- April 30th
- Hunter:Dan Thurston
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:20-gauge 870 Youth Shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
“This One’s For You, Beau!”
Dan went to IA for a few days to help Mark burn his warm season grasses at his IA farm. Mark called from his farm in MO and said he was the lone wolf all by himself and extended the invitation for Dan to come on down for a turkey hunt.
Dan accepted the invitation and also had a heart felt reason for trying to produce a great turkey harvest on video. Dan and his son Cody had a tragic hunting accident hit close to home last fall and the following story depicts why Dan was so eager to get a hunt laid down on film to dedicate it to a fellow friend.
Last fall a friend of Cody’s in his late teens, Beau Arndt, an avid sportsmen/outdoors person and fellow friend/baseball player/team mate and just all around great person was tragically killed in a hunting accident.
Beau and some friends decided to go goose hunting one morning in the fall of 2007. They went out and set up their decoys in a field in the pre-dawn and sat patiently waiting for their much-anticipated quarry to come in. Instead a vehicle came by with three guys in it and stopped to take a shot with a high power rifle from their vehicle window at the goose decoys thinking they were real! This is where the story takes an unfortunate tragic turn. As the guy shot at the decoy unsuspecting Beau was right there with the decoy and was shot and killed instantly by the poachers.
Dan added that in today’s society he couldn’t think of a better place for a group of teenagers to be. Out enjoying the outdoors, not getting in trouble, but out enjoying what Mother Nature has provided for all of us to marvel in. They could have been out doing a million other things, but weren’t…they were hunting. Dan just wanted to add that people really need to think out there!
Dan’s son Cody had hand written a letter and had Dan hand deliver that message to Mark and Terry at the annual shed hunt in Iowa earlier this year. In the letter he had asked Mark and Terry if they could dedicate a hunt or video to Beau. Without a pause they accepted whole-heartedly with a resounding “Absolutely!”
Dan, Cody and all involved want to help bring more awareness to gun safety and shine some light on this horrible tragedy. To help achieve this Dan decided to produce three turkey hunts for Longbeard Madness 14. Dan had already filmed good friend Dave “Bunch” Hale from PA, but had yet to get himself or Cody on a bird. Dave’s turkey hunt was a 12-yard full frame smash and now it was up to Mark to film Dan.
Mark and Dan got up at 4:30 in the morning and next thing they knew they were out working birds. They had a bird gobbling across a small drainage, but he just wouldn’t come. “Even with the World Champion caller!” Dan wanted to add!
They moved positions and finally got him gobbling from probably 3 – 400 yards away and with Mark’s slate and mouth calling he came to within 12 yards and Dan laid the hammer down!
Dan couldn’t think of a better way to dedicate his hunt then to the memory of a fallen sportsmen and fellow friend Beau Arndt. Now it’s up to Cody to complete the trilogy for his fallen friend.
- April
- Hunter:Tad Brown
- Location:Coming Soon
- Weapon:Coming Soon
- Animal:Turkey
Story coming soon!
- April 29th
- Hunter:Chad Kilmer
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:12 gauge shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
Chad Kilmer is enjoying his tenth year as a turkey guide for Drury Outdoors this Missouri season. As is usually the case, Chad spends more time during the season taking others hunting rather than hunting himself. However, the early success in the Drury Camp has most tags filled, and now Chad is up to bat!
The early morning roost set-up produced little more than a few distant gobbles…strike one. A later mid-morning strategic move put Chad between a nice gobbler and two hens. Chad’s calling sequences were met with positive gobbling responses by the Tom. This routine eventually brought the bird into view. Although he continued to gobble, the closest this longbeard came to Chad's position was 60 yards but no closer…strike two!
The deadline for Missouri’s daily cut-off time of 1:00 p.m. was fast approaching, and Chad needed a change of luck. So he decided to drive from hunting spot to hunting spot and see if he couldn’t glass a prospect to pursue. Chad finally glassed a nice longbeard with two hens. After studying the gobbler for a short period to determine his next move, the single gobbler turned into three strutting Toms! Chad quickly decided to move in a direct line for the Toms. Using the terrain to stay out of sight, Chad moved to within viewing range of where the birds had been. Nothing! Moving slowly forward and calling helped to solve the mystery of where the birds were located. They had moved into a nearby woodlot and were within 80 yards! A quick set-up and a few calling sequences later had one of the three gobblers strutting into range; just 15 yards of Chad’s position. Chad, not wanting to return to camp without a bird, made sure that this was not strike three! A perfect shot landed Chad his heaviest turkey to date…a hefty 28 lbs!
