DoneRight
PMA Member
Last Thurs. JW and I headed for KS to spot & stalk some birds with my buddy Donovan @ Arrowhead Wilderness outfitters. We rolled into camp about 8:30 in the pouring rain. Grabbed a bite to eat threw a few barely pops back and hit the sack. We woke up Friday morning to thunderstorms and pouring rain, but we went out anyway. By 9:30 we were soaking wet & decided to head back to the lodge to get some dry clothes, a bite to eat, a short nap, and wait for the rain to stop. We headed back out around noon when the sun started to peak out from under the clouds. We drove around and spotted some birds in a field and attempted a stalk, but the birds were just moving away to quickly and we couldn't quite get in front of them. So we loaded up and moved a few miles away to another field. Where we found another bird in the milo stubble strutting. So we hopped out of the truck and ran up a timbered draw to get in front of him. Belly crawled to the edge of the field, and got him spotted @ about 80 yds out with 2 hens. Moving our way! JW was up first so I backed into the timber about ten yds and called real soft. The tom errupted with a triple gobble. So no more calling, he peeled away from the hens and came in strutting and JW ended it at about 30yds out. His first bird of the year! He was pumped up now. First bird down at 1:30 pm. 18.5 lbs, 1 3/8" hooks & a 8 7/8" beard. Took a couple quick photos and hopped back in the truck and headed north about 20 min.
We pulled up on the field just as a real good tom was going up over the hill. We hopped out of the truck and made a couple quick calls and another gobbler sounded off up the draw above a pond dam. So I'm up, and we're off. We sneak to below the dam, and slowly beely crawl up the side of the dam to see where the bird is at. We get up to the top of the dam and the bird is less than a hundred yds out, but there is no easy way to get to him. So we slowly worked our way around to the right of the pond into a little cut below a small hill. Then to the belly for about a 75yd crawl to a brush pile. I got to the brush pile looked over the hill and I couldn't locate the strutter or the hen he had with him. I thought for sure I was busted. Donovan crawled up a little higher to try to locate him and he saw him, so I crawled towards him. I get there, and the hen is starting to head off the property, and if the gobbler follows her its going to be about a 75 yd shot. The strutter hooked back a little towards us, and started strutting, and I noticed his fan was pretty beat up from fighting. He turned towards us and put his head up and boom! It was over, 60 yd shot. Bird weighed 19 lbs, 7/8" hooks on each side and a 9" beard. 2 birds down by 2:30pm. Awesome day so far. First 2 birds.
So we headed back to the lodge to throw dinner in the crock pot, change into some dry socks and head right back out. We drove around for a while glassing milo fields, cattle feed lots, and cattle pastures. Trying to find another bird to stalk. About 7:00 pm we drove by a feed lot with hay bales along one side of it. We stopped as we caught just the tips of a rios fan coming over the hill into the lot. We backed up to a little draw that fed in to right behind the hay bales, I grabbed my gun and we took off. We made it to the end of the hay bales as the gobbler and six hens made their way to the far end of the bales ( about 80 yds). Donovan yelped a couple times and the gobbler made his way along the edge of the bales. I got ready and when he hit 40yds, I dropped him. 3 birds down,one to go . 7:30 pm 20 lbs 8 oz, 9.5" beard, 1 3/8" left spur, 1 2/8" right spur. Picture of bird.
We snapped a couple of photos and we were off to put some birds to bed where we started the morning in the rain. We turned on to the access road, and there were 6 jakes, one strutter and about ten hens. We let the birds work themselves to the south towards the property we would be hunting. We pulled down the road as the birds ducked into a draw. JW grabbed his gun and we got through the gate and hunkered in. We called a little bit but no answer. We sat there a good half hour waiting for them to make their way through the draw. Nothing. Then I looked up on the hill and there were the jakes and a few of the hens, but no strutter. we waited another 10 min and didn't see another bird on the hill. Then, it seemed like out of nowhere, the gobbler showed himself. The jakes & hens were a good 200 yds in front of the strutter and we started thinking he might take the same line. They were up on the hill high enough that we could hit the creek bottom, and get in front of them by hitting a small cut between the jakes & the gobbler. But its gonna be difficult to not get busted with birds on both sides. We all belly crawled to the creek, hopped up sprinted about 200 yds, and then belly crawled again for about 100 yds. I stayed back as JW & Donovan made there way up the cut to a couple of small trees. I see them get settled in, and I get tucked back into some thick stuff and wait & listen. About ten min later the shot rang out and JW had his first full rio. 8:35 pm 45 yd shot, 19 lbs 6 oz, 9 1/4" beard, and 1" broken spurs ( estimated they were probably close to 1 3/8" before they were broken). It was an awesome day. 4 birds shot within 7 hrs of each other and tagged out on the first day. Thank you to Donovan & Brian with Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters for a great hunt and a great fun-filled weekend.
