mr.smith

I've walked up on a lot of guys in tree stands. Don't know that I blew any opportunities for them though. I know there is a guy out there who thinks I messed up his hunt when he tried to cut us off on a stalk and we still beat him to it.

I've only found cows in the Camp Verde area so I have to wait til August 1st. Good luck!

If you are hunting in the Camp Verde otc you can use a firearm unless in town limits. Good luck!

Awatubi Canyon?

There was a great turn out and a lot of money raised for Mule Deer tonight. I didn't win a gun but I didn't come home empty handed either. The food was great and we met some nice people. I think the venue may have been a little small for the number of people in attendance. Still a great time.

Planaria. They are flat worms. Very common, very harmless.

According to Hunt Arizona there were appx 1,133,000 applications not including pheasant and crane. That times 5.5 the dollar amount of the application increase is about 6.3 million in new revenue. I'm sure the actual number is higher. 6.3 million before any tag price increases. Just how much more do they want/need?

In 2009 Felicia and I drew our first ever turkey tags in unit 5B. We hunted hard but despite our efforts we saw zero turkeys, we heard zero turkeys. The wind was terrible that season. I chose that unit because I have seen turkeys in there quite a few times and am fairly familiar with 5BN. This year I put 5B as my first choice looking to redeem myself for my utter failure the last time I drew a tag. Sure enough, Felicia and I got tags number 2 and 3. This year the weather was more favorable, a lot less windy and we had a wetter winter so there is water in most tanks. I was able to get out opening morning and found other hunters in just about every area I wanted to check out. Rather than encroach I just moved on and ended up in a less than great area. In other words, I had a nice walk in the woods. We had a wedding to attend Saturday so no hunting. We got out Sunday afternoon though and almost sealed the deal for Felicia. We set up on a water source that had some sign around it. I put out the decoys and called every 20 minutes or so. At one point I thought I heard a distant gobble but couldn't get it to repeat. Eventually we got tired of sitting and decided to hit some high points to try to elicit a gobble. Around 4:30 that gobble came. We quickly got set up and called again. This time there were three gobbles. I called lightly, getting a response each time. Soon I saw three turkeys down the fence line from us about 100 yds True to form these guys did not cross the fence. They walked along the fence towards us. The plan was for Felicia to shoot the last bird in the line to make sure she didn't accidentally hit either of the others. As they approached I yelped and they all three gobbled right in front of us. The first bird had about a three inch beard, the second about two inches and the third bird, well I couldn't see his beard. By now the other two are side by side and not offering a shot and the one she was supposed to shoot didn't have a visible beard. The tag says bearded turkey. We had to let him walk. That night I roosted a bird but couldn't get him to talk the next morning. Lot's of uneventful silent days and a week off... Friday, the hunt reopens. I take the day off work but for some reason I just couldn't drag my butt out of bed at 3:00am. Didn't leave the house til 8:00. Odd how it works out but I always seem to have the best luck when I get a late start. Around 11:30 I got a bird to gobble at me. But he just would not come in and at times it seemed he would go away and then come back to where he was. I'd move closer and he would keep answering me. This went on for an hour. Finally I decided to make a big move. I called one more time, this time with a different call, he gobbled and I started moving. Well, I guess he liked the new call because he started coming my way. Unfortunately he saw me moving and I never heard or saw him again. Around 4:30 I was about out of time. My parents planned to stop at my house on their way to Phoenix. I called them and they told me to keep hunting and I would see them next weekend. Well, I had already driven a good ways out so I stopped at the next hill I saw and climbed it. As soon as I left the Jeep I found a turkey feather. The hill was covered in turkey poop and scratchings. I'm thinking, this is a good sign. I worked my way all the way up and around that hill and didn't see or hear a single turkey. On the back side of the hill was a large pond. I was checking it out for tracks and suddenly I hear a gobble. I move that direction and he keeps on gobbling. Eventually I get to a point where I am looking across a little canyon and I see a hen coming down the opposite hill. I set up against a tree and yelp. The tom gobbles and the hen starts purring at me. I purr back and soft yelp a bit. The hen runs up to me and is standing about 20 feet to my left. Then I see the tom slowly strutting his way down the opposite hillside. He takes forever to cross but eventually I see his big white head pop up right where my gun is pointed. He is looking around for the hot hen and sees the other hen. I knew if he went to her I would have to move to get the shot so I shot before he could go. Then nothing. I jumped up and ran over there worried I had missed. Nope! I hit him square in the neck and head. Never even flopped once. I couldn't believe it had just happened. I quickly took a few pics with my phone, tagged him and boogied out before it started to get dark. I took him over to the camp of a couple hunters I had spoken with earlier in the day. The problem with hunting alone is you want to show off and share your success. They were nice enough to take a couple field photos for me and offer a celebratory beer. I then boogied home to share my success with Felicia. Good luck Ed and Jason, I look forward to seeing the pictures. Thanks to my friends for encouraging me to keep looking for that hot gobbler. Felicia has about one more day to hunt between work and other obligations. I think I have a solid plan. We'll see what tomorrow turns up. 17 1/2 lbs 10 inch beard. 6:25 pm 5/10/13