- April 25th
- Hunter:Rick Sanger
- Location:Wisconsin
- Weapon:Shotgun
- Animal:Turkey
Our week started out with a note to the school:
“Our son Brock will be missing classes today due to the Wisconsin Turkey Season.”
Thank you,
Rick and Vicki Sanger
Brock was ecstatic that he was allowed to miss school for the 2-day “holiday”. First came the much anticipated Bad-Boy arrival day, and the next was the first day of our turkey season…..the timing couldn’t be any better.
Our first morning started off in a ground blind. The Bad-Boy buggy sure made it a lot easier transporting a sleeping seven year old at 5 am. We have found that it is best to be prepared when hunting with young children. With that in mind the Bad-Boy also helped us haul the blankets he was sleeping in, breakfast, hot coco, homework, a snack, extra clothing, and a gameboy, in addition to all of our hunting gear.
The morning started off very slow without even a single gobble. We had told our son that the afternoon lunch plans were all up to him. He elected for a quick stop at the local Mustard Museum and then a bite to eat at the neighboring old fashioned soda fountain shop. Seriously, there really is such a thing as a mustard museum - http://www.mustardweb.com
Success came on day three. With Vicki behind the camera, Rick got his opportunity on a nice tom at 40 yards. The successful harvest was just the cherry on top of what turned out to be a very memorable family experience. Brock is looking forward to celebrating the next “holiday”…opening day of Elk Season.
- April 21st
- Hunter:Bill Gadient
- Location:Iowa
- Weapon:PSE Dream Season X Force
- Animal:Turkey
On Monday the 21st, Dave and I got an early start on some birds we had roosted the night before. This was a large group of turkeys with several toms. When we put them to bed, we noticed that the toms flew up in a tree line overlooking their strutting zone while the hens opted for the heavier cover of the timber. This made our decision real easy: get between the toms and the hens and wait for things to heat up, and heat up they did.
Just as light was starting to break, those toms started sounding off, one and then another and another until they all had a turn, then the whole process started again. Dave and I had already positioned ourselves perfectly on a grassy knob tucked into a cedar tree and a cluster of leafless shrubs. In front of us, we had placed the king strut, a hen, and a jake decoy.
After listening to the chorus of toms gobbling for a good half hour, we heard the distinct sound of wings beating, signaling to both of us that they were finally on the ground, and the chess game could begin. I looked out the windows of our Ameristep Dream Season blind to see a tom in full strut to my right; at the same time I heard drumming and carefully looked to my left to see two more toms coming to the decoys. With bow in hand, I let out a couple of soft yelps and got an immediate response.
The turkeys moved beyond the decoys, and I started to fear they may walk away, so I gave them another call, and one of the birds broke away and walked right into our set. I glanced at Dave to reaffirm that he was laying it all down and then carefully came to full draw. When that bird stepped out from behind the decoy at 15 yards and turned facing us, I knew my opportunity had presented itself. I settled the pin and released the arrow and watched as it disappeared in the big tom's chest. We both watched the tom run over the hill out of sight, but I was certain he was running dead.
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After the other birds had left the field, we stepped out to find my bird 60 yards away. I grabbed him by the legs, and as we started walking back to the blind, we noticed just how good our setup really was. The treestand pattern blended perfectly with the leafless trees and bushes of early spring. There is no doubt in our minds that it will fool even the most cautious bird. The Flambeau decoys are almost lifelike, and my X-force performed flawlessly. All these things make turkey hunting seem almost easy.
- April 21
- Hunter:Matt Drury
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:12 gauge shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
- April 21
- Hunter:Mark Drury
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:20 gauge shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
- April 21
- Hunter:Terry Drury
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:20 gauge shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
- April 21
- Hunter:Chris Comstock
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:12 gauge shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
- April 21
- Hunter:Steve "Coon Dog" Coon
- Location:Missouri
- Weapon:12 gauge shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
The 2008 Missouri Spring Turkey opener came under an outlook of poor weather
conditions which did not help the early morning start. Mark and Terry were
teaming up with Terry's son Matt for their first turkey hunt together in
over 15 years! Needless to say Mark & Terry were fired up to hit the turkey
woods in an effort to fill Matt's tag.
