Leaderboard

Thought I'd give a little recap of yesterday's hunt... Ethan and I got got to our ambush spot around 5:10 after a nightmarish half mile walk through a soggy plowed cornfield. I popped a groundblind up and we waited to hear our first gobble. From the trailcam pics and several years of hunting this spot (we've killed 3 opening morning youth birds here by 6:30 three years running), I knew the two longbeards that we were after should be roosting close. I was just hoping that they would be talkative in the crappy weather. About 5:45 I hit the crowcall and nothing. A few minutes later I scratched out a few soft yelps and...GOBBBLEEEE...GOBBBLEEEE...there they were only 75 yds above us!!! Over the next 35-40 minutes they gobbled ridiculously at everything. We sat there impatiently waiting for flydown...finally around 6:25 they hit the ground. I thought it would be another done deal in a minute or two. WRONG!!! They stayed strutting and gobbling about 80 yds above us around a bend in the logging road for the next half hour but won't come down to meet us. After not hearing a gobble for 20 minutes or so, I snuck out of the blind and walked up the trail calling, but was greeted with silence. I had a feeling they had hens the entire time. The back of the farm is always good too so we left our blind/dekes and went to doing a little running and gunning. Finally, we got to where I thought we should get into some action and BINGO...a gobble rips on the hillside below us only 75-80 yds away. We quickly set up and I went to work on the Halloran slate and one gobbler turned into three!!! A few minutes into my calling, a hen starts yelping below...I call to her and her she comes up the hill looking for the new hen. She went past us calling the whole time and I thought the boys would be right behind her. Wrong again...she went on up the woods and they stayed put. I tried everything that I could thing off to get them to advance...soft calling, loud calling, fighting purrs and even gobbled at them. They would answer everything but weren't budging. With a squirmy 13 year old sitting next to me, I knew that playing the silent game and trying to wait them out was not an option. I decided to back up the train a ways and descend down the hill to their level and try a new set up. Once we were got down to the bottom I called and they responded from the same spot. We quickly closed the distance and setup again. The next gobble was closer and I knew they were coming. Soon, we heard something walking just over the hill and a longbeard pops up at 45 yds and just stands there surveying the area. I was worried that we would be busted. Soon, another longbeard showed up behind him and they both proceeded to work around below us. As they went behind some trees I got Ethan moved around and situated to shoot. The original bird slowly closed the distance to 35 yds and then started to turn around. It was pushing the range of his Mossy 500 20 gauge but it now or never....I gave him the go ahead. He shoots and the gobbler soaks up a load of 3" Mag Blends but doesn't go down...after a follow up shot the young hunter had his first ever turkey: a nice 20 lb two year old with a 9.5" beard. To say he was excited was an understatement. What a great start to the season!!! His pants right after shooting his bird... After a LONG walk back to the truck...(I forgot to stock my vest with ziploc gallon bags...lol) Come on sunday!!!

Thought this might be interesting to some;going through some pics from a recent vacation/hunting trip. Was fortunate enough to get a look into the life of a female Leopard and her 2 cubs this past week during a visit to the Sabi Sands game reserve in South Africa. Sabi is a associated private park ( termed "APNR" land)attached to Kruger National Park designed to expand the park and give the animals free movement. These private areas effectively double the park boundaries, but being private allow for off track use of vehicles to spot big 5 game in the bush. There are several lodges to stay at both in Kruger and on APNR land..... This is this females second litter; she successfully raised two female cubs on her first litter ,very unusual for a young cat. These two male cubs are roughly 6 mos old and they lost a female sibling a short time ago, most likely to a Hyena. Being able to track the cats off road has the private rangers able to keep good tabs in her home range without the use of radio collars (collars are now hacked by poachers and extra precautions are taken on voice radio chatter not to pin point Rhino and other animals prized by illegal smugglers) We came to the scene with cub 1 in the a tree gnawing on the leg of a Impala kill taken a full night prior, 24-30 hrs maybe..... Mom was patiently calling to her second cub somewhere hidden in the thick bush; Cub 2 pops up in the thick; After sometime the second cub got a warm greeting from mom who was always glancing back to keep an eye on the first cub; Roughly 1/2 hr later it was cub 2's turn to feed, so mom called cub 1 down and he waited by the base of the tree; The female then escorted cub 2 up and returned to take a nap when we left them alone; The beginnings of a top predator in Africa; This was my 4th trip to Africa; I have baited Leopards for other hunters and seen countless feeding signs, kills, pugs marks, and trail cam pics.....never in my life would I have told you it was possible to see 4 different Leopard relaxed in daylight over several days, best i have done is a tail or a glimpse in poor light. To see a set of cubs was an unreal thrill.

