Lance

OK, I finally got the pictures off of the cameras. Some of you were wanting to hear the rundown on our NM hunt. That was before everyone else posted shuch awesome pictures and stories Any way, hope you enjoy this one. First day.... Wind blew like mad all day untill dark. We didn't here and birds in the morning and pritty much counted it as scouting. In the evening we were sneaking logging roads and walked up on two hens. a little latter we walked up on a tom and a hen. My buddy Ryan saw the tom and chose to duck behind the hill enstead of shoot him. He was loaded with 5 shot and figured it was too far. They were only 45 yards and within plenty of range for my "T" shot. I teased him about it and we went on. We called our way up a steep ridge into a burn where we heard some hens in between wind gusts. We walked right up on a tom at 30 yards. I was behind Ryan and did not see the bird. We were busey climbing over all the dead logs in the burn while trying to get up that steep slope. I was telling Ryan how I was trying to picture myself like a squirrel running down the lenth of the logs but the only immage in my head was a cloged artery! I looked up to see him shushing me while doing a ballancing act on a bouncy little log about 2 1/2 feet in the air, all the while trying to get a beed on the tom that was taking flight in front of him. Neadless to say he missed and the shot knocked him off the log tumbleing him down the hill. The whole sight was quite funny and is certainly why I forgot to take the saftey off when I tried my hand at the flying bird. I about bent my trigger trying to make my gun go off before Ryans mass of tumbling turkey hunter reached my posision! The turkey flew away without a scratch and amazingly enough neather Ryan or myself had a scratch either! We got back to the quads right at dark, the wind settled for a bit and we were able to hear three birds gobbling from there roost! Day two.... found us sitting in the pre dawn light on a logging road about 150 yards above a gobbling tom with the decoys out! We figured from the tracks on the road that he might naturally like to strut there!

That is SOOOO AWESOME! Keep it up and after a while you will be the one trying to keep the old man awake! Congrats! Lance

More pictures. Hope the story wasn't too long. The one bird in the picture with the two, looks smaller because it is just the hide he is all skined out. Thanks Lance

Day five ended with Me sitting on a ridge about 150 yards above Ryan. we were after the wise tom that had given us the slip twice before on this ridge. We were both trying to call between wind gusts and ryan had decoys out. I never heard a thing except two shots. Ryan tells the story like this..... After sitting/calling for quite a while he hears a gobble just over the hill about one hundred yards. The bird tops the hill but is not strutting. He circles ryan but doesn't see the decoys. Finally the old wise tom has had enough and turns to head out. At about 50 yards Ryan sends some 5 shot his way. The tom tumbles over backwords and flops his way down the hill towards Ryan. Something on Ryans gun breaks and he cant get another shell in. After about 15 seconds he gets another round in. Ryan looks up at the old tom to see him standing there looking at the decoys Well now he is ten yards closer so he sends another round his way. The tough old bird then just flies off. Putting a sad end to day five. I raz Rayn a little back at camp and give him some BB shot cuz I was out of T shot. Day six...... the day we are to go home. On day six we split up to cover some ground. It was windy again . I proceed on my quad to a vally surounding a tank. I call in two hens to 15 yards from the draw below the tank. A little while latter from the same spot where I have been calling now for about 10 min. I look over my left shoulder and see an unmistakeable shape gosting through the woods The long lanky legs, the half tucked tail, the long stepping trot that comes with stelthy ease carries the animal through the timber at what seems a casual 15-20mph. It is smooth and deliberate and slinking to my down wind side. I see it for only a couple of seconds as it covers a distance of 50 yards Then it's behind me, out of sight somewhere. I figured it would smell me and I would never see it again. I begain calling again but I still checked over my shoulder now and then. It was awesome! Earler in the hunt I had called in coyotes, then a bobcat and now a wolf! I decided to just go for the gusto and go to an area where I new the birds are not call shy. It was a long rough quad ride down a designated quad trail. Still I was there in less than a hour. I walked down a logging road that was coverd with turkey scratch. I sat up the decoys and hung out for a while while trying to call in between the wind gusts. I called in two spike elk that came up to look at the decoys from about 25 yards. The elk would feed and be relaxed as long as the wind was blowing the decoys around. but as soon as the decoys would stop mooving the elk would go on alert and stare at the decoys untill they started mooving again. After a while I got up and walked down the road. The elk didn't quite know what to do with that. But the decoys didn't spook so the elk didn't either. A little ways down the ridge the wind sudenly stoped! I called real loud on the diaphragm call and heard a gobble on top of the next ridge. (Small ridges this time!) I ran down the canyon and up the other side. I called again..... nothing. I headed up the ridge to the next bench and heard a gobble! I sunck in and nelt next to a small oak. I hit the call again and before I was through I saw the tom come running into vew at a full strut! He hit the brakes and gobbled! He was about 200 yards and came running at a full strut the whole way! I called a couple of more times to turn him more in my direction. He gobbled every time and never stoped strutting and kept on running!! He was dragging his wings making that wouderfull thundering noise, still full strut, still running in fast! He looked like a big fat man trying to keep his pants up while at a full run! He crossed my 50 yard mark and was angling off to one side to some thicker cover. Good enough for me I thought! I called, he slamed on the breaks at 44 yards turned toward me and gobbl-BAM! A load of 3" BB shook him like a rug and he lay flat and still on the ground! I couldn't belive it! Moments ago there was nothing but wind and now there was a last hour bird on the ground! I was so excited I stood up and looked around to see if anyone had just seen that! And sure enough there were two elk about 60 yards away with a look on their faces like "Yeah, we saw that " and they were so excited too, that they ran off to tell all their friends!!!! My second bird was a 9 1/4 " beard.