As fate would have it, circumstances prevented the Drury clan from entering
the turkey woods before daylight. As a result the plan was to wait until
the birds hit the ground and then implement the traditional "run and gun"
technique that works so well in big Missouri timber.
The birds were gobbling strong without incentive and so it was not difficult
for Mark and Terry to figure out where they wanted to go. Matt was put in
position, within yards of the new King Strut decoy, where a very vocal bird
was expected to come in. Mark was running the camera and Terry was
positioned several yards behind the pair to entice the gobbling bird into
range. After a brief period of calling by Terry, the bird came to within 35
yards and Matt made a great shot and bird number 1 of the Missouri season
was on the board.
The Drury boys went back to camp after taking care of Matt's video "B-Roll"
obligations to eat and relax for a while. It was finally decided that since
Mark had filmed Matt's bird, Matt would make an effort to do the same for
Mark. So Mark, Terry and Matt set out for bird number 2. All three Drury's
piled into their Bad Boy Buggy and began efforts to strike a new gobbler.
After making a few calls to entice a gobble, a bird responded and the game
was on. Mark and Terry set out the King Strut and hen decoys; Matt
positioned himself with the camera behind Mark and hoped the favor would be
repaid. After a very brief effort at calling, a big Missouri Tom was within
range of Mark's 20 gage and bird number 2 was on the board!
Since there was ample time left before the 1:00 p.m. cutoff deadline before
the first day of the Missouri season ended, the Drury group decided it would
be icing on the cake if brother/father Terry took a bird on opening day as
well. After piling back into the Bad Boy and while driving to a fresh
location they bumped a gobbler that flew across to an adjacent ridge. Upon
a brief period of discussing their bad luck, Mark made some calls and
surprisingly the "bumped" bird gobbled. The crew scrambled to set a plan,
get in position and get the Flambeau decoys set-up. Within minutes the
gobbler came within sight of the King Strut decoy and soon thereafter Terry
had bird number 3 on the board and the Drury's completed an unexpected hat
trick! Three birds on opening day of the Missouri season by brother, father
and son! Wow!
In the meantime Chris Comstock and Steve "Coon Dog" Coon where out on one of
Chris' favorite spots to try their hand at the opening day luck! First up to
bat was Chris and he knew just where he wanted to strike the birds.
Unfortunately the gobbling birds did not want to come into the wet field
that Chris and "Coon Dog" were set-up in, so on to plan B; driving and
glassing for birds. After seeing two nice longbeards in an open field,
Chris and "Coon Dog's" strategic plan was to circle their location and
set-up the King Strut decoy on the field's edge and try to call the birds
in. Chris was saddled with the honors to set the decoy out and no sooner
had he placed the decoy in the ground did the fan of one of the strutting
birds crest the rise in the field. Ducking down and hurrying back to "Coon
Dog's" position where he was setting up the camera, Chris encouraged "Dog"
to hurry the heck up because "they were coming!" It was literally seconds
before the birds were in sight of the King Strut decoy and here they came.
Chris took the larger of the two birds at about 20 yards and "Coon Dog"
captured all on film...barely!
Chris and "Coon Dog" switched camera and gun and took off to see if bird
number two was in the cards. Shortly after calling to strike a gobble, a
bird answered and the game was on. Unlike the previous set-up that happened
so quick, this conquest took three set-ups and two major moves. Finally, on
this last attempt, the combination of great calling by "Coon Dog" and the
King Strut Decoy allowed "Dog" to take the duo's second bird of the day and
fifth by the Drury camp on the opening day of Missouri.
- April 20th
- Hunter:Larry Steward
- Location:Illinois
- Weapon:12 Gauge Shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey 19 3/4 lbs. 9 1/2 " beard 3/4" spurs
As told by Bric Steward:
Well, Turkey Season 2008 has rolled around, and the longbeard madness has started in the family again! First season came and went quickly for us with no feathers flying. Neither of us had drawn a tag for the second season, so we were patiently waiting for 3rd season to roll up. A game plan was quickly changed when on the way home from the clinic, I saw a couple of
strutters in a field heading to a food plot we have. A short phone call to Dad, and the new plan was in motion. Dad was to try and roost the spotted strutters, and I was to stick to the original spot. But when rain sat in, I sat on the couch and left dad on his own.