And the day is done.... Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

With the camera of course,lol I made some adjustments to my blind set up last night to put me in a better position for some better pics this morning. The first gobble rattled off at 6:19am before a few hens showed up a little while later. Eventually, these three jakes made their way in front of the blind and spotted my "fake jake". I couldn't get out of the blind until 12:09 when they FINALLY made it to the far corner of the field and into the timber! No longbeards today, but no shortage of fun and excitement behind the camera either!

How does she expect to see anything ?

Well my nephew and I hunted hard saturday we had a hell of a day in the woods coming close to quite a few gobblers,jakes and countless hens but the closest we got to sealing the deal was 70-80 yards.The last 2 years we have been down to a friends camp for the sunday of youth season that puts on a youth turkey hunt that has been very sucsesssful.We went down and got in camp last night and before dark the group of us went out and roosted some birds for the morning,after that a feast was put on for the kids,dads,uncles,friends and family. While we were eating dinner the typical hunting camp stuff was going on with stories being told.We all meet some new people shared some new techniques and then we all went to bed around 1030-1100 last night......so 4am was a real wakeup call!!!HAHA One by one we all got up and got ready for the day,ate some quick breakfast and rolled out into our discussed group.Myself and my nephew (Reed) went out with another youth hunter (Briana) and a new friend (Mike)who did the calling.He was something else behind those calls and what I learned was a real eye opening this am.We made our way to the area where we had roosted a bird the previous night and when we got to the spot he hammered off the roost like he was reading a script,only problem was the spot he was in he could very easily pitch down into 2 different fields so we chose the filed to the north.We found a spot that was full of briars and nasty stuff to set up on and I set out a strutter decoy,jake and hen.The two kids set up so one would shoot right and the other left.After we settled in he gobbled no less that 50 times from the roost and at around 100 yards away if the kids were half as excited as I was we did our jobs!!He pitched off the roost but in another field behind us,so he would have to cross a small stream and some briars to get into the shooting setup.He worked his way in behind us to about 50 yard and paced back and fourth strutting,gobbling and doing his thing.We aren't sure if the strutter or the creek kept him from coming across but he wasn't having any of it so we let him walk off to the west.Mike said "Lets let him head that way and we will try and cut him off up ahead",as soon as that was said we heard multiple gobbles to the northwest of our setup as 4 jakes came charging in.They ran right in and started throwing a beating on the jake decoy at 15 yards.Mike was with the kids with myself Reed and Briana's dad behind her,as jakes always do they bunched up and we didn't want to have one shoot 2 or 3 at one time so we waited for the best time.After a few second which seamed like minutes they had clear shots and the order was given.With all the excitement both of them missed the first shot!!!!! The second was also a swing and a miss with Reed but dropped the jake on the right with his 3rd shot!!Briana's shotgun had a malfunction with shot #2 that she cleared all by herself racking in the third shell while Reeds jake was flopping on the ground but the other 3 were in high gear going away when one decided he wanted to beat up on his friend.He turned,came back and proceeded to stomp the heck out of the flopping bird and she knocked him off with her 3rd shot.When that happened I'm pretty sure the whole lot of us were louder than the shotguns with screaming,guns were cleared and the pics,hugs and congratgulations began!! This is Briana's dad,Briana,Reed and myself a few more This is Briana,Mike and Reed And the lucky hunters walking back to camp

Got our for 2 hours before golf. Rowed 2.3 miles according to gps. Got 2 Browns and 1 bass. Missed 2 other hits. Mine brown was 20" 4lbs, my Dads was 17" 2.5lbs. Both kept and filleted. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We made a move and spotted toms, then we cut the distance way down and I called 4 long beards in to 10 yards. Of course he had a brush pile in the way when he shot and didn't get a bird. I think he's hooked now at least. Nothing like thundering gobbles at 10 yards.

