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Apr 4: The Pics (at last)
Doug was unable to get his pictures transferred from his digital camera to the computer at Florida Wildlife Unlimited, so we had to wait until he returned to Ohio to get the pics, here are two thumbnail pics:

To see larger pictures go to the Osceola Picture Page. 

March 20, 2000 - Doug Crabtree's Quest For The Grand Slam
Doug and his dad arrived at their South Florida wild turkey hunting camp late Monday. This morning Doug called in 5 hens and they yelped and cut all around the blind for over an hour. But no gobblers came to visit them. The wind started blowing hard at 11:00 and he hung with it until 1:00. 
For the afternoon hunt Doug went to a new 4,000 acre area on a river bottom, it's called the "Hole In The Woods." He heard some hens fly up in a tree near the river. Doug made a plain yelp of an excited hen. A gobbler answered one time. The hens answered several times. The gobbler was roosted and is 300 to 400 yards distant. Tomorrow's hunt begins, you guessed it, at the Hole In The Woods. In case you are wondering, here's what this hunt is about.

March 21, 2000 - In Search Of The Florida Osceola
No Toms gobbled on the roost this morning at the Hole In the Wall. But Hens were very vocal on their roost. Doug gave a few lost hen calls at daylight and 2 hens flew down and immediately came to the blind. Soon, another hen joined them. They left and 2 more hens came in. Around noon an additional 2 hens came to them. 
Doug worked 3 different gobblers within eyesight during the morning hunt but due to the hen activity in the area the gobblers went after the real hens.
Once again, the winds were brutal. The afternoon hunt was similar to the morning hunt, gobblers and hens were seen within shotgun range but not the bow's range. Once a Tom cut off Doug's call and started coming in fast. Doug stopped calling and the bird gobbled several times as he came closer. Forty yards from the blind a hen came between them and the gobbler went to it. Doug waited. The two birds gradually moved away.
Doug is hunting with Florida Wildlife Unlimited. They have been very helpful to Doug and his dad. When they arrived Monday night Ken Mayes and Melonie Smith went over the lay of the land with them. Even thought Doug chooses not to hunt with a guide, each day, guides Mike Tuffy, and Bobby Ray Smith listen to what occurred in the field and freely give their input on where the turkey activity is.
Other hunters are in camp. They are all shotgun hunters and the operation's guides have put them on the birds. Since opening day 13 hunters have bagged 10 gobblers. Florida Wildlife Unlimited.com.

The Slam Is On - Doug Takes The Osceola
March 22, 2000 - Morning Hunt: I was sound asleep, the phone rang and the recorder came on. A voice said, "Robert, this is Doug Crabtree, get out of bed and answer this phone! The slam is on! Shot one this morning, 10 minutes ago, at 20 minutes to 8, I'm on the cell phone ..." I threw the covers off and ran to the phone. 

Before daylight this morning Doug set up his Double Bull blind 15 yards inside a woodsy hammock that butts up to a 2 acre field that is called the Hole In The Woods. He put the decoys out, a jake and a hen to the right, and a jake and hen to the left. 

Gobble !!!!

A Tom gobbled 800 yards away. Doug cut like a hen in a tree at daylight with a Knight & Hale screaming hen diaphragm and the gobbler answered. Doug called several morel times and the gobbler answered every time. Doug told his dad, "That gobbler is going to come, he's been answering us a lot. He'll be here this morning."

A hen flew down and in ten minutes it was at the decoys. Doug clucked and purred with contentment calls whenever the hen started to walk away, it worked and the hen stayed in the area. Soon, a second hen came in. Eventually they both walked into the woods.

The gobbler came into view 100 yards away at the edge of the field. As soon as Doug saw his red and blue head he called with a real high pitched, soft, plain yelp. The Tom came right away and circled behind the blind, then he saw the decoys.

Doug drew his bow as the gobbler approached the dec's on the right side but it stopped behind the jake decoy. Doug made a very soft cluck and purr contentment call with his mouth diaphragm and the gobbler took two steps -- into the clear. Doug put his pin on the drumstick and moved it up to the top of the wing. He shot.

The arrow hit the bird and it ran 35 yards and dropped, stone dead. Doug unzipped the blind and went to pick up his Osceola, the first bird of his quest for the Grand Slam with a bow.

Doug shot the turkey at 7:40am this morning. Then he phoned me on his cell phone. 

Afternoon Hunt: Ken Mayes took Doug and his dad, Doug Sr., to s new place called the Hog Farm. They were hunting hogs and set up the Double Bull blind near trails that Ken has seen hogs using in the evening.

Around 5:30 Doug saw turkeys in the distance, in a nearby field. Doug made a plain yelp. The group turned out to be 6 hens and a gobbler and the hens came across the field with the gobbler in tow. 

