New year brings new memories! UPDATED 5/7

[Karl Blanchard]

Little late on posting this, sorry guys.  As most of you know, my spring last year is what you would call "rough".  With Aaron's death and everything that followed I only got to turkey hunt 3 days last year and ended up with all tags going unfilled.  With a new season and a rejuvenated drive and refreshed spirit to be back in the woods, I am very excited about this season!

 First hunt of this year year was my two youth deer hunters from the previous fall.  I love these boys!  They will walk to hell and back and never complain once!  They are twins but couldn't be more opposite.  One is laid back and reserved and the other is high strung and very "excitable".

 Over the course of two days we covered 17 miles and heard from 8 different toms.  They were henned up bad but we still managed to work some birds in but just not quite into gun range.  The morning of the second day we had a bird play the part just perfect!  He came on a string gobbling the whole way!  Gobbled 11 times inside 80 yards and finally strutted up and stopped at 35 yards where Camden proceeded to drop the hammer on him!  I was amazed that a Jake would act so dominant in an area with so many birds.

With one bird down we continued on to try and find a bird for Blake.  We got caught with our pants down by 3 hens and a pair of strutters in the middle of an old skid road.  We dove into the ditch and set up best we could.  It took some calling but I finally got one of the hens ticked enough and here they come!  With the hens at 40 and the two toms at about 60, I figured this was a done deal when out of the corner of my eye I see the shotgun slip on Blake's knee a little!  The lead hen caught the movement and it was all over.  They bugged out and left us sitting there heart broken.  It was not an ideal location to sit and he just couldn't hold that big shotgun up any longer.

It was a killer weekend with lots of laughs and gobbling action!  My favorite part though is to continue to watch the brotherly bond between these two boys grow through every hunt they share.

[Karl Blanchard]

Another goal for this year is to get either of those boys to crack a smile for a picture   Tough guys!

[Jason]

Great Story and awesome bird, Congrats on the harvest to the young man!

[WaltAlpine]

 

[PA BEN]

 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Sweeeet ... I can feel it in the air .. good job 

[3nails]

 I really don't think it gets any better than hunting with youth. That's livin the dream right there!

[JKEEN33]

 

[jackelope]

 Good stuff, Karl. Thanks for sharing.

[kevinlisa06]

Good luck to ya this season! Congrats to the young hunter!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[turkeydancer]

    Very cool BLRMAN !

[Karl Blanchard]

So I wasn't able to make it out on the opener but got out over the weekend.  Left the truck about 0530 and just started riding.  I wanted to get some distance from the rest of the crowd.  I stopped at the top of a grade where I like to listen for morning gobbles and had a bird sound of before I could even catch my breath.  He hammered pretty good off the roost but pitched down in the opposite direction.  I made one move on him and set up again.  He was in his strut zone and not wanting to move but after some convincing he came on a run!  At about 40 yds he started to strut,  when he got to 20 I let him spin and show off a little before I rolled him!  Fantastic morning.  A few hrs later I worked a group of Jakes into the gun but let them walk.

One of the other guys in camp also killed a bird.  I had to leave Sunday mid morning to get home for easter but not long after I left I got a picture text from my buddy of a dead turkey, so it was a three for three weekend.  Good food and good friends, makes for a great weekend!

[Gobble Doc]

Great stories and birds. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Thank you all for the kind words.

[Deer slayer]

When are you headed back down?

[bowhunterforever]

Nice job, congrats

[Karl Blanchard]

Well last weekend was a bit on the windy side, but we managed another bird.  This particular group of birds I have dubbed Mr. Happy and the gang due to all the gobbling they do from across a giant drainage I hunt.  A few years ago I found a way to get over to them but it involves a 5 mile forced march up the same ridge line they are on.  In the three years I have hunted these birds I have never struck a bird in that 5 mile stretch so I just start early, put my head down and go.  I'm sure there are birds in there but I don't mess with birds I don't hear.

So we get up to where Mr. Happy and his gang hang out and the wind is already starting to howl.  We hear a gobble on the wind and figure he is close since we actually can hear him.  We set up, give some loud cuts and he fires off again!  We cut hard again and then go quiet!  I don't ever set up in big meadows or clearings as they seem to just hang birds up but on this bird we really didn't have an option.  He strutted and gobbled his way through 200yds of green meadow before he stopped at 25yds right down the barrel of my buddies shotgun!  What a great show!  This was a very old bird!  For a mountain merriams he had unbelievable spurs!  Could even be the original Mr. Happy with as much as he gobbled!  Never struck a bird the rest of the weekend though.

[Karl Blanchard]

Yesterday at work, I buggered up my ankle and looks like I partially blew out my Achilles!  In a boot for now,  rest of my turkey season is not looking good!  Anybody have some yard birds I can call in!?!!

[Gobble Doc]

Good job getting the bird. Sorry to hear about the ankle.   Dang.  I have  not gotten a bird yet this year but I'm glad others are.  I did call one in for my so  so that was fun.  Hope you find a yard bird.

[Limhangerslayer]

Yesterday at work, I buggered up my ankle and looks like I partially blew out my Achilles!  In a boot for now,  rest of my turkey season is not looking good!  Anybody have some yard birds I can call in!?!!

Oh those are your legs,I thought you were trying to show the spurs on the turkey's legs! Nice work on the tom.

[Karl Blanchard]

Yesterday at work, I buggered up my ankle and looks like I partially blew out my Achilles!  In a boot for now,  rest of my turkey season is not looking good!  Anybody have some yard birds I can call in!?!!

Oh those are your legs,I thought you were trying to show the spurs on the turkey's legs! Nice work on the tom.

Just trying to bring sexy back buddy!

[coachcw]

Ecofico

[Karl Blanchard]

Ecofico

I'm up to four pairs now!  My wife hate/loves you!

[turkeydancer]

 :yike:Sorry about the ankle, but nice birds  ....

[pianoman9701]

Sorry about the foot, Karl. Nice job on the birds and the kids' smiles.

[Karl Blanchard]

Thanks guys!  Had another doctors appointment today and it sounds like the rest of my season is most likely doomed    I can hobble around in the boot o.k. but running and gunning in the mountains is pretty much out of the question.