on Wells Creek buck or turkey hunts call 217-894-6804,
or Email:
wellscreekoutfitter@yahoo.com.
Visit the web site at Wells
Creek Outfitters. |
NEW
-
Back To Day 4
Every time the hen laid
down for the longbeard the other hen pecked her until she got up. I wanted
to get closer than 150 yards. And I did ... up to 10 yards. Here's
how...
Day 4 & 5
- Last Minute Rally
Chances were good that I
could call in both male turkeys. Things looked good for a last minute rally.
To
Day 4 & 5 Hunt...
Day 3 - Boc McNeff's
Turn
Today Bob McNeff, our host at Wells Creek Outfitters, heard 5 toms gobbling
and walked uphill and set his decoys in a small open area and hid behind
a "green, leafy bush." The toms stayed in the trees until 6:50. While he
waited Bob called & rattled leaves. To
Day 3...
Day 2 - A Ground
Dragging, Rope Beard Comes To The Call
 At
11:12 I answered a deep toned gobble. We went back and forth as the
booming gobbles got closer. He walked out of the woods and looked at my
decoys and and strutted up. Then he looked into the field and back at my
decoys, and back and forth. I checked the field. Yikes! To
The Hunt & Lots Of PIcs...
NEW
-
Illinois - Day 1
 
We are hunting as guests
of with Wells Creek Outfitters in Clayton, Illinois. Everyone heard lots
of gobbles on the roost and had encounters of the gobbler kind. To
The Hunt...
Bowhunting
Nebraska
Nebraska
- Day 2
NEW
-
A Nebraska 6-Pack
 
All we needed was for me
to get a 2nd gobbler and we would have 2 apiece. I got lucky and shot right
when it counted. And got some swell pictures of the gobbler as it came
in. To Hunt & Pics...
 5
More Minutes ...
As Doug's first longbeard
collapsed at the base of a tree a 3rd longbeard attacked it by jumping
up and spurring it, grabbing its snoodle and jerking its head around, and
pecking it wildly.
As soon as Doug dropped
his second tom Fred grabbed his bow and started a sneak toward the attacking
gobbler. To This Hunt...
"Just Looking For The
Right 5 Minutes."
It's 30 miles of slow driving,
dirt roads to get to the property we are hunting and we got up at 4:00am
so we could all 3 be set up before daylight. I went back to the Wind Break.
Doug and Fred returned to the blind Doug had hunted. And things got good.
To
The Hunt...
Day
1 - Patience Pays Off (Imagine That)
To
Nebraska Day 1 Bowhunt...
 
