beardsNspurs journal

[beardsNspurs]

I've been a member here in the forums for awhile now and just now happened across these journals. They seem like a real good idea so I think I'll start one.

Turkey season starts in the morning here in MO. I've been watching a group of 7 or 8 real nice gobblers behind my parents house. One in particular is real big with a long thick beard. I just found out a few hours ago I'm not gonna be able to get off work for the morning hunt....but I'll be outta here and in the woods by 8 or shortly there after. I got the camcorder juiced up and ready to go. The weatherman says its supposed to be windy with a slight chance of some sprinkles but supposed to clear off tomorrow evening and be nice for Tues and Wed hunting. Hopefully things will work out for me. Last season was a brutal one. Hardly any gobbling and the turkeys were wayyy yonder unpredictable. Hope things turn around for the better this year. I'll also be shootin with the new Charles Daly 12 gu. pump that I bought this year. I'm only gonna shoot 3" out of it but it will handle up to 3.5. Aside from some new calls its my only new toy for the year. It shoots ok out to 40 yards but with only 15-20 in the kill zone at that distance I don't feel completely comfortable with it. I know thats plenty but I don't want to go chasin down a wounded bird. I want him to be stone dead b4 he hits the ground. Enough for now......but I will say that I do really enjoy this forum and proud to be a member of this great group of hunters!!

[beardsNspurs]

Well ya'll, I finally got out to the woods this morning about 8:20. I didn't get exactly where I had planned on going but rather to some 80 acres that my aunt owns. I had been there probably an hour and half. The morning dawned chilly and windy and misty rainy....not exactly ideal turkin conditions. Anyway at about 10 I decided to go try another spot. I was walking down the logging road that seperates my aunt's property from the next one over. A truck drove by and I thought yanno toms used to gobble at vehicles on that gravel road. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than 2 gobbled not 80 yards ahead of me around a bend in the road. I about swallowed my mouth call! I jumped into the brush and had just gotten my calls out when I looked up and they had already rounded the bend headed straight for me. I froze and they kept on coming. I thought at first that they were all jakes but couldn't tell for sure....I know at least 2 of them were. Turns out they all were and they are still out there to hunt another day. They all walked to within 10 feet of me but I decided not to shoot. In the process of all this 2 other toms had opened up, both 150-200 yards away and in the opposite direction from each other. So after the jakes wandered off I started some calling. I ended up calling in 2 hens but the toms shut up....I assume because it started to spit rain. I also saw 6 deer this morning. I called it a day around 11:30 and came in for some lunch. We can only hunt til 1 here in MO. The weatherman is still sayin its supposed to clear off this afternoon/evening so hopefully things will be better for the morning hunt. Although in all honesty this morning was pretty good for me considering how crappy the weather is. The one element I DESPISE hunting in is windy conditions. Not only does it cut down on hearing ability but also cuts down on viewing ability too. Every movement in the woods could be an animal and with all the wind there is alot of movement. Anyway, I am headed out to tuck em in for the night. I hope I've got some better news in the morning to report.

[dogdoc]

sounds like you had a good day--good luck tomorrow!

[beardsNspurs]

Man... Monday (21st) turned out to be a great day. My daugter wanted to go over to my grandparents to ride their 3 wheeler so I decided I'd take her b4 I went out the tuck the toms in. We rode for about an hour in the fields behind the house. We saw one hen turkey and 8 more deer. She identified turkey tracks as well as the tracks of deer and coons. She's 8 and learning and becoming interested slowly but surely. I got the birds tucked in too in a good spot.