The first morning's hunt was a dud with no gobbles off the roost. We elected to leave and come back for a mid-day hunt. When we arrived back, the birds beat us to our food plot setup. There were six longbeards wearing it out. We sat up quickly with hopes of breaking one off to check us out. Well, the six didn't leave the food plot. We did manage to call in another three gobblers from the wrong side we wanted. With bad position, Dad struggled to get a shot off,and when he did all I heard was "CLICK". Not a good sound. His old shell didn't go off. The birds didn't spook too bad, and we left all of them for the next day.
We arrived this morning before they did and set up a Ameristep blind to wait them out. We decorated the food plot with similar acitvity as the day before. I put out the King Strut with some other hen decoys. It worked like a charm. Soon after the sun and fog lifted we had a two year old come in to investigate. His gobbling and some calls from our blind got three other birds fired up and coming. Once they saw King Strut and the 2 year old, a dominance card was played. They tried to gang up on the two year old, but with some quick thinking and a fast opening of an extra window, Dad hammered one of the three gang members! After thinking about what had just happened, it hit us that they were the same three birds from the
"click" incident.
- April
- Hunter:Dave Kramer
- Location:Iowa
- Animal:Shed Hunts
I'm a shed hunting fanatic. I absolutely love it. It's great exercise after a long winter, and my whole family gets involved. My kids and I spent the last few weekends combing a couple of areas where I historically find sheds, and we came home with over twenty-five. We didn't find any "booners" by any means, but a couple are gonna be four year olds with shooter potential. I can't wait until they get some velvet growth, and I start getting trail camera pics of them this summer. Well, that's a few months away and now it's time for turkeys...I'll see you this fall.
- April 18th
- Hunter:Sergeant First Class Rick Rice
- Location:Kentucky
- Weapon:12 Gauge Shotgun
- Animal:24 lbs, 1 1/2 inch spurs, 10 inch beard, eastern turkey
MISSION: "Run and Gun" to harvest the weary Fort Knox Gobbler
I have always been a run and gunner and have never taken a bird with a bow, but the Sergeant Major "gently" persuaded me to try, and so I did. The first weekend was unsuccessful although we heard some gobbling, and we had a tom sneak by quietly. The rest of the weekend was unproductive. It seemed that every weekend that it was my turn to hunt I was unsuccessful, and my patience was wearing very thin. So after talking to the Sergeant Major and "gently convincing" him to just let me run and gun, it was then that things took a turn for the better.
It was 0545 on 18 April when Sergeant Major Simpson and I made link-up for what would turn out to be a trying but successful morning. The previous day we drew hunting area 18, an area that I have hunted several times in the past for deer and turkey. After the Sergeant Major and I did our PCC’s (pre combat checks), we set out to the top of a hill next to an old cemetery and waited and watched the sky start to turn red orange. It was about a ten minute wait and he did it; the bird gobbled one time and that was enough for us to make our move and occupy our battle position.
Once set in place, we had a total of four birds sounding off around us. Now it was just a matter of who wanted it the most. I started with a few soft cuts and yelps just to get the birds' attention, and a few minutes later I followed it all up with a fly down series. The birds responded, and we knew it was game on. As I was cutting and yelping one of the gobblers began the foot march in our direction and let us know how excited he was with every yelp. As he closed the distance, he started to make his way behind me, and all of a sudden, as if the lords of the great hunting grounds were playing an awful joke, a coyote came sneaking in and pitched the weary gobbler into a tree about 40 yards behind me. The spooked gobbler sat there for what seemed to be an eternity and took notice of the decoys and went to full strut on the limb; however, he flew down and walked away. Well, it’s called running and gunning, so we picked up and moved to another battle position, trying to catch any birds that wanted to play dodge the boom stick with us.
The birds must have not have read the script as none gave away their position. Dejected, we then proceeded to return back toward the old cemetery when we saw single hens running out of the tall grass, and then it happened! A gobbler gave us a fix on his position, and said he was willing to play.
Gobbling only once, we made our move about 300 yards across the open ground towards the timber. Once there, we decided to set up on top of an old tank trail, but as we made our way up, the tom sounded off at a mere 50 yards. We backed down, set camera and decoys, and a few soft yelps later, he tried to play dodge the boom stick and lost. It was a trying day, but was well worth it.
Mission Complete....until next time....waiting for extraction and follow on orders.
