Crimson Arrows
Well-Known Member
As I sat with my wife last week, four months along and expecting our first child in September, I noticed it was getting harder to leave for even local hunting trips, wanting to stay around more and make sure all stayed “ok”.
I am sure all you first time Dads can understand. Working in Cedar Rapids, my “stomping grounds” are a couple hours away, but I still plan accordingly, scout and hope for the best each year.
This year, I decided to just buy “one” tag and enjoy the spring, go a couple days a week and should I get lucky, so be it. This was the first spring, my 20th Iowa gobbler season, that I really didn’t care that much if I filled my tag or not.
I left yesterday afternoon to scout a new farm in which I had no idea what was going on, but was hoping a pasteur I had in mind might hold promise. The skies looked less than kind, but the weather held and before I knew it I was at the farm. Having surgery at Mayo secondary to a problem I was born with in my chest last Monday left me VERY tired, short of breathe and feeling old L
The 4 small incisions in my chest had healed and I could draw my bow with “just” a bit more effort than normal. Modern medicine…you have to love it!
Still, the surgeon looked at me with confusion when I said, “If I can’t turkey hunt on the 11th, can we wait until May?” My wife says she is reminded by comments and questions like that as to how much I love this stuff J
He said , “As long as you can draw your bow and catch your breath, you are ok to go.”
Music to my ears J
So, as I started my way into the farms interior, I had to nearly “drag” myself up the hill…maybe this WAS a bad idea J
With binos in hand and labored breathes I had almost crested the rise when I saw two full fans at 100 yards spinning and dancing. :drink2:
I simply turned around and smiled, knowing three things.
1) There were turkeys here :way:
2) They were comfortable in that particular “strut zone” :way:
3) That I was glad I didn’t have to walk anymore!
I had ordered a new Double Bull Dark Horse this year and due to health issues etc, I just didn’t open it and try it out, as I had used them for nearly a decade. So, as I was in my sisters front yard that night, wrestling with this contraption that just WOULD NOT work, I gave up (will send back to Cabeals as something was WAY OFF) and thankfully, I kept a little wisdom, and pulled out my trusty T5! :way:
At 4:00 am I awoke and drug myself back up that hillside, feeling a bit better, but still far from 100%. I had my blind, two DSD’s (upright hen and strutter) which I had never used before, a stool, small pack and my bow…..can’t forget the bow
I set up in the pitch black and waited until the first gobble sounded off…..200 yards away L
Still, I felt confident there would “eventually” be birds here and as the black transitioned to gray, started soft tree yelps and purrs, but nothing answered.
About an hour later I heard a hen start up, and a couple gobblers cranked in the distance. I began talking to her and eventually we both started cutting and cackling at each other....both of us out of frustration but for far different reasons :thrwrck:
Then….GOOOOBBLLLLLEEE!
He was somewhere behind me, at least 100 yards. I called again but he cut me off on the next series and I put the call down and waited…and waited…and waited…nothing.
I just about put the bow back down when I heard pppphhhht…vvvrrooom.
Looking to my left…. here he came. I honestly have never seen a decoy with as much detail and it was almost freaky watching him walk around the DSD strutter as they almost looked alike.
When he passed behind the fan, I drew, and as he appeared on the other side I settled my pin and slowly touched the release. I knew when it hit him that it was over. Having only one tag, I looked up and here came two more longbeards to twenty yards….followed by a bearded hen!!!
I could only laugh a bit and am not going to lie, it was neat watching them, not picking up my bow, and taking it all in, with no intention of trying to kill another on this day. Eventually, the lighted nocks and dead turkey made them a bit nervous (ha ha), and they departed, gobbling as they went as if to say,
“I knew you were in there all along…with no tags “
I really want to take a second and thank my good friend Monte for driving up and taking these pictures. I had forgot my camera and am really glad to have great friends like him to not only share a morning like this with, but who are willing to do such things for friends…thanks Monte!
So, I am not sure if I will get another tag in 2011, as this morning was almost to perfect. I am looking forward to mushrooms, fishing and the little one in a few months, but maybe not the 4 am wake up calls.
But then again, turkey hunting is good practice for that J
This bird had 1" spurs, 10 1/4" beard, and we both guessed 23-24 pounds. A nice "Hawkeye" gobbler.
