# My 2016 Turkey hunt!** Video ADDED**



## longbowdave1 (May 10, 2016)

Well, practice is over, and the hunt is on tomorrow. Nothing on the menu for the next 5 days except hunting turkeys with the Stickbow! I head out at 3:30 am for the turkey woods, and can't wait. Got a mixed bag of weather with wind and maybe some rain, but nothing I can't handle.

 My first trad hunt in almost two years, makes it even better! I'm just going to relax, listen and enjoy every minute of the hunt.

 By Sunday I will have stories to tell, maybe good, maybe bad. If I even get a shot at a Jake or Tom, that will be great. I hope to get some video of the hunt.


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## sawtooth (May 10, 2016)

0330!!!!! Man you might as well not even go to sleep!!! Good luck I hope you thump one.


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## jerry russell (May 11, 2016)

Glad you are back at it.


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## dm/wolfskin (May 11, 2016)

Good luck.


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## Barebowyer (May 11, 2016)

Get on 'em Dave.  Shoot straight and share the experience with us!!


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## Al33 (May 11, 2016)

Hoping the best for you Dave and that we will see some hero pics soon. Good luck!!!


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## longbowdave1 (May 12, 2016)

Thanks gentlemen for the well wishes. Had a fun day yesterday. Rain last night, foggy and quiet this morning. Details to follow.         Truley a gift from the man upstairs to be able to hunt with the longbow again no matter what the outcome of the hunt!


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## longbowdave1 (May 13, 2016)

Great hunting yesterday. Lot of birds and gobbling. Even got a shot..... More later.   Deer, hens, and gobbling already this morning. Should have some good video..


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## 2wheelfoster (May 13, 2016)

Good Luck Dave....Keep us posted!


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## rehatch (May 13, 2016)

Good Luck Dave!!! Can't wait to hear the stories and see the video! Hoping everything comes together well for ya!


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## longbowdave1 (May 13, 2016)

Thanks guys! Just started to rain, supposed to rain til 8:00pm, then dry and cold the rest of hunt. Lows in mid 30's. My son and brother just arrived with the scatter guns. Longbow vs shotgun times two. I'm up by cut cornfield, maybe turks will hit the field to dry themselves later.......


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## longbowdave1 (May 14, 2016)

Got rained out last night. Cold a and very windy this morning, 38 degrees and 20 to 30 mph winds. Score update, shotguns1, longbow zero.....


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## longbowdave1 (May 15, 2016)

I have returned from the hunt.  I was a great 5 days of hunting.The first morning, I had Toms gobbling while I was enroute to my blind on the far north end of the property. I did my best to sneak to the blind with my longbow, backpack, and a bag of decoys, without getting busted by the agitated gobbler. I'm trying to get all set up while he is gobbling his head off somewhere in a tree near by. Exciting way to start the hunt!

There was non-stop gobbling all around me for the next 45 minutes, but I could not get them to show themselves. A few times, I would shake my Primos box call to simulate a gobble, and they would go nuts with thundering gobbles echoing of the sheer rock ledge that I was my back drop. I heard a few "fly downs" around me, but couldn't lay eyes on them. I had some hens wander in to camera view, and a few jakes as well.

In one particular case, I was filming some  hens coming in, and had two jakes come from the left off camera. I couldn't swing my camera far enough to the left to film them, but I get my first shot, I'm guessing about 18 yards or so. I don't think I could have come closer without hitting his head even if I tried. The Bullhead buried in a brush pile and sheered of all three blades on the crash landing with a lot of racket! That my friends, was exciting!

 I saw a few Toms quietly walk thru, but not close enough to get a shot, at or even on camera. Jakes and hens were much more common to spot for the next two days.

 Friday afternoon, as well as Saturday morning, my son Mike, and brother Tim were along with the shotguns. I gave up my honey hole to them for the short time they were there to hunt. Some would say this is crazy, but I wanted them to see the show I was so lucky to see the last few days. Friday evening was a wash out with rain, none of us had much luck. Saturday morning at sunrise, they where both down in the honey hole on the far north end, and I was on top along a cornfield on the far south end. I heard two shots ring out at 6:30am sharp. At the exactly the same moment, My son had the bead on the nice mature Tom, while my brother had 4 Jakes in front of him. Tim shot twice to knock down the Jake, scaring off the Tom in front of Mike, leaving him with the bead of a shotgun aimed at a now empty log. They had to leave for work, and it was back to longbow woods for me.

 Saturday evening I had a few hens walk by my blind, and then silently, four Jakes walked by out of bow range. Moments later, I had a hen come in, putt, putt, putt, putting all the way. She made the 4 Jakes do an about face, and head back my way. I readied for a shot at one of them. I had a quick moment to decide which one would present the best shot, with the position of the open windows of the blind, and the mixture of trees between us. I took a shot from an awkward position, and suspect I was lacking proper bow form.The arrow was a bit left and clipped a sapling, breaking one blade off the bullhead. I heard the jake laugh at me, and continue to follow his potential new girlfriend.


 Sunday morning was 30 degrees and calm. I heard a lone gobble at 5:20 am, and it was the last turkey I heard or saw for this trip. Perhaps I had worn out my  welcome  with the turkeys...... Time to pack up the blinds, and head back to the Jeep.



 Five consecutive days of hunting was over. More than 50 hours in the blinds. Temperatures ranged from 70 to 30 degrees. Winds from dead calm at times, to gusts up to 35 others. Sun, clouds, fog, rain, and even a brief snow flurry Saturday morning. The weather was constantly changing.


After all this, I learned that I still suck at hunting turkeys with a longbow..... Even though, it was an outstanding hunt, and I did get two shots with the longbow at a wild turkey! With a shotgun I would have been done the first morning, but being done was not what it was about for me.

 I got some good video, and will post it when I get it put together.

Thanks for following along on my adventure!


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## longbowdave1 (May 16, 2016)

Here are a few of the scouting photos I thought you might like...... Still got video to put together when I get a chance.


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## longbowdave1 (May 17, 2016)

I put the video together tonight, hard to turn 50 hours of hunting into a 10 minute video. Turn up the sound and enjoy the hunt. Lots of gobbling and yelping by the birds, not much talking.

Enjoy......


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## Barebowyer (May 17, 2016)

Well done Dave.  Enjoyed the video.  Good times!! Thanks for sharing.


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## longbowdave1 (May 18, 2016)

Thank you sir. It was a fun hunt, and great mini vacation from work!


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## Poynor (Jun 3, 2016)

enjoyed the video brother !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11


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## longbowdave1 (Jun 4, 2016)

Glad you liked it, sure was a lot of gobbling on that trip.


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