- April 17th
- Hunter:Mark Drury
- Location:Iowa
- Weapon:PSE Dream Season X Force
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
With Pete, Jonathan and Terry’s birds all in the bag Mark and Terry were trying to complete their episode for BOW MADNESS, but they were lacking one final bird…Mark’s. The birds didn’t roost well the night before and they didn’t gobble well this morning with the cold front so Terry and Mark resorted to their old tricks. Cover ground!
They hit 15 different spots on foot, on Bad Boy Buggy or by truck cuttin’ and runnin’ and finally at 11:30 they heard a gobble. They weren’t sure where it was so they moved in to where they thought it came from and 2 birds answered and were obviously on their way.
It was a 200 yard foot race back to the truck to get the gear and it was all they could to do catch their breath! They grabbed all their stuff and left the Dream Season blind behind because there just wasn’t enough time!
As they were getting in to position they noticed that the birds were gobbling on their own. Every time Mark called the birds gobbled repeatedly all the way from 200 yards out to 10 yards in.
Mossy Oak’s Treestand pattern worked to perfection as Mark came to full draw with 2 adults completely enamored by the King Strut decoy at less than 10 yards away from Mark’s setup. One shot through the vitals and the bird ran 10 yards and fell over dead!
The footage is awesome and the hunt was just like they like them….a flash hunt cut and run style. As was the case with Terry’s it was Mark’s first ever gobbler in the spring with a bow!
- April 15th
- Hunter:Tim Sylvia
- Location:Iowa
- Weapon:12-Gauge Shotgun
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
Great friend and 5-time UFC Heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Champion, Tim “the Maine-iac” Sylvia, came in to the Iowa Camp to hunt with Mark and Terry this week.
With 20 mph winds out of the south, it made it extremely difficult to get on any birds! The turkeys just weren’t gobbling worth a darn. Mark, Terry and Tim decided to get in to a deepest east/west draw they could find. They cut and run and walked over a mile and a half before striking some birds. Unfortunately, the birds just wouldn’t work in.
In the meantime, much to their surprise, two toms slipped in really quiet and started gobbling right on top of the guys. Both Terry and Mark were calling in concert in addition to Mark filming the whole thing. Because they were fighting the hard southerly wind, they had to call harder than normal, but it was just what the doctor ordered. The two birds came in to the King Strut at 20 yards and flogged the decoy and started attacking it! This irritated Tim, and he thought about going for the submission, but instead, wanted to give the final knockout blow and administered the ultimate death hold! Truly a great time in the spring woods for everyone involved…except the bird!
When asked about the hunt, Tim stated, “We had a tough couple of days. With the weather today it was difficult, but we busted our humps, did a lot of walking and ultimately got the bird!” When asked if Mark and Terry were giving him any trouble, he replied, “Terry is old enough to be my dad so I have to respect my elders.” Administering yet one final blow before the hunt ended.
- April 14th
- Hunter:Joe Shults
- Location:Illinois
- Weapon:Shotgun
- Animal:21.5 lbs, 8 3/4" beard, 1" spurred Turkey
It was the evening before opening day, and Coon Dog and I went to try and roost some birds for the next morning. Coon Dog was owl hooting and using the M.A.D. Howler and had 4
gobblers fired up and gobbling thier heads off before going to bed. We definitely knew where we would be in the morning!
Opening morning was cool and crisp, but the birds were gobbling good. We had them gobbling for about an hour and a half. We had the new decoy out, the King Strut, with a hen as
well. We knew if one of the birds would just come in and make eye contact with the decoys that they would come into range.
When the tom saw the decoy, it was on! He came in strutting and pounced on the King Strut decoy not once, but twice! When he knew something was not right and started off,
Coon Dog gave me the green light to take him, and I did! It was the first time that Coon Dog and I turkey hunted together, and it was a blast! In 2001, I filmed Coon Dog harvest two
mature does on film, and he returned the favor on this hunt, filming me take a good bird. Coon Dog did not draw a tag for the IL season, but he was good enough to come up and film me on
this hunt, and I truly thank him for that. I seen one thing on this hunt and that is the King Strut decoy works, and there will be a lot of birds dying this year using this decoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- April 14th
- Hunter:Terry Drury
- Location:Iowa
- Weapon:PSE Dream Season X Force
- Animal:Eastern Turkey
Marc Baird, the newest employee and lead producer of PSE-Archery and Drury’s hot new show titled BOW MADNESS, was in camp filming Mark and Terry for episodes of the upcoming TV season. Terry thought this would be a great opportunity to break Marc in and go on their first ever hunt together.
