pointing_dogs_rule

Thanks for the offer. I'll just sit this year and enjoy I'll probably shoot the biggest deer ever by NOT being on a team. I'll be watching you guys.

Been talking to Steve. Alaska is "now his home". He will come back to visit at Christmas and that's all.

I don't get here very often as I once did. Posted this on one other web site. ~~So at 57 years of age I have a "bucket list". One of my goals was to take a veteran on an antelope hunt to Wyoming. I have such as GREAT life and feel I owe so much to those that allow me to live this life... the veterans. This year I pulled the trigger. I advertised and veterans applied for the trip. Denver was the lucky guy (served in Afghanistan & Iraq).. I offered a guy a gun hunt, however, Denver asked if we could archery hunt. Yep! We would archery hunt two days before rifle season and hopefully be successful... if not then the gun comes out. (by the way... just my luck,,, the first year I did not draw and antelope tag for this area..... I'll shoot prairie dogs) Sunday we loaded the F-150 and headed west. Stayed overnight in Wall, South Dakota. Monday we arrived in Wright, Wyoming. Toured the ranch that we would hunt and looked over the goats. We picked out three shooters...... one a really nice buck. No success the next morning. One nice buck at 52 yards and a clean miss due to winds. Amazing what winds will due to an arrow's flight out here on the open plains of Wyoming. Then sat in a blind for 4 hours.... no luck. That afternoon we tried once more and after numerous stalks we were able to close the distance to 54 yards on the biggest one on the ranch. Denver had been advised by me to practice out to 60 yards. One doe broke away from the herd and as the buck looked back at his other does..... Denver made the perfect shot, just behind the elbow. Heart and lung. He ran 70 yards and piled up. 15" and should score about 70"+ and make Pope and Young. It will be a great trip back home to Iowa with this buck in the truck. By the way.... Couldn't have picked a better guy for the hunt.... really great guy and easy to get along with. Time for me to go and shoot more prairie dogs Denver with his antelope (and me).

Missed the sign-up. Have fun guys. I'll be my own team Too busy thinking about antelope hunting. good luck to all the dog

Only put in for antelope and did not draw. It was my second choice. Cut back in tags put me out of the picture. Will be taking a veteran on his first antelope hunt. Served one year in Afghanistan and two years in Iraq. It should be fun for him.

Last time I looked "darn expensive". I shoot 3" #5 for a fraction of the price, with full choke and have great results. All depends on what your gun likes. good luck to all the dog

Yep, I hunted the public land south of Chadron. Pine Ridge Nat. forest lands.

Headed west on my annual trip last Thursday afternoon. This year I decided to add Kansas and drop South Dakota. Drove through Kansas last fall and spotted some nice turkey areas... so what the heck. 9 hour drive and I pull into a motel. They call me "cheap motel Marty" when I hunt. This one was $35.00 with the corporate rate (i'll take that any day). Arose at 5 am and headed out looking for a place to hunt in Kansas. I went into Kansas "cold"... without a place to hunt. After driving creek bottom roads and seeing some turkeys I decided to head for the local coop and ask for help. After introductions the guy looks at me and says "I think I got a guy who would let you hunt". He gives me his # and tells me to call the guy. Before that happens a guy on the steps of the coop says: "here comes his son. I'll wave him down". I am soon talking to the landowners son and after introductions the son says: "hop in my truck and I'll show you the ranches". First the south ranch and then the north ranch. He tells me where he has seen the turkeys strutting and when. It's now 9 am and I thank him and decide to head out for a late hunt. Temps are already 70 degrees and it will get to 80 degrees today. We look at the map on my phone one more time and he says: that's where they usually are strutting. I pack up the decoys and grab the gun and head towards a small brush pile where I will set-up. As I round the corner there they are...... strutting right where he stated they would be. About 400 yards away. I crawl into the brush pile and start calling and observing. Gobbles straight ahead and two to my right. This goes on for 2 hours. Eventually the hens go to nest and I get the lone toms attention. He startins heading my way "on a string". At 150 yards he decides to meet up with the other two toms that are gobbling. BAD IDEA. The other two chase him. I have never seen turkeys run so fast in my life. I call and he runs right to me and stops at 35 yards. The other two are still coming, however, this one knows something is up. Question: shoot one or wait for a double..... "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". BANG!!! my first Rio at 35 yards... dead I the wheat field. 19.5 lbs, 3/4 inch spurs, 8 inch beard. Shot at noon. That night I head to the south ranch and hunt an alfalfa field near a creek. Right on cue they are right where the rancher stated they would be. I was not set up on the correct side of the field and even though the hens came into the decoys the two toms stayed at 75 yards. The next morning I moved the blind to the opposite side of the field. All morning turkeys ate in the alfalfa. At 11 am the hens decide to leave and the toms were once more alone (one tom and 2 jakes. At noon one gets really hot to my calls. a hen responds and enters the field and mingles in the decoys....the tom soon follows. 32 yards... close enough. BANG. My second Rio in two days. Shot at 12:15. 17.5 lbs, 3/4 inch spurs, 8 inch beard. Close-up of Rio feathers. Off to Chadron, Nebraska to chase Merriams. Pulled in on Sunday and hunted and only saw hens. With a little help from a friend I set up on some toms that we had seen the night before. I put the blind under a big pine tree. Gobbling on the ridge in the early AM. The birds did not come my way. at 7 AM after some soft calling I hear a gobble to my left (in a draw). A few more calls in he gets louder (closer). I see a bird at 90 yards and think that it's the tom. I lose sight of him. NO it's a hen... where's the tom. There he is to my far left all fanned out. A few soft calls and no response. he stays at 75 yards and just struts. I think about a shot. I have 3 inch shells and a turkey choke... NO that's not ethical. I call a few more times .... soft purrs. He finally responds and starts feeding to the decoys (set at 17 yards). He then goes into a full strut all the way in to the decoys. BANG. 18 lbs, 3/4 inch spurs. 8 1/2 inch beard. Shot at 7:15 AM. A 3 inch shell at 17 yards, with turkey choke was a "little over kill". The next day I had the opportunity to hunt with an 8 year old and his father after they went after birds. The boy managed to get two jakes. Pine Ridge area that I hunted. LOVE this place. SNAKE that I almost stepped on... scared the crap out of me On to Wyoming. This is mostly a visit with an old friend who helps with the "wild west invitational turkey shoot". I only hunted one morning and left before the 1-2 feet of snow hit the Black Hills. It was a great trip and I found some new hunting areas and met some fantastic people. NOTE: I'm already counting the days until next year's hunt. good luck to all the dog