We pulled up on the field just as a real good tom was going up over the hill. We hopped out of the truck and made a couple quick calls and another gobbler sounded off up the draw above a pond dam. So I'm up, and we're off. We sneak to below the dam, and slowly beely crawl up the side of the dam to see where the bird is at. We get up to the top of the dam and the bird is less than a hundred yds out, but there is no easy way to get to him. So we slowly worked our way around to the right of the pond into a little cut below a small hill. Then to the belly for about a 75yd crawl to a brush pile. I got to the brush pile looked over the hill and I couldn't locate the strutter or the hen he had with him. I thought for sure I was busted. Donovan crawled up a little higher to try to locate him and he saw him, so I crawled towards him. I get there, and the hen is starting to head off the property, and if the gobbler follows her its going to be about a 75 yd shot. The strutter hooked back a little towards us, and started strutting, and I noticed his fan was pretty beat up from fighting. He turned towards us and put his head up and boom! It was over, 60 yd shot. Bird weighed 19 lbs, 7/8" hooks on each side and a 9" beard. 2 birds down by 2:30pm. Awesome day so far. First 2 birds.
So we headed back to the lodge to throw dinner in the crock pot, change into some dry socks and head right back out. We drove around for a while glassing milo fields, cattle feed lots, and cattle pastures. Trying to find another bird to stalk. About 7:00 pm we drove by a feed lot with hay bales along one side of it. We stopped as we caught just the tips of a rios fan coming over the hill into the lot. We backed up to a little draw that fed in to right behind the hay bales, I grabbed my gun and we took off. We made it to the end of the hay bales as the gobbler and six hens made their way to the far end of the bales ( about 80 yds). Donovan yelped a couple times and the gobbler made his way along the edge of the bales. I got ready and when he hit 40yds, I dropped him. 3 birds down,one to go . 7:30 pm 20 lbs 8 oz, 9.5" beard, 1 3/8" left spur, 1 2/8" right spur. Picture of bird.
We snapped a couple of photos and we were off to put some birds to bed where we started the morning in the rain. We turned on to the access road, and there were 6 jakes, one strutter and about ten hens. We let the birds work themselves to the south towards the property we would be hunting. We pulled down the road as the birds ducked into a draw. JW grabbed his gun and we got through the gate and hunkered in. We called a little bit but no answer. We sat there a good half hour waiting for them to make their way through the draw. Nothing. Then I looked up on the hill and there were the jakes and a few of the hens, but no strutter. we waited another 10 min and didn't see another bird on the hill. Then, it seemed like out of nowhere, the gobbler showed himself. The jakes & hens were a good 200 yds in front of the strutter and we started thinking he might take the same line. They were up on the hill high enough that we could hit the creek bottom, and get in front of them by hitting a small cut between the jakes & the gobbler. But its gonna be difficult to not get busted with birds on both sides. We all belly crawled to the creek, hopped up sprinted about 200 yds, and then belly crawled again for about 100 yds. I stayed back as JW & Donovan made there way up the cut to a couple of small trees. I see them get settled in, and I get tucked back into some thick stuff and wait & listen. About ten min later the shot rang out and JW had his first full rio. 8:35 pm 45 yd shot, 19 lbs 6 oz, 9 1/4" beard, and 1" broken spurs ( estimated they were probably close to 1 3/8" before they were broken). It was an awesome day. 4 birds shot within 7 hrs of each other and tagged out on the first day. Thank you to Donovan & Brian with Arrowhead Wilderness Outfitters for a great hunt and a great fun-filled weekend.
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