Ahh Yes, A Nice Day For A Grand Slam
Robert Hoague Gets His Grand Slam For 2003

I set up my decoys on the dam and slipped into my Double Bull blind. This time I was quiet. (This is a picture of my blind and decoy setup taken later in good daylight.)

Daybreak came ... a gobble sounded 200 yards away. I purred and made a few soft clucks and waited. More gobbles followed. When he flew down I clucked and yelped and shut up. His next gobble was much further away.

I started to stress, the season ends this week and I still don't have the Rio Grande for the Grand Slam. I kinda stewed on that chain of thought for several minutes. Then my bowhunting brain kicked into gear and I remembered some of my own advice, 

"Don't be needy, be part of it."

Immediately I felt better, relieved even. If it didn't happen, it was ok. The important thing was be part of it ,,, with the wild turkeys doing what they do in the wild ... with no idea I was there too. And that had certainly happened, to both Doug Crabtree and I, on this Quest for the Grand Slam. 

Twenty minutes later I heard a gobble. I called and it answered ... closer. Minutes later I heard soft chirps, very close. Through the mesh window in the blind I saw a hen standing on the opposite side of the fence, inches from the corner of the blind. It was looking right at my jake decoy and chirping softly and making a moaning noise.

The hen did that for several minutes and turned away and walked to the cross fence. I took a picture of the hen, and another. As the camera recorded the 2nd pic I noticed another turkey in the picture. A gobbler in full strut. 

I took another picture as the gobbler came into better view. 

I clucked to get the gobblers attention. He checked my area out. The hen ducked under the fence and proceeded down to the stock tank and started around the far side of the water.

That was definitely not good. 

I played my only card, I cut and yelped, loud, and didn't let up. The gobbler's neck turned bright red and it stepped closer to the fence looking in my direction. (Notice the missing tail feather on the right side of it's fan.) It's head rotated back and forth from the hen to my decoys. I sensed that it couldn't make up it's mind ... so I kept calling.

Surprise! The hen was back up on the dam! 

The gobbler dropped it's strut ... and started walking. 

No doubt about it, it was all going to come down now. I dropped to my knees, put my camera down, and carefully gripped my bow as the gobbler turned the corner onto the dam. It went into full strut, stopped and belted out a thunderous gobble. (35 yards, too far).

Then it moved forward, passing my 20 yard marker. I leaned away from the window so the gobbler couldn't see me draw. Then I inched back into the shooting window.

The gobbler was facing me -- but it turned broadside, and it appeared to be ready to walk down the side of the dam and going out of sight. I put my bright green florescent, top pin where I thought it should be and triggered my release and sent my arrow on it's way. It hit the gobbler.

Exactly where I aimed. The gobbler went down and then flapped its wings as it ran back in the direction it had come from.

Right away, I hopped out of the blind. If the bird got in the thick woods it might be hard to find. It was down the fence 50 yards laying in a trail that went under the fence.

I had my Grand Slam, in the Spring Season of 2003, with the bow!

I was, and am, pretty happy. And most of all glad to be "part of it", being there with the wild turkeys of Florida, South Dakota, Ohio and Texas.

Here are four thumbnailed pictures of me and the Rio Grande that made my Double Grand Slam in the Spring season of 2003. Robert Hoague with the Grand Slam Rio.

Sponsors For The 2003 Grand Slam
Our double Grand Slam with the bow created excitement with several manufacturers and they stepped up to the plate to sponsor the event. The sponsors are:  Alpine Archery (bows), Barrie Archery (Rocky Mountain broadheads), Double Bull (blinds), Knight & Hale Game Calls, Pro Release (release aids), EASTON Archery (arrows), Spott Hogg (bowsights), Fine-Line Archery (peep sights & bowquivers), Bododle (arrow rests), Timberline Archery (bowsights), Knight & Hale (turkey calls), Florida Wildlife Unlimited (Florida Osceolas), Dave Keiser's Double K Guide Service (Merriam's), and Freddie Bear Sports.