They passed through the blind area but Doug Sr. couldn't get a shot because of brush. The hens led the Tom away.

Later, a dozen wild hogs came through on nearby trails. They were all small.

Tomorrow the Crabtree's will be at the area they hunted the first day, in the bahia patches where they had lots of hen action. Ken knows there are 8 different gobblers in this area.

March 24 - When they looked at the video of Friday's first shot they saw that Doug Sr.'s arrow hit the beak of the decoy and deflected it and it only clipped some feathers.
Morning Hunt: The weather changed to hot and dry and at Hole In The Woods and there was no bird activity. Then they scouted a new area called the "Orchard" and saw 2 gobblers. This afternoon they will go out at 3:30 and hunt there.
Afternoon Hunt: An Orchard gobbler came in sight but wouldn't come in. Then he flew up. They saw 4 huge, black wild hogs. Then 5 jakes came in to 25 yards but Doug Sr. couldn't get the shot. A big gobbler came within 100 yards and roosted.

March 23 - Friday's Hunt: As daybreak neared the gobblers were very vocal. Doug threw the kitchen sink at them: he opened with clucks, and went to cutting of an excited hen and fly down cackles. Once he heard the birds fly down he changed to assembly calls and purrs. The birds came in a group, 4 gobblers and 6 hens. 
When the gobblers saw the decoys they ran toward them. The biggest bird strutted in front of a hen decoy. Doug's pop, Doug Crabtree Sr. shot and the arrow cut off some feathers. The bird ran a short distance and started back. Doug Sr. shot again but this time it was a complete miss. The birds left.
Friday Evening Hunt: they worked a gobbler with 8 hens up to the far edge of the Hole In The Woods field. The closest they came was 100 yards.

Mar 25 - Morning:  Doug called in a gobbler from 800 yards away for 17 year old turkey hunter Ed McKinley from Arkansas. Ed dropped the 21 ponder with and 11" beard and 1 1/4 spurs -- he got it with a shotgun.
Afternoon: Ken Mayes took a shotgun hunter to the Orchard and they called in and harvested a 22 pounder with 11 1/2" beard. Doug and Doug Sr. returned to their last nights area. Doug called in a huge longbeard gobbler and when he was 35 yards away 3 deer came in behind the blind and picked up their scent. The deer stomped and snorted. That buggared the bird and he retreated 100 yards away and flew up.
After dark Doug went to a nearby Oak Hammock with roost trees and called with a fly up cackle. The gobbler went nuts. The two Dougs slipped out quietly. Tomorrow the Tom will look for the hen in the hammock.

Mar 26: These Crabtree Guys Are The Deadly Duo! 
At daylight they picked up a gobbler and followed him until noon. Doug Sr's friction call went on the frizz and they returned to camp and started working on the call. A gobbler sounded off in a nearby Cypress Head across the field from camp. They grabbed the blind and the bow and drove around to the back side of the of the Cypress Head. Doug popped up the blind and his dad set the decoys out. Doug opened with cuts and plain yelps from his mouth diaphragm. The bird gobbled. Doug Sr. hen yelped with his aluminum friction call. The Osceola started in, gobbling the entire way. When he saw the decoys he got real wary.

Cautiously, the Tom circled around to the far side of the decoys -- just out of range. The Crabtree's waited. In a few minutes the bird started to leave.

Doug cut and gave an excited hen call on his diaphragm. The gobbler could not resist that little "love song" and rushed up to the decoys. Doug Sr. took aim at 11 yards and put his arrow in the vitals. The gobbler took to the air and promptly ran out of gas and dropped to the ground. 

Ain't these Crabtree's some turkey hunting dudes!

Mar 26: One More Before We Go!
This morning Doug went with a shotgun hunter Bill Dupris from Arkansas and called in an 11 inch beard gobbler. Bill took his shot at 18 yards with an improved cylinder gun. The bird went straight down, never even flopped. When Doug returned to camp they packed their gear and started their drive back to Ohio. So the Osceola leg go the Grand Slam is history. Good history. Next they go for the Rio Grande at my place on the Leon River. They will be here April 6. These Crabtree's are some turkey hunting bowhunters!

Grand Slam: the Florida Bowhunt for the Osceola
To see larger pictures go to the Osceola Picture Page
Grand Slam: to Texas and Oklahoma for the Rio
Grand Slam: South Dakota for the Merriam's
Grand Slam: to Kansas for the Eastern
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Doug Crabtree's Quest For The Grand Slam 
Ninety minutes before dark today I waited on a hill above the river, looking and listening for wild turkeys. I was not to be disappointed, I heard gobbles and saw two gobblers 200 yards away walking along the river's edge. I followed them for half a mile and they flew up on in the curve of the river past Rick's Hot Turkey stand. When you get here April 7th Doug, we be ready.