......"T" is for Turkey! ...... Lance

My 8 3/4" tom

Day three ended early as we drank hot chocolate at camp. We chose to sleep the rest of the day and stay warm! Day four.... Was Sunday, We did not hunt and we slept in. The day was of course the calm after the storm and when I steped out of the trailor in camp about 7:30 am I could hear two toms from camp. We spent the middle of the day on a nice Sunday drive looking at new country. We located several birds throughout the day do to NO WIND AT ALL! We visited several camps to see how everyone was doing. Day five.... Of course started out with some more wind but wasn't to bad. We had birds gobbling up the canyon in the Killing Filelds. I headed on a big hike up and Ryan took the bottom. Once again I was on the wrong side. I think we spooked the birds that were on my side but latter in the morning I heard one on the other side and in the next canyon. He was upwind so I could hear him. I'm talking BIG canyons So down I go and then up the other side. Ryan heads down his canyon to the quads and rides the main road to the next ridge that I am now on. After a while of trying to call and shock gobble the bird he finally sounds off about 200 yard away. I close some distance and call again. He is comming but is still a good distance! I mooved closer and called him into about 50 yards but there was trees in the way. He was strutting hard! Then Ryan calls on the radio and says he sees him strutting and where am I? I call loud so Ryan can hear me and he calls back. I'm closer by a hundred yards but the bird can hear Ryan better and starts toward him The bird then hangs up not knowing which bird sounds the sexiest I stand up, get a tree in between us and close the distance. I get within 60 yards and and peak around a tree to find him standing atop a downed log about 3 ft in the air. I let him have a load of 3"mag "T" shot from my 12 and he flops down the mountain like a ton of bricks! We haul him to the bottom of the canyon and take pictures of him by the creek. That ends the morning of day five. He has an 8 3/4" beard!

That was only day three! I aint done yet

Thanks! Day three continued.... We pulled the quads to the end of the road and assessed the now growing wind situation. We decided to split up so we could "hear" more country. Ryan would go down the bottom of the canyon and I would take the ridge on top. When he got to the bottom he could hear better and located two toms, one on each side of the canyon. As I made my way closer I could hear the toms working there way off the roost and into the bottom of the canyon towards Ryan. Ryan tells the story like this.... He rides his quad down to the bottom of the canyon and parks just off the main road. When he turns the quad off the birds gobble just up the canyon from him. As he gits his gear ready they gobble at any sound he makes! He sneaks op the creak bottom towards them when he figures he is real close he hits the call. The toms gobble and one walks out onto the old logging road next to the creek at about 50 yards. He lets him have a load of 3"mag 5 shot from his 12 guage and the bird does the death flop down into the creek. When he shoots, another tom flies out from the same spot the first came from and lands accross the creek on a run. He shoots that one and it starts to do the death flop. The first bird lays upsidedown in the creek not mooving so he heads over to ring the neck of the second. When he walks by the first bird, it figures it's not thirsty any more and it jumps out of the creek and takes off! He uses his third shot in his gun to put it down for good! But when he shoots the second bird desides this aint for him either and it gets up and runs off leaving Ryan scrambling to get another shell loaded I stand at the top of the canyon listening to to all the shooting thinking that lucky dog! But then he spent hours grid searching for the one that got away just in case. While I sat on the ridge and called in a hen that hung around for 20 minuits. Then a little further up the ridge I turkey called in a big bobcat! Way cool! After that a whiteout blizzard came in horizontal and froze us half to death! We tried to ride the quads off the mountain, bwaahahaha . We got sick of that pritty quick and parked behind a big pine and built a big fire! We took some pictures of Ryans bird in the snow! He had big spurs and a 9 1/4" beard. Not bad for a "Snow Bird"

I'll add the details of day three latter, but here is a teaser Lance Oops wrong pice try again!

I'll add the details of day three latter, but here is a teaser Lance

Nice! I wouldn't pass on that oppertunity! Way to run em down! Lance

Way to get it done! Lance

Nice! Congrats! Great picture too! Thanks for sharing!

Day two continued.... We heard three diferent toms that morning but the one that was in front of us was really gettin after it! The decoy's were set and I sat up the video camera and settled in for the show! The bird came off the roost Flap flap flap and gobbled down the ridge about a hundred yards further away. "Yelp Yelp Yelp" - "Gobble". Even further away The chase was on! He led us to where he wanted to strut that morning. It was a good spot too...., but what does he know our origianal spot was just fine Then the wind started to blow and it was all over That evening while sneaking up a creek bottom and calling for turkey, we called in two coyotes! I just love the look on a coyotes face when they realise they are looking down the barrel of a gun and their goose is already cooked! We found a tom on the rige just before dark but he wouldn't come to the calls. Probly the same bird Day three.... the wind wasn't to awfull bad so we headed to a place we call the "Killing Fields"! It is the west facing slopes of a Mtn. range and gets windy realy easy. But when the wind doesn't blow Yee Haw!

