A Wet Turkey Hunt

The first day of turkey season came on April 14^th in 2012. Even though I woke up 39 minutes after my alarm was supposed to go off, when I parked my car I was only 15 minutes later then I had wanted to be. I quickly gathered my stuff and took off walking. 

I noticed a strip of trees had been clear cut on the way and the closer I got I saw that where I was headed was also clear cut. It looked like some trees may have been left in the distance and without a back up plan, I continued on my way to the tree I had planned to sit below. I didn’t find the tree, but it seemed the timber harvest stopped just past where the tree would have been. 

I then went a short distance into the timber that was left and there was a familiar saddle that I new turkeys like to visit and set up in this location while waiting for daylight. I didn’t put on all of my gear, because I thought I was going to have to move after I heard a bird. Hooting on my owl call didn’t produce a response. As it got light I tree yelped a little. My second series got a hen to yelp in response and it was quickly followed by a gobble within a good range. I put my gloves and facemask on and then my mouth call in. I had a camera mounted to my shotgun to record the whole thing and just after I got it turned on the hen flew out of the tree. A few yelps later and I had called her in. She didn’t really like the way I looked, but she didn’t get too alarmed. 

After she walked off the gobbler pitched down and a hen to my right pitched down. Shortly, I called up the second hen. She was a little more alarmed at my appearance then the first, but still not enough to leave the entire area. They moved to me left and feed just out of sight. I knew the gobbler had to be with them, even though I didn’t hear another sound from him. I needed to shift around the tree, because I was not in any position to shoot that direction. 

I moved around the tree and it didn’t take me long to see a fan moving around in the clear-cut as the gobbler showed off trying to bring in the fake hen out of the woods and up to join him. I watched for awhile and he moved a little further away. A couple yelps later brought him back to the first place I saw him. I knew this probably wouldn’t last too long since he already had two hens feeding close by and he didn’t see a third turkey where the yelps were coming from. He was within range, but all of the leaf cover and saplings didn’t allow for a good shot. I thought, “The only chance I have is to stand up and take the first shot opportunity”. I stood half way up to run my head into the branches of the sapling I was sitting beside of, so with a half squat position I aimed at the white head of the gobbler and shot. He got air born and I threw another 2 ¼ oz of shot his direction. I aimed and led the bird and let another 3 ½” shot shell fly. That third one felt good and there was a loud thump as the gobbler slammed into the ground. 

I shed my gloves, hat and friction calls as I ran toward the noise, reaching the bottom of the hill thinking I had run too far, but I continued to scan the area and listen for wing beats of a dying bird. I searched the entire adjacent hillside, in every crevasse and behind every log. I didn’t find even a feather. 

After about an hour I made it back toward where it all began. I saw a feather which led me to the crash site and then I followed it back up the trail of feathers and slightly up hill. I was thinking the bird must have gotten turned around after the impact.

I went back to where I shot and gathered up my stuff before I started to look again. I heard a couple of turkeys, but without a response from my yelping I assumed they were the hens returning to where they were scattered from. I ate a couple packs of crackers and thought about the events. “Lord, if that bird is dead please let me find him”, I prayed. 

Now, I looked on the hillside where the feather had led, but soon realized the feather trail was more likely from him going down and not from him running after hitting the ground. “How many articles have been written about recovering wounded turkeys”, I wondered. I thought about all of the time I have spent in search of a dove that I would see fall out of the sky. I went the opposite direction of the feather trail and began my search again scouring the hillside for a bird. On my way back I saw some more feathers, which told me I was on the right path, but also that the bird didn’t die instantly. I drew an imaginary line with feathers and started to look again. 

This would be the third hillside I would examine for the bird. I thought that I would give it a really good look, but if I didn’t find him or more evidence I was going to assume he was walking around. I went out the ridge and dropped down toward the lake to search every spot. I saw a black object near the water and as I looked harder I saw that it was the bird. His head was up and he was alive. It was a horrible shot angle which would result in ruining some meat and I really didn’t want to expend another “high dollar” shell as a finishing shot. I ejected the shell and looked for a cheaper one in my vest. “Lord, please let me recover this bird”, I prayed. I have been very close to recovering an animal on several occasions only to have change of events and they escape once again. As I looked for a shell the shotgun slammed shut with a loud metallic, “Cling”. The bird attempted an escape flight, only to find he was sitting on the water and about 25 yards from me. I put a shell in, quickly seeing that his head was stretched out and I had a much better shot opportunity, but not knowing how long this window would last. As I started to aim the shotgun, I wondered if there were any laws about shooting turkeys on the water. The shot dropped his head into the water and the flopping began.

I looked for a long stick and I saw a tree lying in the water toward were the bird was drifting. With a stick in hand, I was inching out on the dead tree over the water and I thought, “Lord, You really have me on an adventure this morning”. The stick fell way short of reaching the bird and I looked across the water for a bass boat to help with the recovery. I didn’t see a boat close by, so I felt the water and surprisingly it wasn’t as bad as I imagined it would be. I went back the bank and looked at the bird. Now it wasn’t drifting at all and it was in the middle of this little inlet. Below the water was a muddy bottom, but the water was clear. “I could swim out there”, I thought. Even if it is cold, it is supposed to be 80 degrees today, which would quickly warm me up. I took of my boots, socks and shirt and went in. I got in quickly to get it over with and the water was a little colder then it originally felt. I made it to the bird quickly and tried to get back just as fast. Once on shore, I brought the bird and my dry clothes up on the bank to where the finishing shot had taken place and I took a couple of pictures. This is my most memorable turkey hunt yet and I didn’t want to forget it.

