| 2007
Triple Double Grand Slam Bowhunt
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BOWHUNT
IN MISSOURI (at IMB Outfitters)
Darrin
Bradley
|
IMB
Outfitters
Darrin
Bradley's IMB Outfitters hunts Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska,
Kansas and is has over 45,000 acres located in Pike County, Illinois, Southeastern
Iowa (Zone 5), Kansas, Nebraska and Northern Missouri. IMB Outfitters is
dedicated to maximizing the harvest opportunities of today's trophy
whitetail, and turkey hunter.
Darrin
provides quality portable treestands to hunt from, located in topographically
advantageous areas, such as rub lines, scrapes, funnels, food plots, and
bedding areas. IMB land tracts are privately owned and managed for trophy
buck production. With IMB a hunter may pursue trophy turkey of 3 species,
Merriam's, Eastern, and Rio or trophy whitetail deer across the Midwest.
For a free brochure you may visit www.imbmonsterbucks.com
or phone toll free at 866-855-7063. or Email imb@adams.net. |
Missouri Turkey Hunt:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day
3 | Hunt Review
Second
Day - I make a miss call...
On yesterday's
hunt everyone else who hunted got their big, longbeard gobblers. Today's
plan was for Tony May and I to get ours in the area where Darrin bagged
his monster gobbler yesterday. We needed darkness to cross a big open picked
soy bean field to get to our blind (which Tony and I sat up yesterday after
our hunt.) I got up at 3:30 this morning and Tony picked me up at a sleepily
4:00.
When we crossed the field
it was so dark I could barely see Tony three steps in front of me. We waited
in the darkness. When a little light was on the horizon first gobble sounded
about 60 yards behind us. Before long we recognized 8 different gobblers
of varying distances and directions. Things looked promising.
Our blind was 600 yards from
where Darrin had hunted and right where he saw several toms strutting for
most of the morning. Tony and I had previously decided not to do any early
calling because Darrin had seen the birds pitch down right into the field
in front of where we were. We didn't want anything to be different this
morning.
Daylight spread out over
the field as gobbles regularly rang out from the roost trees in the woods
abound the field.
Gobble!!!
A close one. Out in the field
-- 90 plus yards from us we saw a big gobbler walking along in the middle
of in the field. I focused the binoculars on him. (10 power Nikon LX: expensive
optics but worth every penny in for clear and low light seeing ability.)
This was a real big gobbler,
the type that when they strut Tony May calls a "Sherman Tank". HIs beard
was very long and almost on the ground, even though he was standing erect.
His brisk walk made the lengthy beard swing back and forth between his
legs.
Right then I made a mistake
that cost me this exceptional "Sherman Tank". Tony picked up his slate
and striker. I tapped his arm and shook my head no. That's how convinced
I was that this gobbler would come to our Calley Morris hen and jake decoys
like they had done on other hunts this season.
When the "tank" was straight
out from us and at least 50 yards past the decoys -- and not looking at
them -- I knew I had messed up. This gobbler was on a mission to somewhere
and something further away than we were. Tony whispered he had to call
before this gobbler passed us by.
The "Sherman" stopped to
Tony's calls and looked at the decoys. And kept on walking, on course to
his unknown mission.
Soon the other gobblers flew
down and we heard their gobbles get distant. We called periodically during
the morning and at 1:00pm our hunt was over.
Back at hunt headquarters
Tony told Darrin Bradley what happened. And I added that it was me who
said not to call. There is a saying in the hunting business, "Never guide
the guide." They know the area and they know the game. What works for a
hunter at home may not work in other places.
There's no way of knowing
for sure. The gobbler might have come in range. He might not, too. But,
honestly, Iooking back, I think he would have. That's Tony May below, bringing
the 4 wheeler back to the truck.
This afternoon I am
working on the hunt report and Tony is setting our a Double Bull blind
in a new place for tomorrow's turkey hunt. Tomorrow I will keep my mouth
shut and let the man who knows the place call the shots.
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