Spent the early afternoon hiking with a bro. Came home and made some BBQ chicken. Made the potato salad in the AM, added homemade pickles. Chicken looks dark but that's because it was done low and slow with 6 layers of Sweet Baby Rays.

Brown trout for me!

One down this am..

Unless you're in heavy woods, most wildlife shots are done during the day with a bunch of natural light. If you're not getting enough light to speed up your lens, bump up your ISO. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had a rack of lamb in the Skylon tower to celebrate my sister in laws birthday

Took my buddy's 12 yr old out East on L.I. this morning...had torrential rains and some fog..no gobbling...did some light calling and had a bruiser run in from across the field and beat the heck out of Pretty Boy decoy and then Frankie flattened him at 10 yds with his Mossberg 20ga...all done at 6:20AM...AWESOME hunt and got it all on video. Bird weighed 20.5lbs 1 1/4" spurs 11" beard

Congrats! I had an awesome hunt this morning too. Thought we had the deal closed first thing...moved on to a different group of birds...killed one at 9:30.

Start to finish, went much smoother than I thought and came out better than I thought. I use a hammer and crowbar to get the old crappy boards off while saving the 3 bases which were fine. For $40 instead of $20 total I went with the composite decking stuff. Also, got a cool video of 4 deer who jumped my neighbors fence and were stuck in his backyard for a few minutes. They didn't come into my yard since I was right there videotaping https://vimeo.com/163954762 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for checking them out guys! Wildcats- I just use an entry level DSLR. Nikon D-3200 with a slow 55mm-300mm F/ 4.5 - 5.6 Nikon lens. I shoot most all of my critters in aperture priority. When I moved my blind last night, I did so with the rising sun in mind. The first pic I posted here is the money shot I was looking to get, so I was pretty pumped when I got home to see the sunlight glowing through his fan the way I had planned! Sometimes my best hunting set ups are not the best photography set ups, and vice versa. Whenever I have a chance to "scout" an area, I try to pay attention to the little things that will make for the best photo shots as well as the places I can kill an animal when the time finally arrives. I don't hesitate to snap a TON of shots as well and sort through the best of the set when I have time. I took over 300 pics out there today with these guys.... these were just the first ten that I got around to working on.

We need to have that Beer Rendezvous soon. During hockey playoffs

That's dad's job ..lol! Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

My cousin got his first bird ever a Jake at 9:30 this morning! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Steak and sprouts Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just wanted to show one of the prizes that we will be offering. The lamp was made by our very own wooly and he has graciously donated it for the contest. Can't thank you enough wooly for supporting this contest and our youth hunters!!

Yesterday I mentioned on a thread that a guy in a picture looked familiar. I didn't mention his name out of privacy as he wasn't the one who snapped the shutter. So last night I got a PM from a fellow forum member saying that he recognized the guy also and mentioned his name. I said yup, that's who I thought it was. So I said to him that we probably had some other friends in common. His profile says he is in Niagara County and I know quite a few folks up there, what was his name and where up "there" did he live? I said my name and where I lived......... He replies back that he has moved and lives on the street BEHIND me. I told him to stop by sometime when he saw me out & about. So now I have 2012_taco one street to my west, me in the middle and another member to my east, one street. I'M SURROUNDED!!!!!!!!!!!! One other member on here, "turkeyfeathers" has a connection we discovered a month or so ago via the PM system. Although we aren't close friends I've known his older brother for at least 25 years through a mutual friend. Pretty neat stuff!

Thanks, Elmo. There's also the challenge of overcast days, dawn and dusk opportunities, heavy pines, etc. Luckily, my camera does pretty well at higher ISOs. I still won't shoot much higher than 3200 at the very high end though. Just too much noise. Especially if you plan on cropping. I always enjoy your pictures, Wooly. Thanks for sharing. It's awesome that you shoot a D3200. On the photography forums everyone is always after the latest and greatest gear. All of the beginning shooters come around saying "If only I could afford a D500 or a D810, I could take pictures like that!" Here, you're getting awesome shots with what you term an "entry-level" camera. Like Larry said, it's often the indian, not the arrow.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They look great congrats to you and you nephew, I love the wood work you have in your trophy room. Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Care to share your settings and setup for any other photographers on the forum, Wooly? My wildlife shots suffer from not having fast enough telephoto glass.

All I could find was the prohibited sale as well..... no mention of use that I could find.