Turkey loads, shmerkey loads Sorry for the harsh language But in my opinion all thoes so called special "Turkey Loads" stink! Oh sure,,, if you want to blow his head off at less than 30 yards then they will work fine, but so will dove shot! You don't have to pay big bucks for a box of five shells of so called "special load " ! Like I said, if you are going to hold out for a head shot at 20, 25 or less yards then great! But what if he holds up at 40+? What if he comes in behind some brush and then spooks and all you get is a running away shot at over 40 yards? What if you are sneeking down a logging road and you come around a corner to find one looking at you at 60 yards? How many hunters are presented with a 50 to 60 yard shot each year? Especially out West. If that is the only shot people are presented with then they will take it! It happens all the time and I'v seen it doesens of times and heard of it hundreds of times! And always in the end it is the same old stories, "I missed him", " I knocked him down but then he ran off", "I got some fethers" "I hit him but he flew off" You get the pitcher. Nine out of ten of thoes long shots seem to get away Except when "Thumper" goes off! My shotgun's name is Thumper A name it rightfully earned when I was in the collage years! LOL! Any way, to be serious.... You need to use eather BB, BBB or T shot in a 3" mag Steal waterfowl load. (Keep in mind every gun is different) I shoot mine with a regular "full choke" out of a Wenchester Pump #1300. The "T" shot is my favorite!!! The steal bb's are light and allows for a full cup! Not these half cups you get with heavy lead loads. The big steal bb's fly fast and will punch right through to the other side of the bird breaking and passing through bones on the way. I have shot a few turkeys, 6 of them have been from 44 to 65 yards and this type of load has hammered them into the ground every time!!!!! My bro-inlaw calls it "shaking the rug". Because it picks them up,- whips them,- lots of dust, feathers, blood and bb's fly out the other side,- and then they lay flat on the ground. I have also taken over 50 coyotes with this type of shotgun load! I'm not braging, just ensuring my point with some good evidence. If they are 70 to 80 then I usualy have to shoot them twice and will just do that from the start.... BAM BAM! I have never taken a turkey from 70 to 80 and don't want to try because they are smaller than a coyote and will catch fewer bb's. But I have taken several coyotes at that range. When you hit a coyote at that range he will usualy spin around to see and bite at the wounds for a second, that gives me the chance for the quick follow up shot to seal the deal. You can pattern it against the smaller shot and there will be fewer bb's in the target, thats a no brainer. But thats not all that counts!!!! If you shoot a load of duplex into a target at 40 yards and a 270 or an arrow into the same target then which ont will make the most holes? DUUH But what one are you going to hunt deer with? I know that is an extream example but it brings across the point that the amount of holes in the targes is not all that counts. So in my opinion, try the "T" shot first. It works great for blowing there heads off at close ranges and it works great at the longer ranges as well! Why waste time and birds? Have your cake and eat it too! Lance

Nice birds guys! Congrats! What unit were you in? Lance

NOW THE REGS ARE OUT AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY CHANGED IT!

Am I seeing this right? Do the archery deer hunts NO longer overlap with the archery elk hunts.... They listened to what we had to say Cool! Good job G&F!

Thoes awesome pictures give me the heebie-jeebies!

We can handle feeding a pretty big group. Anyone can burn hotdogs and burgers for a hundred people. But if it is only a couple of dozen then we might be able to get a little fancier. I'll bring some extra chairs but I would expect people to bring their own chairs. We can provide paper and plastic plates and utensils and some big coolers with lemonaid, watter and such. But you can bring your own sodas cuz everyone likes something different$ It will be easer to tell when it gets closer and we know when everyone plans to be there. If we are doing it on Friday night and Saturday then we don't plan on cooking dinner, breakfast and lunch for everyone. Maybe two of the three but we will just have to see when the bulk of the people will be there and how many. Maybe we can get someone to donate some CWT stickers for door prizes??? Camping! Fishing! Archery! Food! Campfire camaraderie! The mountains in June!

Nice job on the bird and the shed! Next time put your camera on the pack and then run and jump in the picture, hold the fan up and smile! It can be quite a funny trick but you 'll get the hang of it! Lance

Nice birds and nice pile of sheds! Congrats! Mule deer numbers have been very low over there the last few years. Looks like you found where they have been hiding some of the bucks! Thank goodness for spring turkey to keep us sane this time of year! Lance

ttt Just got back from turkey hunting in NM! I'll post pictures later. Thought there might be more people planning on coming. I really am a good cook! I'll let my wife cook if more people feel comfortable with that Guess I'll win all the door prizes myself Lance

My wife and I have quite a collection going, but we haven't figured how to get them to stay on the wall yet! Lance