BOWHUNT FOR THE RIO GRANDE
by Robert Hoague

The Last Stand

DAY 6 - Nice Day For A Grand Slam

CONTINUED...

The moan and kee kee did the trick. The gobbler stepped up to the edge of the cedars and poked his head and belly out. One look at that long snoodle and I knew it was the same big longbeard that had just been here.

Then he looked in my direction. I put the rangefinder on him and it read 16 yards.

Before I could set my camera down and get my bow he scooted out into the open and came even closer. I took my last picture of this big longbeard.

Careful to be extra quiet I laid the camera down and gripped my BowTech Tribute in my left hand and came to full draw. The Spot-Hogg sight's top pin shown bright green against the longbeards dark body. When the pin was where it needs to go I held steady for an instant and pulled the trigger on my release. 

The arrow hit the Tom hard and knocked him down. The arrow broke as he scrambled to get up and he made it to the woods in a flurry of wing beating. I saw my shot and knew for sure that the broadhead had broke both of his legs and probably the pelvis ... and the shot was definitely the vitals.

Things were quiet for a few seconds and I heard wing flaps. Either he was giving it up or he was flying a short distance.

I knew that the shot was lethal, there was no way the gobbler could survive the bone crushing and cutting force of the wide 1 3/4-inch cut of the tough Razortip from Grim Reaper Broadheads.

I hadn't found him yet but I was confident I would. I turned the camera on myself in the blind, leaned forward to the light and took my picture to celebrate my Grand Slam in the spring of 2006.

I waited 5 minutes and got out of the blind. There is an opening 20 yards into the trees in the direction the Tom had gone and I made a circle around the perimeter of it. I figured I would turn him up this way, but I didn't. 

So I went to the arrow. There were feathers on the ground and I noticed more ahead.

As my eye followed the trail of feathers I saw the gobbler 17 yards away. He didn't make it to the opening.

Here is a short video clip about this hunt (Recovery Video). And here is another video with additional comments (Equipment Comments Video). (Videos are for Broadband speeds.)

t started in Florida with an Osceola and continued in Nebraska with an Eastern and a Merriam's gobblers. The Rio Grande is always the toughest for me in the Spring. But today it all fell in place for the Grand Slam this Spring. (And I have another turkey tag and two more days of season to fill it.) 

EQUIPMENT COMMENTS:

• A Copperhead diaphragm from Woodhaven Custom Calls had the sound that excited this gobbler today. It is a versatile call that will pull off a kee kee, a loud yelp or a sharp cut. Woodhaven's turkey calls sound like a hen turkey to me and and obviously it did to this big Tom today.
• For  the 4th time this spring the Tribute from BowTech Archery came through with the power and speed to down this big Rio Grande longbeard. I've never used a smoother drawing bow. Set at 62 pounds it packs a bone crushing wallop. It is easy to draw sitting down or on your knees and at 31 1/2 inch axle to axle it is very maneuverable. (You don't have to worry about bumping it on the roof of the blind.) The innovative BowTech Binary Cam System is the heart of this bows great bowhunting performance.
• The broadhead that did the job today was an 1 3/4 inch expandable 3 blade Razor Tip from Grim Reaper Broadheads. They fly exactly like my field points. And it is as tough as it is accurate.  The big cut it make and the bone crushing power put this mature longbeard down in 17 yards.
• Fiber optics is a must when you hunt from a blind that is dark inside. Bright pins, easy to sight in, and tough as nails is what the Spot-Hogg"Real Deal" bowsight is all about. This bowsight was especially easy to sight in. It uses turn knobs for up and down and for left and right. This is a big improvement over the common "slide the pins around" and allen wrench method. 
• The Venom Peep Sight System is a staple in this bowhunter's archery tackle. Its transparent blue color and perfectly shaped and sized eye hole make this peep ideal for bowhunting situations. And the unique tether hook up lines it up right every time.
• Before I left for the first turkey hunt I fletched my arrows with the easy to use, fast fletching carbon fletcher from Arizona Rim E-Z Fletch that applies 3 feathers at a time. I'm not a person who like to tinker but I really enjoy making my own unique arrows with this quick, simple to use fletching rig.
• Turkey hunting and a lot of walking are two peas in a pod. I selected the "Vail" Gore Tex Waterproof Hiker from Wolverine. At this point in the hunt I've walked miles and miles in them, through swamps and over muddy and rocky terrain. The Vail boots kept my socks and feet dry and gave me particularly good traction in the mud.
• The NIKON Laser 800 rangefinder kept me in the know on when the gobbler got within bow range. You can operate and hold this excellent bowhunting rangefinder with one hand. You gotta love t hat. 
• The Razor Tip broadheads were on Gold Tip 400 arrows with EZY-Eye yellow wraps fletched with bright yellow feathers from Gateway Feathers. I also used Jim Fletcher Archery's string loop release, the Flathead. And the arrow rest was a Whisper Buisquit from Carolina Archery Products.