Terry traveled from Kansas over to Iowa on Saturday night and scouted the birds on Sunday to get the most recent information (MRI) on where the birds were roosting. He elected to go in on Monday morning, the opening morning of Iowa’s first season, and set up the Dream Season blind early in the A.M.
Terry and new cameraman, Marc, couldn’t get the birds to come in off the roost. So Terry elected to change positions about 200 yards and reset the Dream Season blind up. He called the birds in, and they pulled in close enough to get their first look at the new King Strut decoy from Flambeau. One gobbler decided he didn’t quite like the King Strut on his territory and left a jake and hen to come in for further review. The tom came up to the decoy and gave Terry the perfect 10-yard broadside shot, and he hit him right were it counts.
It was a day of firsts: Baird’s first time filming Mark or Terry, and it was Terry’s first turkey ever with a bow and arrow, and he couldn’t be more thrilled! It should make for another awesome episode of BOW MADNESS!
- April 13th
- Hunter:John O'Dell
- Location:South Dakota
- Weapon:Shotgun
- Animal:Merriam Turkey
- April 12th
- Hunter:John O'Dell
- Location:South Dakota
- Weapon:PSE XForce Dream Season Bow
- Animal:Merriam Turkey
- April 12th
- Hunter:Dave Reisner
- Location:South Dakota
- Weapon:PSE XForce Dream Season Bow
- Animal:2 Merriam Turkeys
On April 11th, Dave and I left for our yearly trip to South Dakota. He had high hopes of a great hunt as the nasty weather that was hitting the Midwest was supposed to move through, and we were expecting a high pressure system while we were hunting. Also, in talking with our rancher, he said the turkeys were doing really well, and that he was seeing 30-50 turkeys a day with several longbeards in the group.
After driving for 12 hours through blowing snow and ice, we finally arrived in South Dakota. We had just enough time to sleep for about an hour and then head out for the mornings hunt. It was still very windy as we were setting up the Ameristep blind, but that didn't dampen our high hopes. Right before first light, right on queue, the turkeys started to gobble. Pretty soon Dave and I were covered up with turkeys. I was up to bat first, and I was able to harvest a nice longbeard at about 25 yards with my PSE XForce. Then Dave was up to bat next, and he was able to harvest his first ever spring turkey with a bow. He shot him right off the top of a hen that the gobbler was going to breed. Then Dave shot his second spring turkey with his PSE XForce at 3 yards. After he shot the turkey another gobbler proceeded to beat up on his fallen buddy. I decided to try to stalk up on him, and well, just say that I came really close. Day one came to a close with three birds down all with our PSE bows.
The next day dawned bright and clear and found Dave and I once again in our Ameristep blind. It was one of those perfect mornings where the turkeys were just tearing it up. We filmed some awesome roost footage, and I just knew I was only minutes away from harvesting another tom as he came strutting into our decoy spread. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. Hours later I still had not harvested my turkey so it was time to get mobile, and I swapped out my bow for a shotgun. After several hours, we had worked ourselves into position of the birds that we were on earlier in the morning. After my first series of calls, we had the whole flock coming our way. All of a sudden, another gobbler entered stage left at 15 yards, and I concluded our 2008 South Dakota hunt. Moments later two other gobblers showed up and decided to sort out who was boss. We were able to film one of the best gobbler fights I have ever seen for the next 15 minutes. It was awesome!! What a way to cap off our incredible hunt in South Dakota!
- April 12th
- Hunter:Sergeant Major Glen Simpson
- Location:Kentucky
- Weapon:Remington
- Animal:23lb, 1 1/8” spurs, 10” beard Eastern Turkey
MISSION: HARVEST GOBBLER WITH ARCHERY TACKLE...BUT...WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS...PULL OUT THE EQUALIZER
EXECUTION: Armed with bow and camera in hand Glen Simpson and camera operator Chris Ogle set out opening morning of the Kentucky season with high expectations of harvesting a bird with archery tackle. Glen had set the Ameristep Dream Season blind on what he has now named "Boot Hill" the evening prior in the hopes to roost a couple of birds for the next mornings hunt; however, the 30 mph winds quickly eliminated this possibility.