Dead silence here, other than the Chicka-Dee that landed on the end of his gun barrel.

2 adults displayed in field for a long time. Full 360 turns in the sun. Maybe 200 out. Can't get them to committ. Hens on edge. Toms back in woods edge. Still got to whizz something fierce but displaying silent now so can't move

Got 3 going. Been playing for awhile. Can't get them to cross field. 4 deer in field now. I gotta whizz so bad lol

Great pics. I like the one of the old well.

Cool shots DT- pretty country! How 'bout that last pic.... is THAT a Wild Turkey?

I am waiting for the call too. Any day now. Mine is up in the Catskills

Great looking mount. I had two of mine and my son's first one done there. I'm very happy with the work. Lifetime of memories. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Dead on at 12 yds, 25 yds and 35 yds. I'm ready for Spring Turkey. Bring on the thunder chickens. [emoji490] [emoji490] Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Sounds like the "midnight rambles" sessions in Levon Helm's barn. Pretty amazing stuff. There's a documentary/movie.

You guys hear much gobbling ? We heard one gobble at 6 and same bird at 7 way far off. I know there's birds where we're at but today was one of those days I scratch my head and say what gives. I'm blaming the full moon and sticking with it ???? I hit the crow call hard mid morning and couldn't get any shock gobbles either. Will see what tomorrow has to offer. Still beats work

I had the same problem. I can't remember where I bought it from. It came with the bendex gear and starter. To fix it is easy you have to jiggle it a little and it goes right in.

Pull starter put on bench in vice preferably check gear see what looks like....then jump starter ground to the body of starter and tap the bolt that sticks up with positive should activate starter............or take to autozone Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Defiantly starter gear or the gear on crank ....hope for the starter Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

His list of female conquest was pretty impressive as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He could write both music and lyrics, play any instrument in front of him, sing, engineer or produce studio work, perform on stage, and at the same time keep the media titillated. That's not easy to do, and he did it for over forty years. Like his stuff or not, he was an extremely influential musical talent. He was an artist.

Our dekes Someone had to borrow my fleece. It was 36 degrees when we left the woods Crossing the Wiscoy as she has ballet

Set the blind up last night to watch over the field this morning. I got there a little late (7:30) and there were two toms and 2 hens already out there doing their thing. Pretty sure they heard me undo the zipper on the blind as they made their way off. Did manage to yank a few gobbles out of them before they left, but other than that, it was pretty quiet out there. 2 different gobblers..

So this is what we saw at 6 ish this morning about 400 yds away ..... And they disappeared because we saw this a few minutes later.... Nothing since so we decided to come in. Too windy and they were spooked. Tomorrow is another day! Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

I went back in this past weekend, 4/14-17/16 to camp and scout. I was the first canoe camper into Lows Lake this year, probably because the gate was closed and I had to cart my outfit in 3/4 mile to the put in. I surprised a good size deer standing in some water/grass but other than that saw no tracks or sign from the canoe. I spent some time around Tomar Mt again, not much sign, some trails but no old rubs. Again, I'm not your best or hardest hunter, pretty much just enjoy the big woods and the Adirondacks. I'll be heading back in come fall for sure. The wood stove came in handy, temps down to the low 20's in the morning. Canoe and campsite, Virgin Timber Landing west end of Lows Lake, 15' wood canvas Chestnut Chum, my tent evening with Tomar Mt in the background, Daytime scouting, ice had just left the lake so I hugged the shoreline. Pack contains my lunch, a set of clothes and some birch bark, matches punk wood for a quick emergency fire. Good trip.

Nice! Nothing like a call from the taxidermy man!

Left-Wing U.S. Attorneys General Wage Legal Blitzkrieg on Science, Freedom and truth http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/04/15/lawfare-lefts-climate-inquisition-waging-war-science-freedom-truth/

Thank you, Paula and thank you everyone for the opportunity to help with a great event. As a youngster hunting with my father gave me some great memories (Still does). Hunting with my nephew for the last few youth seasons has been some of the best experiences for me. I applaud everyone who encourages or mentors young folks especially hunting and fishing. When Paula messaged me this morning about the contest it was a no brainier for me. Here is a Osage glass surface caller with a walnut/bamboo striker. Judges will let me know who this goes to when it's time. Good luck to all the youths and their mentors.