I wanted to hunt the gobblers
we saw in the wind break. I set up differently and it got me in some turkeys
and pictures. To My Hunt &
Pics...
Day 1 - Fred Tags
The First
 After
the landowner showed us around.Fred went to an area ear near a gate in
the wire fence by one of the ranch roads.
Terry had told him the turkeys
passed through the area in the afternoon on their way to the roost trees.
Terry was right! To
Hunt...
Hunt
For The Rio Grande - In Progress
| Day 1 | Day
2 | Day 3 | Day
4 | Day 5 |
Day 5 - MORNING
- The Last Stand
Gobbles sounded all along
the river and across the field as Fred and Doug waited in the blind for
daylight. When it was light enough that a turkey could be on the ground
Doug made soft hen yelps. Gobbles ... it sounded like thunder going down
the river. Day 5 Hunt
Day 4 - TORNADO
Morning: Fred gets
gobbler action.
Afternoon: A loud
cracking noise sounded in the sky. Everything looked ok. CRACK!!! Louder.
Everything got dead still.
Whoooommmm. Big wind. Leaves, twigs and debris filled he air. Oh, oh, the
blind lifted up and I grabbed a window and struggled to hold it down. Day
4 Hunt
 NEW
-
Gobble and Shoot
Morning - Fred Gets The
Action At The Gate
Incoming birds walk right
up. Fred draws. Go...
Afternoon - Gobblers
answer in the distance and I call them in and take 3 cool pictures. And
get my bow. Go...
First Rio Grandes
Down
Back
To Day 2 Morning...
 Fred
Lutger hunted the Gate and had gobbler action several times. Later he heard
hen talk as gobbles got closer.
Suddenly he was surprised
by a bow shot. Then a long beard raced into view ... with Doug Crabtree
right behind it. To Fred's Hunt...
AND To Doug's Hunt...
Day
2 - 4:14pm
I'm
updating directly from my blind at the Point. Minutes ago two gobblers
responded to my calls. Here's what came
down...
Day
1 - 4:30am - It's Time To Do It
Doug
Crabtree and Fred Lutger and start the Rio part of our Grand Slam Quest.
We heard several gobbles at sunset. This morning we will set up on the
dam where Fred and I saw 2 rope longbeards strutting Thursday. Wish us
luck. To The Hunt...
BOWHUNT
FOR THE FLORIDA OSCEOLA
 In
Florida we are hunting with David Mills of Zolfo Springs, Florida
in Central Florida's Osceola wild turkey country. David is an immediately
likable guy and makes you feel at home from the get go. He has thousands
of acres available to hunt Osceolas. He understands this unique species
of wild turkey and knows his extensive area like the preverbal back of
his hand.
To contact David about Osceola
hunts, bow or shotgun, phone 1-863-990-9087. |
Action In The
Orange Grove
 Across
the adjacent cow pasture, 300 yards away, several black, turkey objects
walked into view. I cut excitedly on the Woodhaven Aluminum call and went
into a volley of yelps.
The
birds stopped.
I
cut again. Louder. They switched directions -- the right way too -- toward
me. To Hunt...
Fred gets 'er
done
 Fred
still had the Woodhaven slate in his hands when he saw 3 gobblers crossing
the cow pasture. He closed up 3 sides of the Matrix blind, leaving a shooting
hole where his hen decoy was. As the gobblers got close he lost sight of
them behind a palmetto patch. The first bird appeared 60 yards away and
trotted into the orange grove. To Fred's
Hunt...
Oranges Anyone?
David
Mills takes us back to the orange grove where we saw the turkeys. And our
luck changes for the better. Go...
Back To Day
5 - Swamp Cabbage
A
pivotal day in our hunt. Hurricanes. And I learn about swamp cabbage. GO...
Day 6 - Mike
Bailey In The Swamp
Mike
Bailey went with David Mills returned to the same swamp. David called aggressively
for two hours, alternating between the Woodhaven Aluminum and Crystal Slates.
Suddenly they saw a big longbeard 100 yards away, running ... toward them.
GO... |
 |
Day 5 - Mike
Leonard's Swamp Tom
David
Mills calls in another big Osceola longbeard and Mike Leonard draws a bead
on it. GO...
Day
5 (Mar 25) Mike Leonard's Deep Swamp Hunt
Fred
& I zipped this morning and when we returned to camp Mike Leonard told
us about his exciting turkey hunt in a Florida swamp. GO... |
 |
Day 4 (March 24)
    
A
view from the blind, my decoy, a crane, a fox and a breathtaking sunset
on the way back to camp.
Morning
Hunt: We hunted in an orange grove today. Turkeys in Central Florida
go to them and eat bugs and plants. A variety of game was in the grove
but we saw nor heard any turkeys. No one else had any action either, it
was a quiet turkey day. But a great sunset day!
Day 3 (March 23)
  
Morning
Hunt: Doug Crabtree broke the silence of the pre dawn woods with
an owl hoot. RaaaaaOuuuuuu, an owl answered. Suddenly Doug and an owl barely
missed him.
Three
owls landed on limbs, we could make them out against the morning sky. I
got my camera and clicked on the flash and took a picture of one
looking at us. Another was closer and in a different position, I took
its picture. And here it is close
up. It was definitely a cool thing. (Woodhaven Owl Hooter for anyone
wanting to know what call was used.)
A gobble
sounded very -- far away. At daylight we drove 3/4 mile and stopped. Doug
put on the Pro Ears and listened
for another gobble. He heard it and we walked half a mile and set up on
the edge of the woods. We hunted until 11:00 but no turkey encounters took
place.
 
