Little Creek Calls

Bring the popup if you don't mind pulling it that far. Most all roads in 12A are good for trailers. Locations of birds and accessible areas will depend on snow pack. I have made some 5+ mile hikes one way to get into some favorite spots some years because of multiple 8 foot deep snow drifts across roads. Next time I hunt 12A in the spring I am bringing a mountain bike I can carry across the drifts and cover miles faster and silent. Keep in touch with Bill (TRKHNTR), he is a good guy and has a lot of experience and knowledge turkey hunting. If you need any more help with the where let me know. Good luck and have fun.

It was a good banquet. I enjoyed visiting with several of you and look forward to attending again next year. I thought the food was better this year from Dave's then it was the previous two years from Bass Pro.

Here are a couple pictures of the call I am donating for this banquet. It is a ceramic calling surface in a Arizona walnut pot. I am looking forward to attending on Saturday. Hope to see some of you there.

I might be wrong but in reading through the regulations I think the only units where you are only allowed 1 bird are in the draw units. Any of the open over the counter units allow you now to take two birds. I know it used to be different and it seems like one would have to change between the Gila and Apache forest to harvest both birds but there is nothing in the regulations about this anymore and I think it was taken out of the regulations two or three years ago.

You can do it in 2 Hours from Pinetop. Prices have gone up and you have to buy the second permit there is no longer an option for a single tag. Last year the final out the door cost after all the stamps and fees was $176. From looking at the regulations it should be the same this year. You will need to buy your license and tags online before you go, we have found the past few years that vendors are no longer selling them over the counter.

That used to be the case but Arizona keeps moving our hunts earlier and earlier each year. In fact this year the AZ youth hunt and the NM hunt start the same day April 15th. Even all of the AZ adult draw hunts start in April this year. I still haven't decided if I am going to hunt NM or help out the youth in AZ this year.

NM is fun and I try to hunt it every year. I have hunted turkey there for the past 16 years. As far as their being more birds than AZ on a unit to unit comparison I would have to disagree. Maybe the overall numbers are higher because there is more habitat statewide in NM. I feel a lot of the stories you hear of how easy and how many birds there are come from private land hunting. Personally I feel I can find Turkey a lot easier and more abundant in unit 1 and 27 then I do across the border in NM units 15, 16’s, 22 & 23. I still have fun and try to hunt NM every year because of the over the counter tags. I usually take one or two birds each year but I feel it is from past experience hunting the same flocks and knowing their habits. The first few years hunting there were pretty rough trying to locate birds and then learn their patterns.

I Watched the TV show. It is on the game and fish you-tube channel.

G&F has started moving some back to House Rock ranch but I don't think they are huntable yet. There was a segment on AZ Wildlife Views about it this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgDVCV5HoAY

I will be there. Looking forward to it. I am donating a call that will be available on one of there auctions.

In the fall they hit it daily. In the spring they might feed near water for the newly sprouted grass or insects that are usually found near water but don’t need it to drink like they do in the fall. If they frequently feel pressure on the youth and first two adults hunts around water they will start to avoid it by the time the OTC archery hunts start.

There is not an archery antelope hunt on the strip, only rifle tags. If there was I would have to agree, far to open and no trees or anything to give you cover.

The positive side to the Jr hunts are the price and the early season, but like big browns mentioned there are better odds for drawing a general cow tag.

What 5 chokes does it come with and what is the barrel length?

You have known the person that has drawn my tag (the tag I applied for) the past two years. Maybe next year that person will be me. Good luck on your spring hunt. It will be NM and KS this year for me.

Here is the link to a helpful website that does reviews on all types of smokers including pellet. It is also a great website for recipes and the science behind smoking. The link should be specific to pellet smokers. I spent a little extra money and bought a made in the USA Yoder Pellet smoker. Unfortunately the only Yoder dealer in the state does not carry them any more. I glad I bought mine when before they quit. I originally learned to smoke using an offset stick burner and then an electric smoker but after switching to a pellet smoker I will never go back. I have converted several friends and get phone calls all the time about recipes and upcoming smokes. I would also highly recommend an amazing smoke tube for anyone using a pellet smoker. One of my favorite smokes is fresh backstrap (elk, antelope, deer, exc) smoked whole then sliced to serve like prime rib. http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment_reviews_ratings/equipment-reviews?field_manufacturer_target_id=All&&field_fuel_tid[0]=3&&field_primary_capacity_value[1]=0&field_primary_capacity_value[2]=0&field_primary_capacity_value[3]=0&field_primary_capacity_value[4]=0

Cole at CMC Skulls makes regular trips to the valley. It's also possible to ship the heads FedEx, although I don't know how the rack might affect that.I bought a scabbard off Cole over the summer and he brought it down on a family visit. Cole at CMC has always done great work for me and like stated him or his family comes to town often and can usually pick up and deliver. My first time using him he met me half way on short notice to pick up a deer head. His brother delivered it to me when it was finished. Used him several times since and always have had great service for pick up and delivery.

According to the regulations the credit card update deadline was yesterday the 5th. They should start hitting cards the first part of next week. hopefully it is my turn to hunt Goulds.

3 or 4 boxes? That would last me 30-40 turkey hunts. I originally bought two boxes of 10 shells each. After 3 hunts and 3 birds, I still have 17 left. Turkey hunting isn't like dove hunting. I try to hunt two or three states each year and most other states I hunt allow you to shoot two birds. Also on the Arizona youth hunt I usually let the youth I hunt with use my gun and ammo. I also check my sights each year before doing any turkey hunting (my sights are fully adjustable and not the normal shotgun bead). I find myself using around 1 box of 10 shells each year.

I don't have any experience with jebs chokes but if you can get tighter patterns shooting Winchester longbeard without switching to a heavy shot tungsten blend shells you will pay for $100 choke in savings after 3 or 4 boxes of shells. Just be aware the manufacture of the gun and barrel length also contribute to the pattern. Different guns will not pattern the same using the same shot and choke. In the next couple months I plan on doing some range test with Winchester longbeard in 12 gauge 3 1/2" shells in #5 & #6. I will not be using a jebs choke but I will let you know what I find. I am looking into a less expensive alternative to the tungsten blend that I am currently using and getting great results with.

Anyone else hunting Crane this weekend? I am going with my dad and a friend and this will be our first time to hunt Sandhill Crane. I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully its a fun trip and becomes an annual tradition.

I have read several different ways to prepare and cook them, what is your favorite?

I don't have anything scheduled yet but I am sure I will have at least one or two. They will be held the end of March or first part of April just before the spring turkey hunts.

It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed having them in the shop. We worked on a mesquite glass call. I was surprised at all the different camera angles he got that I never would have thought of. David from game fish really seemed to be an artist with the camera. I can't wait to see the finished show. He said it would be on next year some time and he would let me know.

I am not sure when it will air, i assume next year sometime. I will keep you updated.