(22nd)
Oh ya'll won't even believe what happened this morning. Last night I got 7 gobblers put to bed. At 5:30 this morning we were already set up with our dekes out. 6 of those gobblers flew down across the river and only one stayed on our side. He never showed where we thought he was gonna so we had to re-evaluate our plans. We got packed up and found the tom in another field...(Joe's place) He was on a ridge-point along with 3 hens. A perfect spot....totally un approachable from all directions. And he certainly wasn't responding to any calls. His only problem was that where he was was in a green field on a POINT....which means that if I could stay low enough I could get to him. So I started belly crawling through the wide open field to him. In all honest, I really just wanted to see how close I could get before he spooked....somethin I was sure he was gonna do. But once again....they amazed me. I belly crawled 300 yards to within 30 feet of him. I pulled up to shoot and my gun just clicked. I thought I must loaded a dead shell. But the pump on my gun had broken open somewhere along the approach so the bolt was partially open. I jacked it closed and crawled another 10 yards or so since as I was messin with my gun he had walked about that far away. He was right behind a tree. All I could see was his breast and his neck and head. My arms were shaking so bad from the crawl I couldn't hold my gun still. So I just jerked one off when the bead crossed his head. Needless to say I missed. I shot right in front of his head. I was upset...but my brother got it all on videotape and I gotta admit the tape is pretty awesome. The approach took over 2 hours but it was worth it. I was in the wide open the WHOLE time....only laying in grass that stood about a foot tall. It was an adventure to say the least!!! Memories.....its all about the memories!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[beardsNspurs]

(23rd) SCORED!!!!!

Well ya'll, I put the hurt on one this morning. Yesterday was a whole entire mess. I'll get around to typing about Tuesday probably later in the week in my Realtree journal. In the meantime....here's the scoop.....
Turkeys never cease to amaze me. I have been scouting behind my parents house for a month. This morning my brother and I went over to a place I haven't stepped foot on in over 2 years. I knew there were birds there as a friend of mine owns the place and told me he has been hearing and seeing some. Anyway, bout 1/2 hr b4 daylight one finally answers my owl hootin. As we are making our way to him about 1/2 dozen more open up (including the one that I ended up getting). Anyway it was gettin pretty near flydown time by now but we managed to get two dekes out in the field in front of us. At this point, we hadn't heard any hens but of course they were there as they finally started talking. Turns out they flew down in the opposite direction of us across a creek we knew was there. We got up and crossed the creek and snuck up the embankment. I sneek a peek over and there stood a strutter about 10 yards outta range of my new gun. Let me just say it was all I could do after yesterday's fiasco to not try him anyway. But as there were 2 more birds on top of the hill gobbling I didn't want to take the chance. I called and he didn't even bother to throw a glance in my direction. He did have 7 hens with him so I knew the chances of gettin him to respond were slim to none. Back down in the creek we went and repositioned around on the other side if the field. (The field was bordered on 3 sides by the creek). Well for one reason or another that bird just didn't want to cooperate. We set up on him 4 different times with no luck. Meanwhile the 2 birds on top of the hill that were gobbling had more than gotten my attention and I couldn't ignore them any longer. ONE more time, back down in the creek, back the way we had come, back over on the other side of the field and up the hill into the field where the 2 were gobbling. We located em along with 2 hens. There was one in strut constantly and another that only strutted occasionally. At this point I was about repositioned out. We'd already walked and moved I lost count how many times. The birds exited on the far side of the field. I looked at my brother and said one more time. So we got up and walked over towards the fence they had gone through to exit the field. When we got to within about 10 yards of the fence I spotted em again. Only this time there was 6-8 more hens with em. I got down on my belly. I knew that if I could get up to that fence they'd be in range. So we belly crawled up to the fence. 40 yards is my limit and I knew they were pushing that distance. But it was now or never. We each picked out which one we'd shoot. I was to shoot first with my brother following on the second bird. I took a deep breath, lined up the sights, and slowly squeezed the trigger. At the shot the bird folded but started to get back up. My brother noticed this and made the split second decision to hold off on his bird in case mine needed another dose. He didn't. I ran up to him and got a boot on his neck which calmed him down considerably! I shot the one that only strutted occasionally. His running buddy...what I presume to be the boss of those woods is still out there to fight another day. He tipped the scales at a decent 24.5 pounds. His beard was only 9 inches but his spurs stretched the tape to a respectable 1 1/8. By my calculations he scores 63.625 for the beardsNspurs team. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this but I believe thats right. He's not the big whamma jamma I've had my eye on...but he'll do to start the season. I got one more to go!! By the way look for pics as soon as I get things worked out to get em on here.