Rain clouds rolled in and
it started to rain. When we finished eating the rain was over.
Afternoon
Hunt: David Mills took Fred and I to an orange grove and we set
up in a corner so we could watch two roads. We saw a turkey immediately,
way off. Then 3 more. And a bomber longbeard.
Our view from the Double
Bull Matrix blind.
The
action picked up today and tomorrow we go to a new area that has not been
hunted.
Day 2 (March 22)
Morning
Hunt: We were there. The turkeys weren't. We are moving to a new area
this afternoon.
Afternoon
Hunt: We duplicated the morning hunt. But we are pumped for tomorrow.
Day 1 (March 21) - Osceola Hunt, Florida's
Central Zone
Morning
Hunt: Fred is hunting but I needed to get Monday's web work out of
the way so I can be ready to update today's hunt.
Fred
met David Mills at 5:00 this morning. They hunted 50 yards into the woods
off a cow pasture and David gave an owl hoot. A gobble came from behind
them. The backed up and set up the Double Bull blind in an opening inside
a palmetto patch. At daylight they made hen calls. Fred saw a Tom fly down
and there were no more gobbles. They called loud, off and on, for an hour.
They
heard a hen making light yelps and a distant gobble behind the hen. In
front of the blind, on a clear trail leading into the palmettos, without
a sound, a big longbeard stepped out. He watched the hen decoy briefly
and walked away.
An
hour passed and the Tom showed up again on the trail in the same spot.
He watched the hen and walked away.
Half
an hour later Fred and David called together. The longbeard returned right
away, watched, and left for the 3rd time. David
When
they were ready to leave Fred walked to where the bird had stood to see
if anything was wrong. He could not see into the blind at all, which is
a good thing. David said there is a larger gobbler in the area and this
bird probably was afraid it would show up and although he was not spooky
he was reluctant to come to the hen decoy.
Knock,
knock. I opened the motel door and Fred and David told me what happened.
We drove to the Pioneer restaurant and ate lunch. There, I visited with
Ken Mayes of Florida Wildlife Unlimited (where we
hunted last year). Ken's hunters are having a good season
With
lunch out of the way we drove to a big orange grove and set up near an
edge with large roost trees and a creek.
  
And
that's were we are right now.
(4:17
pm) A longbeard entered our orange grove row and hurried toward our
decoys. Fred got ready with the bow and I had the camera at ready. It was
limping and hung up briefly at 60 yards and went somewhere else.
(6:20
pm) A barred owl buzzed our decoys and landed on a fence post 40 yards
away. David and I focused him in the binoculars. Woops, a gobbler walked
through my view, 100 plus yards behind the owl. Two more followed, longbeards
all. They went to the roost trees and flew up. We waited until dark and
slipped out, leaving the blinds and our gear there.
Tomorrow,
tomorrow, yea David, it's gonna be good.
DAY 3 - First
Osceola & More
  Turkeys!
In the palmettos. Doug popped up the Double Bull on the edge, set the decoys,
and called. Without a peep the birds entered the field and then ran to
the blind -- 14 Toms. To
Hunt...
DAY 2 - Grand
Slam Quest
At first light a gobbler
sounded off in the distance. Doug Crabtree called aggressively for several
minutes and the tom gobbled constantly. GO...
DAY 1 - South
Florida Opener
 
Doug Crabtree and 3 other
hunters squeezed into the Double Bull Matrix blind and waited for daylight
to break. An owl hooted in the hammock and several gobblers sounded off
100 yards behind the blind.
Ten minutes later Doug made
soft tree yelps. Gobblers came from all sides. "We were surrounded," Doug
told me., "just like the indians circling the wagons of the cowboys." To
Hunt...
2005
Grand Slam 6-Pack Bowhunt ...
It's
a wrap. We're all ready. This year Bowhunting.net is going for a six pack!
That's 6 Grand Slams for 3 Wild Turkey Bowhunters trying to get 2 each
of every species ... in one Spring season ... with the bow and arrow. Online!
-
The
Florida Osceola: Doug Crabtree starts the hunt in Florida on
March 5 at in the Southern Zone. Fred Lutger & I go to the Central
Zone on March 21.
-
Rio
Grande: April 2 we hunt in Texas with the Duck and JimboTX.
-
The
Merriam's: On April 20 we hunt Merriam's in Nebraska.
Eastern:
We got drawn for Brown county, Illinois and start hunting on April 11 with
Fred
Lutger's Wilderness Hunts at
Wells
Creek Outfitters. Then we go to Ohio and hunt Doug Crabtree's turkey
haunts.
Recognizing Hens & Gobblers
The heads of hens and gobblers
are different and their overall appearance has a different purpose. GO |
  |
The Difference Between Wild & Domestic?
Webster’s
Dictionary defines "turkey" as: a theatrical production that has failed,
three successive strikes in bowling, a stupid or foolish person and a large
North American bird that can either be domestic or wild.
The
large bird is the turkey we're talking about and here is the difference
between
Domestic & Wild
Turkeys |
  |
So What Is A Grand
Slam, Anyway?
The
Grand Slam consists of 1 each of all 4 of the North American wild turkey
sub species.
Eastern |
Merriam's |
Osceola |
Rio Grande |
Sponsors
for the 2005 Grand Slam 6-Pack Bowhunt
Our Grand Slam 6-Pack
with the bow created excitement with several manufacturers and they stepped
up to the plate to sponsor the event.
SPONSORS
OUTFITTERS:
|