Ridding the World of Varmits - Todd's Coyote

Todd had already had a good year for deer.  He shot a number of deer including an 8 and 10 pointer.

The most exciting harvest of the season came when he finally took out a coyote with a bow.  Todd told me they already made him in the stand once earlier in the season when he drew too late, so he pulled back as soon as he saw this guy and waited.

He was in his Lock-on only 20 minutes when the unlikely varmit came by and took a double lung shot at only 20 yards.

Todd took him back to the truck, sprayed down and went back to the same tree to get a doe that night.

Coyote's have cost the editor a flock of turkey's and multiple deer, so I was more than happy to see the tables turned.

DIXIE DEER CLASSIC 2012

This is going to be a post that sounds like the speech at a NASCAR victory lane. We'd like to thank all the sponsors who made this possible. Actually, the only thanks we need to give is to God who provided all for us.

Next, we'd like to thank our Brothers in Christ from Heart of a Sportsman who provided over 5000 video's of The Record Book that were given out during the show. Each famous hunter gives his testimony while putting on a great hunt.

It was a tough race, there was a lot of traffic that we had to negotiate, but we stayed off the wall and were able to give out the video's, tracts which lead people to Christ and a nice muzzleloader to a lucky winner from Wilksboro.





Our booth was busy from start to end. Some wanted a video, some wanted to register for the gun and others to talk about who we are and what we do. What was most encouraging was that many people gladly accepted the tracts, even after reading them and knowing that it was about salvation. God surely touched their hearts to listen to his message. We just showed up as the pit crew to help with the race.


Many thanks go out to those who came and gave of their time to man the booth with a cheerful heart, especially the twin PT Barnum's (Ed Strickland and Mike Hayes) who like energizer bunny's kept going and going by constantly attracting folks from the aisles like nobody's business.




Also, there were plenty of distractions that I'll put in for the hunters to salivate over.


All in all it was a successful show and we hope that the Angels rejoiced in heaven that new souls were saved.

Here is a picture of the winner.  His name is withheld for privacy reasons, but he was a happy camper.

 

Catfishin' with Mike Nichols

Ever since we won the second Ironman Catfish Tournament, Mike Nichols has it wired....See for yourself. Play the video's to see some really good fish.

John Green's First Hunt With His Son

I took my then 7-year old son deer hunting for the first time on 10/4/10. We were in a buddy stand in a hunt club in Warren County. (Importantly, we both were wearing anti-fall harnesses and had an emergency plan.)

After two hours of seeing nothing, Daniel laid on the grunt tube near 7 p.m. (about 15 minutes before dark). A few minutes later, we heard the deer in the attached photo walking towards us. I finally saw the deer about 12-15 yards away. Daniel covered his ears, and I fired my muzzleloader. The deer went about 15 yards, dropping about 5 yards from the firebreak/dirt road.

We took the buck to Pearce's Processing for processing. We ate the meat throughout the rest of 2010 and well into 2011. I put the antlers on a plaque, and Daniel even had them scored at the 2011 Dixie Deer Classic. Daniel has the antlers and the certificate in his room.

This was Daniel's first hunt, and he was thrilled! It was a day I hope I never forget.

Mike Nichols Gets His First Turkey, With a Little Help

Mike Hayes and I went to game lands one Saturday looking to get a turkey. It was a cool crisp morning and as the sun came up we heard a gobble off in the distance. After a mad dash to get set up on the bird we found out someone else was working that same bird. So we left to try another spot. We found a nice spot on the end of a road between two fields, so we set some decoys and waited. Hayes claimed I had dozed off, not true just checking the back of my eyelids for cracks. When out of nowhere two gobblers came beside us and made a bee line for the decoys. Hayes is saying shoot! shoot! I drew my gun pulled the trigger .... Nothing , had the safety on. Tried again and bam there he is. What a blessing it was to have this experience with a long time friend and most of all a brother in Christ!

The First Gun Project Done in My Gun Shop

Pete Valentine has worked in and around guns and gun shops all his life. At Colonial Outdoors, he is one of our go to guys for rebuilding or refinishing a gun (among other things). In addition, he has a sharpening business.

Here is a project that you'll find both interesting and different from a hunting or fishing story.

Enjoy!

This is the first gun project done in my little shop.

The story started when I visited a gun shop in Fuquay and spotted a Remington 514 single shot .22 rifle on the floor behind the counter.

The poor little rifle was about as ugly as it could get. The stock was painted black, the front sight was broken, the metal was rusty brown, and the trigger was limp and function-less.

I felt kinda sorry for the poor thing and made a ridiculous offer to buy it. They accepted my offer, so I filled out the paper and brought it home.

I had almost finished building my shop, (Man-Cave), so I started refinishing the 514 right away.

The first step was to remove the stock and strip the black paint off. To my amazement, the stock was made of "A" grade black walnut.

It was a rich brown with distinct vertical fiddle-back stripes from tip to butt.

The stock only required about three hours of actual work to bring to factory new. The metal took many days and lots of polishing and rust-bluing

to bring it back.

I found an original front sight that was in my toolchest for decades just waiting for such a time as this. I repaired the trigger system and tested everything to make sure it was functional and safe.

When finished I gave the "new" 514 to my wife who suggested we go to the range soon to test it out. She loves the rifle, and shoots it well.

So far we have fired about 500 rounds through it and made adjustments to the extractor. It now works as good as it looks.