Killed one this morning... revenge is sweet!!

[lokidog]

... one expensive point and shoot camera, that is...and a broadhead, and tripod ...   

I was all set up at a friends place, the turkeys have been rolling through her pasture like clockwork.  I had a tripod with my X-bow and my camera on another one next to it, but slightly behind.  As I set up this morning, I had four toms gobling from less than a hundred yards away and hens yelping and talking to each other.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon/evening target shooting and had it dialed in out to 30 yards, though I figured 15 was more likely.  Shortly after they flew down, they showed up on the cat road leading to the pasture.  They milled and strutted at 30 yards, then turned and quickly headed my way.  Suddenly they turned toward the pasture without stopping at 17 yards like they were supposed to.  As they passed at 15 yards, I swung my bow to the left, clucked and squeezed the trigger -- BANG! Way louder than the usual, even for this cheap crossbow.  The turkeys ran through and over the fence and milled around.  Then, I noticed my camera was missing, but most of the tripod was still there.  I cocked the X-bow and loaded another bolt but could not get a clear shot through the fence.

When I swung to my left, my flexed limb came back behind the camera.  At the shot, it hit the camera so hard that the top of the tripod actually busted off.  The camera was still recording so I was interested in seeing what this debacle looked like.  Unfortuantely, when I stoppped the recording, it did not properly save to the SD card and now the camera won't autofocus and won't even turn on most of the time.   Of course the broadhead deflected and hit a rock, busting it up also.   

I may try for some revenge this evening since I know where they will pass to go to their roost. 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Better luck this evening!

[Gobble Doc]

Wow, I'm not the only one with these kind of events.  Looking forward to the ending of the story and a picture.  Good luck. 

[stickbuck]

Crazy!! Sounds like an eventful hunt so far. In regards to your camera not focusing, take your battery off briefly and when you put it back on the auto focus should work again. I've had this happen numerous times with my video camera and it has corrected the problem each time. Good luck!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BOWHUNTER45]

That's a good one  except for the camera !

[lokidog]

Crazy!! Sounds like an eventful hunt so far. In regards to your camera not focusing, take your battery off briefly and when you put it back on the auto focus should work again. I've had this happen numerous times with my video camera and it has corrected the problem each time. Good luck!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unfortunately, not working.   

[lokidog]

So, I boogied back over there this afternoon.  The first photo was taken yesterday at about 3:30.

I got to the friends' driveway at about 3:40 and listened for turkey sounds.  I didn't hear anything or see them like yesterday so I worked my way around their lot toward where I was this morning.  As I stepped past the chicken coop, I spotted a hen in the fenced pasture at about 15 yards.  They did not seem to notice me so I dropped to my knees to try to figure out what to do.  I could see the tom strutting around the four hens but had no shot through the fence.  I decided to back out and head around the edge of the property to get between them and where they head to roost just onto the neighbor's property.  As I started to slide back, one of the hens spotted me and putted.  Fortunately, the others were picking at horse poop and the tom just had his eye on the girls so I was able to back out.

I circled around, about 30 yards away on a trail through the brush.  As I came back to the cat road, I got busted by two or three red-headed gobblers and a couple of hens about 40 yards away.  I stepped behind a large tree and moved back where an old truck would screen me.  As I moved around the truck to set up on the trail for the lone tom and hens, I saw a rock to sit on behind a small berm.  While trying to set up, I suddenly spotted one of the hens at about 15 yards eyeballing me through the brush, she turned back, grrrr.  Not having time to mess with my tripod, I got a good rest on my knees with the Xbow just as she came out at about 20 yards heading toward the other group of turkeys.  The other hens followed her with the tom trailing.  As he stepped up, I lined up the crosshair and squeezed off the shot, he jumped forward and tried flying but I had taken out his legs by hitting lung and spine so I ran him down.

A few more photos.

[Cap.Silver]

Congrats Ed . at least you got him .....

[HUNTaHOLIC5]

Nicely done! Great picture on the boat 

[Skillet]

 

[bowhunterforever]

Congrats

[Todd_ID]

Thumbs up is right. Good job!  Cameras are a pain. I had a 30 minute video of me calling in and then subsequently missing at 40 yards what would have been a new archery state record bull elk in Idaho. Three days later the camera rattled off the tripod on the front rack of my 4 wheeler, and my buddy ran it over with his 4 wheeler relegating the footage into my fading memory.

