Bowhunting Turkey: What I Use

As Turkey Season is approaching thought I would make an inventory of the gear I use to bow hunt turkey:

1. Bow - Mathews Switchback XT

While this model is a few years old and is no longer in production, it still gets the jay-oh-bee done!!!

2. Camo - Realtree AP

There are other good choices, and to me it is a matter of personal preference, but this is my camo of choice

3. Blind - Primos Vision GroundMax Blind

For the money, this is a great blind.  It comfortable for two hunters and offers 360 deg. field of view (Though I have never opened all the way to avoid silhouetting).

4. Calls - Friction: Primos Jackpot

 Has great tones and brings em in!
 
        Gobbler: Primos "Shaker Call"

Get more struttin Toms with this little beauty!

5.  Decoys - Primos B-Mobile

Have had several big Toms go to sparring with this thing!

6.  Arrows/Broadheads - I use Beman Team Realtree MFX with Blazer vanes and NAP Spitfire Gobbler Getter Broadheads

The FMJ-like tip provides maximum shock inducing power while the expandable 3 three design offers 1 1/2" cutting diameter....THWACK!!!

6. Rangefinder - Bushnell Scout 1000 A.R.C Laser Rangefinder (Realtree AP)

Works great, particularly from a treestand as it has Angle Range Compensation (A.R.C.) built in.

Well those are a few of the things I use to be successful in the turkey woods.  What do you use?

Death Shimmer: Why I Can't Wait to Hit the Water

Some time ago my buddy Jason Baggett tweeted about a new spinner bait known as Death Shimmer.  As one who loves to fish, I marveled at the innovation of this particular spinner and knew I wanted some.  So I asked him if they were available at Bass Pro or Cabelas.  He told me they were made by Law Lures and were not yet available at the big outdoor stores, but got me in contact with the owner Rich Lau.  Needless to say I am the proud owner of three Death Shimmer spinner baits, two pictured here:

I have yet had the opportunity to hit the water and give these bad boys a proper breaking in, but in a couple of  weeks my mom and dad will be coming in from Dallas, and the one thing dad wants to do every time he comes, have me take him fishing (he never gets too living in the concrete jungle).  So T-minus 17 days and counting till death hits the waters of SW Oklahoma.  So excited, can't wait, and what a blessing it will be to have my dad along with me!

P.S. Special Thanks to Rich Lau, God bless you brother!!!

Why the 2012 Turkey Season will be the BEST EVER!

Okay, so by the title one might think that I might have some inside information about turkey quantities, movements, habits, etc., or some scouting secrets to get you onto more birds.  The truth of the matter is, for me this season has nothing to do with the turkey themselves, but rather the hunt, and more specifically whom I get to hunt with.  This season, I will have the opportunity and privilege of taking my 8 yr old son Joshua out for his first Oklahoma Turkey Season.  As a father of two boys, I have been looking forward to this moment since they were born:
 
1.  The opportunity to pass down to my sons the joy, knowledge, and responsibility of hunting and the outdoor life. 

2.  To pass along the appreciation of God's wonderful creation of nature and wildlife, and our call to have dominion and stewardship over it. 

3.  The blessing of spending quality time with my sons and teach them how to hunt, both ethically and for success.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it outlines a few of my reasons why, for me, the 2012 Turkey Season will be the BEST EVER!!!

2011 Oklahoma Hunting Season

Well unfortunately I didn't make it into the deer woods very much this season, in fact only twice.  But on both occasions (both during bow season) I saw plenty of deer, and managed to put some venison in the freezer.  On both trips to the stand I had shooting opportunities.  This first night, I had a group of does come out onto the food source.  I watched them for a while, and waited for "big daddy". Since he, a nice tall, thick 10 pt., who stayed back behind me about 80 yards off and never came out, I decided to take one of the does.  She had come out to 40 yards, and was slightly quartering away when THWACK! A nice young doe on the ground and wonderful venison in the freezer for my family.

 Taken with my Mathews Switchback XT (yes I know it is an older bow, but it's still SMOOTH):

The next night the same opportunity presented itself and I decided to pass.  So though my deer hunting was limited, I had a success rate of 1/1 in arrows released to deer taken, saw plenty of wildlife (which for me is one of the most enjoyable parts), and got to be in the Lord's marvelous creation.  No trophies taken, not a lot of days spent on stand, but in my book a blessed and enjoyable 2011 Oklahoma Deer Hunting Season!