Well, the turkeys gave us the slip yesterday. Heard two gobbles in the morning and not a peep the rest of the day. Sat a water hole with lots of sign. Only water for a mile. I thought for sure they would come in. Must be some other obscure water I don't know about. Oh well. Still a much better experience than our previous effort. Thanks all for the encouragement and accolades.

Ok, I'll probably pick them up at Bull Basin then. I need to get in there to get some string wax anyway. Thanks! See you there.

I'm interested in going. Can I buy tickets online?

I called in a hot gobbler yesterday evening. Then I shot him in the face. First Turkey. I'll post a story tomorrow. Still trying to get my wife to fill her tag.

The lack of turkey reports is disheartening. I'll be back out there tomorrow. Hopefully I can find some birds. Sitting water may be off the table due to recent rains. Looks like I will have to find roosts and travel corridors. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a talker.

Today was slow. The roosted bird never talked in the morning, didn't hear any turkey noise all day. The wind picked up and I decided to sit water from 10-1:30. Then I went and looked for fresh sign in some other areas to find a back-up spot. No luck finding anything else though.

I see plenty of turkeys in the fall. Where the heck do they go in the spring? I have only ever had two spring tags both in 5B. In 2009 I hunted pretty hard, found some tracks but never saw or heard a single bird. This year I have the same tag. I went out Friday morning to an area where I have seen turkeys in the fall but didn't turn up a single track, feather or poop. The spot where I saw the tracks on my previous hunt was occupied so I didn't go in there. I didn't get to hunt yesterday (had a wedding to go to) and I'm off to a late start today. I've got a couple days off this week and am hoping the crowds thin out. Next question; what locator calls work for you? In all of my hunting and scouting I have never been able to get a bird to gobble at me. Come to think of it I have never even heard a wild turkey gobble. I have a crow call and an owl hooter and I know how to use them. I've watched lots of videos, read everything I can find. I feel that I have a pretty firm grasp on turkey hunting but for some reason cannot put it together in practice. Any tips or advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

I finally got a gobble. Managed to call in a trio of beardless jakes and roosted a bird this evening. Hopefully I can get in on him in the morning.

I hate the idea of using a gobble call due to the chance of calling in other hunters. Maybe during the week when there are fewer people out there. You are what you eat. It's a conundrum. I need to kill a turkey to eat a turkey to think like a turkey so I can kill a turkey to eat... Oh Boy... Alright, I'm going out to hunt/scout. I'll keep y'all posted.

I wonder what garbage legislation they passed while we were all distracted by this crap issue??? It is an O-bomb-a staple. Distract and then get the garbage passed while the sheep are looking at the juicy story. It is also suspiciously convenient that the media is all talking about Sandy Hook and Aurora as the dems are making another strong push at robbing us of our 2nd Amendment rights. The wool is over your eyes.

If you don't want to draw your second choice; Don't put a second choice. I only apply for hunts I want and am happy if I get a tag at all. I've only ever had two elk tags, two deer tags and have never drawn antelope. I'm pretty unlucky. Of course I can draw javelina tags every year...

Man, I need to get back out there. Congrats on a good haul.

Man, I'm jealous. Been out a couple times and have come up empty. Lots of boot prints and ATV tracks up here. Guess I should have done more pre-season scouting. Congrats on the great haul.

Probably a boat registration or something. Still no hits for me...

Slim, you could just tell me where they are and I'll go get them. That way you don't have to worry about them rotting in the sun and getting chewed up by rats.

Good thing a lot of those soldiers are on our side. Soldiers are pretty bitter about tuition assistance cuts, benefit cuts, force reductions...etc.

I think we are a little better armed than the natives were.