[beardsNspurs]

Well guys....the season ended entirely too soon for my liking. My brother shot a big gobbler on the last Wednesday of the season in the same freld that I belly crawled 300 yards to get to that turkey the second day of the season. That's the only birds I know of. None of the rest of my friends or family scored. They seemed to be henned up most of the season. I didn't get to go nearly as much as I'd have liked. The weather didn't cooperate after about the 4th day of the season. However I will say that it was a MUCH better season than last year. More gobbling turkeys. I hate the idea of putting the camo away so early so I'm gonna go out Saturday morning and see if I can videotape some. I'm gonna take a female friend of mine and hopefully get her hooked on it enough to last her til next season. Or at the very least til the fall season. I guess now the next big hunting season is bow...with dove right before that. Got plenty of time to practice my bow shooting skills. I'm also thinking bout getting a new tree lounge. The one I have is an old model and its way to heavy to navigate quietly through the woods. Although I remember last season I walked right up on 4 feeding deer without them hearing me at all. Also this past weekend my daughter and I caught 2 catfish out of my parents farm pond that weighed a couple pounds each. We threw em back, I think that to her was more fun than catching em. I need to take her bass fishing at my uncle's place. Catch a 1/2 pound bass bout every cast. And its more interesting than sittin watching a bobber.
Oh before I forget, I did find 3 big messes of mushrooms this year....each about 2 or 3 pounds each. Got one more bunch to eat before they're gone. They're delicious!!

One last thing, on May 10th a tornado ripped through Canton, a town I cover, that destroyed the new grocery store and the new motel. Will be a long time before we recover completely from that one!!

[beardsNspurs]

Just thought I'd check into my journal. Nothing really new to report hunting wise. All the seasons are pretty much over for awhile. Fishing seasons are here now though and it will be time to chase after those largemouths and catfish soon. Not much to report really. Fixing to get a new truck sometime this week. A 94 Toyota 4x4. Its a pretty sweet little truck. Be good to get into the fields with come this winter...not to mention good for the snow. Hope it works out!!

[beardsNspurs]

Talkin to myself again!! lol

Nothing really new to report here. Working my tail end off is about all lately.

I also just want to say what a real blessing this board has been for me. Its so great to be able to log into this site and share thoughts and feelings and experiences and advice with all the great guys and ladies in here. Just another blessing God has seen fit to allow me to have! Thanks to everyone for making this message board so great!!

[beardsNspurs]

Wow.......I didn't realize it had been this long since I posted anything in my journal. But since dove and bow season is about to draw upon me again, I suppose I'd better update.
Hunting wise I haven't done any since turkey season. I have managed to wet a hook a time or 2 over the summer. I haven't gotten to do any cat-fishin but have been bassin a few times. Its been nice a few times to get away. It seems I work all the time anymore and can't ever find a time to get away.
I haven't done much scouting for bow season yet. What with work and school I haven't had much time to. School however is almost over which will give me more time. I did see a nice buck still in velvet with either a button buck or a doe over at my grandparents Wednesday afternoon. If things stay the way they are now I'll be focusing on the water sources. We haven't had much rain to speak of and things are pretty dry up here in rural northeast Missouri. I scouted a few ponds Wednesday and the deer seem to be hittin them pretty hard. I sure am looking forward to havin a reason to take some vacation time so I can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
I got my bow and targets out about a month ago. I think I've decided to purchase a whisker biscuit for a rest this year. The new type's look just plain awesome and I've heard nothing but good things about them from other fellow bow hunters. I'm plannin on going out and doin some scoutin the beginning of next week.......I'll be sure to come back and log in my journal if I've had any luck.

[Tony]

congrats on the nice tom . have you ever treid to hunt them with bow ?
good luck with your deer season this year keep us updated on when your seeing pre rut action and then rut .
by the way im the one that came up with this idea a couple of years ago , hope you enjoy the logs. they usally get really busy during the hunting season.
Shoot Strong
Tony

[beardsNspurs]

Thanks for buckbuster for finding my journal for me. Just thought I'd put in this morning that I'll be addin to my journal soon so look for updates!

