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ONLINE DEERHUNT 2004
Bowhunting For Deer  2004
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2004 Deer Hunt - A Bowhunt In Progress

The 2004 Bow Season - December 1
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Dec 1 - Not Again!

Morning -  At 6:15am the temperature was 29 and we had a heavy frost. (Picture below taken at first good picture light.) In the distance I heard wild turkeys before and after daylight.

Nothing stirred for the next hour and it warmed up enough to melt the frost. Turkey whistles alerted me and I picked up my camera and caught the first ones in sight. It was a mixed flock of hens, young toms and jakes. 

After setting my camera down I picked up my bow and zeroed my bowsight in on a tom that was 15 yards close, and shot through the mesh. Missed again.

The birds all checked out. 

My brain kicked into high gear. I had to figure out what was different between now and my practice shots last night. Eventually, I had an idea that made sense. In practice I was set up so I shot through the mesh, perpendicular, right straight through it. 

But here, because the turkeys move around I had to shoot through the mesh at an angle. So I picked out a skinny wooded fence post that was about 15 yards and the angle I had shot earlier. A complete miss. Then, still thinkin', I opened the blades to the expandable broadhead. 

The blades clicked into place. NIce. My shot smacked the narrow fence post and glanced into the woods. Now we're talking turkey.

Twenty minutes later two yearling does slipped under the fence and drank from the small pool of water by the blind. Then they walked away. When they stopped below wild turkeys were yelping in the area. 

A doe wake up to my extreme left. There are black acorns all over under the trees in this little clump of oaks and cedars I have my blind in. Another doe joined it and they browsed around. Actually I would have liked to shoot a nice doe but turkey yelps were in the area and I felt like they might have the Point on their list of places to go. 

After the does left my watch read 9:13. I decided to wait until 9:45 before leaving. At 9:44 got the itch to gather up my stuff so I would be ready to leave in one minute. But I didn't, after all, if you have a plan you should work it. 

Turkey whistles, soft ones, close.

I canceled my 9:45 evacuation. Shortly afterward another group of wild turkeys walked up. 

A gobbler appeared on the opposite side of the road and checked out the other turkeys. I zoomed in on him. He walked into the group and came to the water pool. (In the pIcture below the hen was drinking water.) I put up my camera and got my bow.

When the tom started drinking a smaller tom pecked him. They see sawed back and forth with a few pecks and stopped, standing tall, staring at one another. 

I drew.

The shot was close, but about a 30 degree angle to the mesh. I aimed for the stuff and toughed my release trigger.

The bird fell in a heap, right at the water's edge. 

All the other wild turkeys didn't spook, they looked around momentarily and settled down. Suddenly the downed gobbler flapped it's wings loudly and wound up a foot on the other side of the fence 4 yards from the water. The other birds went to the far side of the road and after waiting awhile they all then walked away.

Next I crossed the fence with my gear, set up a tripod and took pictures the way I like it, right where it all happened. behind me, through the fence, you can see the water (this is the small watering hole that I made) and the green blind made by Double Bull Archery.

First Wild Turkey of the Fall season. It came to drink the water in the picture. I was in the Double Bull blind in the background.  This area is named "The Point". 
  
EQUIPMENT USED:
The INNERLOC EXP expandable broadhead got complete penetration on this wild turkey and dropped in in it's tracks. When he flopped he bounced 4 yards. The cut is wide and 3 blades gives this broadhead real killing power. Since this type of expandable NOT is supposed to be shot through camo mesh I opened the blades and, even at an extreme angle, it flew straight. And the cut in the mesh was perfect, too. I really like this broadhead and being able to shoot it with the blades open adds another dimension to my bowhunting from a blind.

At 60 lb. my BOWTECH Patriot put the hammer down today and it was all over in a fraction of a second after the release. BowTech bows are built right for close shots. There are NO faint squeaks or creaks when you draw that can spook game. To me, BowTech means it draws without making noise. 

The blind was green and made by Double Bull Archery, makers of the best ground blinds a bowhunter can use. They have revolutionized wild turkey hunting with a bow. Believe me, with 2 dozen wild turkey eyes around me I would not have gotten a shot today. It is tall enough, wide enough and has enough shooting windows to get 'er done.

Arrows can't fall out of the Shoot Out arrow rest from Golden Key Futura. That is a definite plus in a blind because even gentle contact between your arrow tip and the blind's fabric can pop it out of the rest. And this arrow rest is the only true "SILENT" arrow rest I've ever shot. (I put moleskin on it's buttons and it does not make a sound.)

ALSO:  The hole in the blue Venom peep sight is absolutely the perfect size for bowhunting. The release was the new TEAM PRIMOS release from Jim Fletcher Archery. With Fine-Line Archery's Hunter bowquiver I lean my bow against the wall upright, and it is always ready, Scent Killer bar soap, shampoo and spray kept the deer I saw today from smelling me. The Bowsight was the Dusk Devil from Montana Black Gold, it's bright pins are much appreciated  Arrows were Eastern C2 camo carbon shafts fletched with the carbon flething tool from Arizona EZ-Fletch using bright yellow Gateway Feathers and crested with yellow tiger striped EZY-Eye Arrow Wraps

To Home Page For 2004 Deerhunt | To Yesterday's Hunt
Sponsors of 2004 Deerhunts
BowTech Bows
Innerloc Broadheads
Scent Killer
Double Bull Ground Blinds
TrailTimer Game Cameras
Venom Peep Sight
Golden Key Futura arrow rests
Fine-Line bowquiver
Jim Fletcher Archery releases
North Starr Treestands ladder stands & treestands
American Whitetail Targets
Cranford EZY Climb Tree Steps
FireTacks Trail & Gear Markers
PlotSpike Food Plot Seed
Arizona EZ-Fletch
Hunt Recorder & Notes Book
Rope Ratchet
Sticks N' Limbs camouflage
Freddie Bear Sports Online

BowTech
Innerloc Broadhead
Jim Fletcher
Venum Peep Sight
Double Bull
Golden Key Futura
AZ E-Z Fletch
Scent Killer
NorthStarr Treestand
Archery Targets
Venum Peep Sight
FireTacks
Plotspike Food Plot
TrailTimer
Hunt Recorder
Fine-Line Archery
Rope Ratchet
Sticks N Limbs
Freddie Bear Sports