Thanks for reading
I am sure all you first time Dads can understand. Working in Cedar Rapids, my “stomping grounds” are a couple hours away, but I still plan accordingly, scout and hope for the best each year.
This year, I decided to just buy “one” tag and enjoy the spring, go a couple days a week and should I get lucky, so be it. This was the first spring, my 20th Iowa gobbler season, that I really didn’t care that much if I filled my tag or not.
I left yesterday afternoon to scout a new farm in which I had no idea what was going on, but was hoping a pasteur I had in mind might hold promise. The skies looked less than kind, but the weather held and before I knew it I was at the farm. Having surgery at Mayo secondary to a problem I was born with in my chest last Monday left me VERY tired, short of breathe and feeling old L
The 4 small incisions in my chest had healed and I could draw my bow with “just” a bit more effort than normal. Modern medicine…you have to love it!
Still, the surgeon looked at me with confusion when I said, “If I can’t turkey hunt on the 11th, can we wait until May?” My wife says she is reminded by comments and questions like that as to how much I love this stuff J
He said , “As long as you can draw your bow and catch your breath, you are ok to go.”
Music to my ears J
So, as I started my way into the farms interior, I had to nearly “drag” myself up the hill…maybe this WAS a bad idea J
With binos in hand and labored breathes I had almost crested the rise when I saw two full fans at 100 yards spinning and dancing. :drink2:
I simply turned around and smiled, knowing three things.
1) There were turkeys here :way:
2) They were comfortable in that particular “strut zone” :way:
3) That I was glad I didn’t have to walk anymore!
I had ordered a new Double Bull Dark Horse this year and due to health issues etc, I just didn’t open it and try it out, as I had used them for nearly a decade. So, as I was in my sisters front yard that night, wrestling with this contraption that just WOULD NOT work, I gave up (will send back to Cabeals as something was WAY OFF) and thankfully, I kept a little wisdom, and pulled out my trusty T5! :way:
At 4:00 am I awoke and drug myself back up that hillside, feeling a bit better, but still far from 100%. I had my blind, two DSD’s (upright hen and strutter) which I had never used before, a stool, small pack and my bow…..can’t forget the bow
I set up in the pitch black and waited until the first gobble sounded off…..200 yards away L
Still, I felt confident there would “eventually” be birds here and as the black transitioned to gray, started soft tree yelps and purrs, but nothing answered.
About an hour later I heard a hen start up, and a couple gobblers cranked in the distance. I began talking to her and eventually we both started cutting and cackling at each other....both of us out of frustration but for far different reasons :thrwrck:
Then….GOOOOBBLLLLLEEE!
He was somewhere behind me, at least 100 yards. I called again but he cut me off on the next series and I put the call down and waited…and waited…and waited…nothing.
I just about put the bow back down when I heard pppphhhht…vvvrrooom.
Looking to my left…. here he came. I honestly have never seen a decoy with as much detail and it was almost freaky watching him walk around the DSD strutter as they almost looked alike.
When he passed behind the fan, I drew, and as he appeared on the other side I settled my pin and slowly touched the release. I knew when it hit him that it was over. Having only one tag, I looked up and here came two more longbeards to twenty yards….followed by a bearded hen!!!
I could only laugh a bit and am not going to lie, it was neat watching them, not picking up my bow, and taking it all in, with no intention of trying to kill another on this day. Eventually, the lighted nocks and dead turkey made them a bit nervous (ha ha), and they departed, gobbling as they went as if to say,
“I knew you were in there all along…with no tags “
I really want to take a second and thank my good friend Monte for driving up and taking these pictures. I had forgot my camera and am really glad to have great friends like him to not only share a morning like this with, but who are willing to do such things for friends…thanks Monte!
So, I am not sure if I will get another tag in 2011, as this morning was almost to perfect. I am looking forward to mushrooms, fishing and the little one in a few months, but maybe not the 4 am wake up calls.
But then again, turkey hunting is good practice for that J
This bird had 1" spurs, 10 1/4" beard, and we both guessed 23-24 pounds. A nice "Hawkeye" gobbler.
Thanks for reading
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