[beardsNspurs]

Well guys I'm back finally for another year of turkey chasin. I'm really lookin forward to this year. My girlfriend and my daughter both asked if they could go with me......which is obviously just the best. I'm really lookin forward to the season this year. More so than normal I suppose. I didn't get out for hardly any deer huntin at all this fall. I was the only one that didn't get a deer. Everyone else, including my grandpa and grandma got deer. But when a guy only gets to go one day the entire season....don't have much time. Oh I can't complain, at least I got to go that one day. I missed a nice fat doe from bout 100 yards out in fairly high wind. But those are the breaks. I enjoyed the time spent outside. Now turkey chasin is another thing entirely. I absolutely will get out there for more than one day for that. I'd go straight to the nuthouse if I didn't get to chase toms but one day. The only new gear I want for this season is a photo camera. One that has the ability for long range zooming. And more importantly than that, one that can focus just as well in brush as it can in the clearings. If any of ya'll have any suggestions on this I'd appreciate it. At any rate, I'll get to buy camo for my girlfriend and my daughter as well, so perhaps that will make me as content as only a sackfull of new turkey huntin toys can. Anyway, as the season draws near I'll be postin more and more. Good to see the contest is up and runnin this year again. If any of you fella's get up here to northeast MO or west central IL stop in and say hi. Maybe we can chase Mr. Longbeard together. Until next time.....be safe.

[beardsNspurs]

Well I thought I'd work on my journal a little tonight. Although there really isn't much to say. Yesterday I went to town and got my girlfriend and my daughter some huntin clothes. I got my daughter some insulated bibs, an insulated huntin coat, and a pair of boots. I got my girlfriend a hunting coat, bibs, hat, and a hand warmer. She was upset that I spent all that money on her. I got all that stuff for less than $200 and it was all brand new. I tried explainin that it was a very small investment compared to all the memories we're gonna make while out huntin in those clothes. I'm not sure she understood completely what I meant, but she sure will here soon.

I also went out last night when I got back from town to glass for turkeys. This is the first time I've been out looking for birds this year. We have a look-out place where we can sit and glass the birds without gettin too close to spook em. I didn't see any turkeys but thats not surprising. That field is the one thats surrounded on 3 sides by the river so it floods alot. The turkeys dont' care for this much. But here in about a month they'll be there. It works like clockwork every year. I did see 2 big sets of gobbler tracks. Gonna have to get my turkey gear out and ready to go here soon.

I've been debating bout a new choke for my turkey gun. I'm not sure which brand to buy tho. I'll keep on studying and decide soon.

The season better get here quick. All these turkey huntin shows on the outdoor channel are gonna drive me completely insane here soon!

[beardsNspurs]

Tonight I took my daughter out behind my grandparents house to ride the 3wheeler. I should have known somethin was awry when I went to start it and all I could hear was a clickin sound. So I pull started it, and it fired right up.
We went behind the house, and was almost to my deer stand when a gobbler went bustin outta the brush. Now mind you this was with the 3wheeler runnin and I could still hear him. I glanced over my shoulder and could see his red head and his beard draggin. Was a sight for sore eyes believe me!
Anyway we went on up to my deer stand. I was gonna check it to be sure that everything made it through the winter. Everything had, and had made it through solidly.
When we went to ride home, I tried to start the 3wheeler and it wouldn't start. I tried pull startin it again, and again, and again, and it wasn't startin. So we walked back to my grandparents house and got my truck then went out and pulled it home. I drove and let Danielle drive the 3wheeler home. She was so excited to be drivin by herself. I couldn't help but smile. What started out to be a really crappy evening turned into a really GREAT evening when I turned and say her smilin so big. And she was sittin there in that new camo I just bought her. She even looks like a turkey hunter now. I was one proud papa to say the least.
Thats about all thats goin on with me. I need to go out and trim some brush that I noticed the other day was in the way of our look out spot. I say look out spot. It has always been more of a scoutin area for us. It gives us a place where we can go sit and watch the birds and yet be far enough away from them that they don't know we're there. Is a good spot, just needs a little trimmin.
Anyway thats bout all for now. I will update soon. Until then....what a great day with my daughter out in the field!!!!!

[beardsNspurs]

Nothing much to update really tonight. I asked Danielle tonight if she wanted to watch a turkey huntin show that was on TV with me....she declined! That was ok with me. She half way interested in the sports of huntin and fishin....I ain't gonna shove it down her throat. As far as the birds go, I've been seein some out in the fields. Aside from the neighbor's tom gobblin I haven't heard any. Will be sure to keep the journal updated. In the meantime........go Huntin Strutters!!!