Opening morning brought cloudy skies, calmer early morning winds and gobbling birds. Glen knew after harvesting several birds with bow in years past that this farm was crawling with big mature toms but he also knew that it was the type of hunt that patience wins the day as the birds usually make their grand appearance around mid morning. Just as in previous years the toms made their way from the bottoms up to the top wheat field around 0900 hrs; however, unlike previous years, Glen's Techniques, Tactics, and Procedures where about to change as the morning heat ushered in the stronger winds!
Spotting a nice gobbler with several hens in the field behind the blind Chris made soft yelps in order to let the Boss Tom know that there was competition in his field. After a couple of sweet yelps and from out of nowhere another tom dropped from the sky and landed to the right of the decoys at 100 yards. Hunters surprised but focused, it was at this time that things got very interesting as the gusting wind was not helping the situation. The tom, recognizing the opportunity to score on a target of opportunity came in on a run to 40 yards of the set when the wind made King Strut move very erratic so much so that the inbound gobbler skirted to the right side of the blind where he began to strut for the next 10 minutes.
Upon developing the situation, Glen and Chris decided to hit the tom with a few soft yelps in order to see if the bird would commit. The weary tom hearing the call began to move toward the set but unfortunately did not want to mess with the now dancing King Strut and skirted just outside bow range. As the two watched the strutting tom circle outside the range fan for archery tackle it was at this time that Glen decided to change techniques and pull out the Remington Equalizer. After making the weaponry switch, Glen drew a tight bead with the Nikon scope and dropped the bird at 50 steps.
Mission Complete....Until next time....waiting for extraction and follow on orders.
- April 10th
- Hunter:Pete Shepley
- Location:Kansas
- Weapon:PSE X Force Bow
- Animal:Turkey
After seeing all the fun that was had on Jonathan’s hunt the day before, Pete knew that he had to outdo his son somehow!
Mark, Terry and Pete decided to set up two brand new Dream Season Blinds from Ameristep and the all-new King Strut decoy from Flambeau to lure the elusive birds in. Mark was calling from one blind, and Pete and Terry were in the other. They had two camera angles filming it, so you knew there was going to be some stellar footage out of the deal.
Mark called the birds in to perfection, and the King Strut did its job by providing that extra incentive for the Tom to come in for a closer look. Pete missed the bird at 10 yards, but totally redeemed himself by putting a perfect shot on the gobbler out at 20 yards!
What a great way to start out the turkey season for Mark and Terry, and what a great show this is going to be this summer on Bow Madness!
- April 9th
- Hunter:Jonathan Shepley
- Location:Kansas
- Weapon:PSE X Force Bow
- Animal:26 lb, 1” spurs, 11” beard Eastern Turkey
Legendary Pete Shepley traveled with son, Jonathan, to East Central Kansas to hunt turkeys with old friend, Dennis Doherty, and new friends: Mark and Terry Drury. The opening morning of the Kansas Shotgun Season found Jonathan and Terry sharing space in an Ameristep Dream Season blind. It was a clear morning with several gobblers making it known that they were in the area. Jonathan was hunting with his X-Force bow and Terry was handling camera and calling duties.
Terry had set out the new Flambeau King Strut and a single hen decoy prior to taking position inside the blind. After thirty minutes of continuous gobbling action, the most out spoken of the roosted toms hit the ground and continued his oral communications to the local hen population. Terry determined it was time to point this gobbler in their direction and began calling. It didn’t take long for the tom to come within sight of the King Strut decoy and head right for it.
Inside the blind, Terry was capturing the tom on film, and Jonathan was getting ready for the right opportunity to shoot. Once the gobbler was on top of the decoy, something, probably within the blind, made it spook and run a few steps off to Jonathan’s right. It didn’t take long for the tom to reset its sights on the King Strut decoy which lured him right back into perfect position for Jonathan’s shot. The arrow was right on the mark, and the Rage 2-blade head literally dropped the turkey in its tracks.
Jonathan, who has yet to take a turkey with a shotgun, collected his 8th turkey to date with a bow, and Terry captured all of it on film. Jonathan had one turkey down and was one up on his father…so far!
- April 1st-4th
- Hunter:Eric Hale & Chris Ward
- Location:Kansas
- Animal:Shed Hunt
During their productive trip to Kansas, Drury team members and good friends, Eric Hale and Chris Ward, embarked on a shed hunting expedition in between their many turkey kills and discovered several nice sheds! Here's hoping a good deer season awaits them!