[Gobble Doc]

 

Great!  That was an interesting story.  Glad you prevailed and didn't get too busted with a bunch of putts.  Was it hard to find the bolt after the shot?  And, what kind of broadhead is on that kind of thing? 

[elkboy]

Way to stick with it, even after major camera damage!  Congratulations on a nice turkey (and with a crossbow!).

[lokidog]

Great!  That was an interesting story.  Glad you prevailed and didn't get too busted with a bunch of putts.  Was it hard to find the bolt after the shot?  And, what kind of broadhead is on that kind of thing?

I did not find the bolt, yet... I'll go back with a metal detector.  I was hoping to wait until he was in front of a tree, but he looked like he was going to bolt a foot and a half early so I fired.  I took off some primarys so think he lifted his wing just as I fired.  I was using some old Wasp Boss SSTs (100 gr) that I still had some fresh blades for.

[Gobble Doc]

Cool.  So, do you think the bolt flew straight into some brush after some parallel flight with the ground for awhile or do you think it buried into the ground at an angle relatively close to the turkey?  I only wonder because I'm amazed at how difficult it is to find regular arrows when I practice and miss and they hit in the yard and just skim below the surface of the "lawn".  My kid puts on his moccasins and can walk across the yard and find them.  I looked for my last arrow for 20 minutes before giving up and he went out and found it in 5 minutes and he wasn't even around when I shot and lost the arrow.  Just curious about bolt vs arrow recovery.  Anyway, cool story with the boat and all. 

[mossy8352]

Nice pictures and great story on your hunt, congratulations!

[BOWHUNTER45]

Good job ! Happy to know there are still a few around there !

[lokidog]

Good job ! Happy to know there are still a few around there !

Turkeys or WASP users...?     

[BOWHUNTER45]

Good job ! Happy to know there are still a few around there !

Turkeys or WASP users...?     

Both 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Good hunt! Very unique to use a boat for access and in the salt!

[Machias]

Congrats!!

[Special T]

 

[lokidog]

Good hunt! Very unique to use a boat for access and in the salt!

I have to use a boat to access, well, um, just about everything.....     I do have a car on Lopez though. 

I wonder if any other turkeys have been shot with a crossbow yet?  Could this be the first legal one in the state?  That would be kind of cool!  Likely the first in area P40 since there were only 10 reported in 2012 and 2013.   

[Boss .300 winmag]

Nice job Loki! 

That's my kinda turkey hunting, cheap. 

[cjjcb]

Nice work, man!!

[scudmaster]

Nicely done...equipment can be expensive with you😁😁😁

[one more]

       A couple boat rides and  turkey hunts and a big bird,  that's the good life!
Diane

[lokidog]

Thanks y'all.  He was 17 1/2 pounds but only a 3 1/2 inch beard and quarter inch spurs.  The way he was spitting and drumming, I sure thought he was an older bird. 

BTW I completely severed his spine just in front of his hips.

[emac]

Good hunt! Very unique to use a boat for access and in the salt!

I have to use a boat to access, well, um, just about everything.....     I do have a car on Lopez though. 

I wonder if any other turkeys have been shot with a crossbow yet?  Could this be the first legal one in the state?  That would be kind of cool!  Likely the first in area P40 since there were only 10 reported in 2012 and 2013.   

Well probably not the first turkey killed in the state with an xbow.  Remember people with disabilities can get an xbow permit if the qualified before the rule change. And they could use them to hunt turkeys. So I am sure it has been done before. What kinda xbow is that. And xbows burry the bolts they can be extremely hard to find. And why were you only comfortable shooting at 15 yards with that thing

[lokidog]

I had no issues with shooting to 30 yards.  I was hitting at 40, but when I set up my camera on the target, there was definitely a delay from hearing the shot to the bolt hitting the target so I would not shoot at game that far away.

I hadn't thought about the disabled folks.

Barnett Jackal, good price, but not top of the line.  150 pound draw, but I can still cock it w/o a device if needed.

[emac]

I got a stryker 380.  I feel comfortable out to 100 yards with it. But that has come with a lot of practice. I have missed a couple turkeys the last couple years with it. One at 40 and one at 60. Both were my fault ranging. I ranges at 30 and 50 both times I picked up a branch and grass short of my target so I was low. Congrats on the bird with the xbow had to of been a great feeling. I will be out in two weeks seeking redemption

[carpsniperg2]

Congrats