Way to hang in there

Very nice!!!

a little better video then the previous.

jakes

Started hunting Thursday PM. Had two jakes come into the decoy setup and kick the decoy's butt. Passed on them as I knew that there were gobblers around. An hour later the gobblers appeared 200 yards away, however, they wouldn't commit. Too many hens with them. Friday morning same place and same thing. Gobblers with six hens and they would not commit. Came as close as 80 yards. On Saturday I moved the blind to where they were struttin previously'. Sunday morning I get out there and the gobbling starts. He goes behind me on property that I do not have permission to hunt. Passed by at 20 yards. An 1 1/2 hours later he appears where my previous blind was set up (NOTE: swearing). The hens make their way 200 yards around me in the alfalfa field. I do not give up on the calls. I get a little aggressive and the hens start making their way to me. The gobblers follow. The boss tom comes into the decoy field (DSD decoys... man I love these decoys). Before he beats up on my decoy I let him have it. 26 1/2 lbs, 1 inch spurs and 11 1/2 beard (very heavy). Sorry about the video. I was filming into the morning sun and it really came out crappy. good luck to all the dog

Supposedly u can find out if u drew New Mexico someway online. I think I'll jut wait fro the BAD news via email

CONGRATS!!!!! OK, I look and I see an "Eastern". How do you tell them apart? What am I missing? Thanks. good luck to all the dog

points applied for

nice

Congrats!!!! Quite the gobbler killer.

Seems to be little interest. Contest has been gettin' smaller and smaller every year. Anyway those "Wisconsin guys" always get the big birds. Good luck.

A few years back I started taking a week off and heading west to hunt Nebraska/South Dakota/Wyoming. Every year has been a great experience in hunting and meeting up with friends that I have made. This years trip is a month away and I'm gettin' excited. I've decided to drop South Dakota and add Kansas for a change of scenery. I'll hunt northern Kansas the first few days then head to Nebraska. I'll be knocking on doors in Kansas to find birds and land (which I don't mind). Hope that you all have a great season.

Later season for me. First a little Iowa, then off on a road trip... Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota & Wyoming. Always a good time.

ditto

Hoping to be there the first weekend in May

Application in for FALL bear hunt of 2015 in Alaska. Struck out last year on the FALL hunt... maybe this year

Archery deer season has been very slow... all the small bucks walk by me and the big shooters just stay away. Being frustrated I decided to go for turkeys. There has ben a group of 50 birds feeding every morning in a picked cornfield. Went out Sunday morning at 5 am. 50 degrees and a light mist falling. 3 weeks ago I had set up a blind across the field from the roost area with the hope of hunting these birds someday. They flew down at 7 AM I called and they just wandered around for 2 1/2 hours, feeding in the field. Finally the came to within 100 yards and just stayed there for 20 minutes. Soon some hens began clucking very loudly so I got aggressive with the call. They slowly fed towards my blind. All of a sudden 15 came running into the DSD decoy field. Some really nice hens, however, I noticed 50 yards away a nice tom was heading in and I waited for him. Shot him at 25 yards. 24.5 lbs. 11 1/4 inch beard and 1 1/4 spurs. By far my biggest fall bird. I usually shoot the first thing that walks by in the fall as I am a meat hunter in the fall. good luck to all the dog