The Merriam's

(Apr 17) Southern South Dakota
At 6:00am this morning our bowhunting father and son team Doug Crabtree & Doug Sr. arrived in Southern South Dakota and met Brooks Johnson and Keith Beam of Double Bull Archery, and the outfitter Dave Keiser of Double K Guide Service, who guided in the area they would be hunting. 95% of Dave's turkey hunters are bowhunters so prospects were good for the upcoming hunts.

At 9:00am they drove to an area called the "Chic." It is a deep canyon amongst rolling hills. Luckily they glassed a big gobbler from the get go and Doug Sr. and Brooks went after him.

They set up the blind and decoys on a little bluff down below the bird. Doug Sr. did two clucks and the bird gobbled immediately. A long stream of assembly yelps followed (meaning "lets get together"). The bird double gobbled and they saw his red head come out of a draw 250 yards away. The Tom continued to gobble and strut for 150 yards. Soft contentment yelps on a striker kept him on course.

When he spotted the decoys he continued strutting and briskly walked straight to them. Two sets of decoys were out and he went to the first set, then to the second set, and back again, which put him 5 yards away. 

Brooks videoed as Doug Sr. arrowed the gobbler. It ran 20 yards to a group of cedars and disappeared. They waited and blood trailed the bird a short distance to where it lay in a cedar break. The Merriam's gobbler had a 9 inch beard, 1 1/8 spurs and weighed 20 pounds.

Meanwhile, Doug and Keith Beam had set up in a big canyon. Doug clucked and yelped. Gobbles came from practically every direction. A Gobbler walked down into the canyon and strutted and gobbled up to 40 yards from the decoys. But two different gobblers sounded off uphill and the gobbler ran to them. Doug heard a bird spit and drum, it was close, 8 yards, but it went uphill also. 

Later on the hunters belly crawled up the canyon and set up the blind on the rim of the canyon. Doug called and shut up. A "tomato head"  popped out of a draw and watched the decoys, 30 yards was close as he got, not quite enough. Gobbles filled the air at dusk.

Tomorrow is another day... 

(Apr 18) Southern South Dakota - The Merriam's Becomes A Reality
Doug Crabtree and Keith Beam went to the Goose Pit, some land that Keith owns. They set up between river bottom and an old cornfield full of corn stalks. At daylight birds gobbled 80 yards away.  Doug identified 6 different gobblers and a hen. He kept calling to get the hen vocal. It worked and a 3 gobblers and one hen flew down 50 yards away. The gobblers started toward the blind but the hen went into the corn stalks. The gobblers followed. 

Further away, a 3rd gobbler flew down. Doug started cutting excitedly. The bird trotted in their direction. The other 3 gobblers intercepted him and ran him off, right into the dried corn stalks. The 3 Merriam's continued on toward the blind and they all sopped 20 yards away and strutted for the decoys. Doug aimed and shot the most colorful one. 

The bird ran into the cornfield and disappeared. Meanwhile the other gobblers were unconcerned and kept strutting and gobbling up a storm at the decoys. 

Doug was not sure of his hit, he felt it may have been low. They waited an hour and checked it out. A good blood trailed led them 80 yards, straight to the bird.

This was the 15th gobbler taken with a bow this year by Double K Guide Service hunters.

The 3rd Leg of the Quest For the Grand Slam With A Bow is a success for Doug Crabtree and his dad Doug Crabtree Sr. So far, they both have bagged the Osceola, the Rio Grande and Merriam's wild turkeys.

This afternoon they leave for Kansas in search of an Eastern wild turkey.

Can these guys turkey hunt or what!!! 

Onward, to the Eastern

• To the 2nd Leg Of The Grand Slam: the Rio
•  To the start of the Grand Slam - the Florida Bowhunt
• To Doug Crabtree's Home Page