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(05/26/2008)

Memorial Day comes.

My last day in the Blind of my chosen spot. My faith in my choice is beginning to wane. My faith in my calling is shaken. Why have the turkeys forsaken me? Have I not bought all the right equipment? Have I not practiced my clucks, purrs, peas-peas, and playful hen series? Have I not watched all the Turkey Season run up shows on TV?

I awake at 3:30a, strangely energetic. I can FEEL today is going to be different. I go through the routine more quickly than normal and find myself heading out the door well in advance of my normal time. I walk through the woods to the field and begin crossing. Immediately a skunk decides to greet me. She plays the role of Rhino and charges me before retreating. It is almost like I am in Africa, except instead of the risk of a trampling, I'ld have to endure going to work smelling of 'nature'. We play that game for a bit as I try holding my ground while trying to act like anything other than a predator. It takes me a good 10 minutes extra to get around the lovely lady skunk and finally she decides I am no risk to her and she melts into the field headed into the other direction.

I settle into my blind, and I wait. Today I will be patient. More patient than before. Active calling has not brought the Toms out, so today I will be coy. Today I will be the reluctant hen.... shy even. As light breaks I start off with locator clucks. There is a gobble far off. I wait. I am shy. I am..... waiting. Every 15 minutes or so I put out a soft series of locator calls, switching between my GS Slate and the GS mini-box. After an hour I do one hard series. Each hard series, I find the gobbling response it closer, but slowly.

Around 8:00am I see the Tom. This time he has come in towards the top of the field. He stands with his neck stretched high. He calls out to the hen, "Come to me he says. See how magnificent I am." I ignore his advances. Slowly he moved along the woodline down in my direction. Then suddenly a neighbor starts his tractor and the Tom is spooked. He runs half way down the field and leaps into the woods. NNNNOOOOOOO!!!! My head slumps. My day, is it over? I raise my head and resume my series. Doing the same things that brought him into sight before.

9:00a comes and my wife text msg's me. The kids are getting a bit crazy and more moody than usual. How long will I be?
I answer back that I will give it until 10am and then head back through the woods, probably back to the house around 11a.
At 9:30a I've started to clean up the blind of snack bar wrappers and Diet Dew when it happens. A gobble EXPLODES behind the blind!
I lean back and move the flap on one of the windows on the blind. The Tom is about 20 yards away staring down the decoy. My heart takes off! I lean forward and start the camera, and I assume the kneeling stance ready for the Tom to clear the closed windows of the blind and come into my shooting lane. Ten minutes go by and nothing. Fifteen minutes. I lean back and look again to find the Tom in full strut. He is not going to commit.

My heart sinks for a minute and I make my decision. I have to give up on the hopes of filming the shot and work for the Tag Out.
I turn myself in the blind and peek out of the window flap. I have to lower the window in the back of the blind and take my shot. No easy task, but I am lucky that the Eastman Blind uses magnets to hold up the windows and the window facing the Tom does not have the velcro screening up.

I shift the bow to my right hand where I hold the bow upright by the Cam. I reach out and put my left hand on the left corner of the window. Peeking through the gap, I wait. As the Tom dances and prances I wait for my moment. The tom circles slowly, and the moment he covers his vision with his fan, I pull the left corner of the blind window. The Tom turns fast thinking he is hearing the hen rustle. I FREEZE! The tom is unsure why the hen is not coming in, so he puffs some more and continues his dance. He circles yet again after about 4 minutes and I pull the right side. He spins quickly and I FREEZE! My heart is pounding and my throat is dry. I am still partially hidden, as the center of the window is held up by a hook and loop. I slide my hand slowly up and grasp the clasp in my fingers and thumb. Turkey tom spins yet again and I flick the hooks, don't ask where that skill comes from please, and pull the window half the way down. I FREEZE! Now the turkey notices the blind looks different and is more wary. But, the wind is blowing gently and it is causing the decoy to move. He becomes distracted again and concentrates on the Hen. Another 4-5 minutes go by, and it seems like hours. Finally he turns his fan again and I get the window all the way down! My breathing is haggard, and my hands are shaking. I can not believe he has not spooked. I can not believe I am still in there.

So the window is all the way down, but the bow is not in my hands and my mask is down. MY MASK IS DOWN??!?! Crap. In the excitement I forgot to put my mask up and my pasty wife Northeastern mug is shining bright and I am silhouetted in an open window with another open window directly behind me. I am frozen. I am a tree. I am relying on my Mossy Oak clothes and hat to convince this Tom at 20 yards that I am nothing more than a big mound of vegetation. He turned and fans. I my mask up AND my hands on my bow, but the bow only half way up when he peers over his shoulder.

Now he is a noticing something is not quite right. While strutting he moved to the other side of the tree, moving behind the tree as he goes. As he moved behind the tree, I come to full draw! He steps out, one step... two steps. I hold a slight bit high and release. THUMP! The NAP Spitfires, launched from the PSE Diablo hits its mark and the turkey drops in his tracks. He shudders twice as I burst out of the blind and perform the Coup de grâce. It has been over 40 minutes of blood pumping action. Alternating between moments if extremely fast movements and minutes frozen in the form of a tree. It has been the most exciting Spring hunt yet for me.

It has taken me many a morning (can only hunt to Noon here in Maine), and was my last day in this spot. I was taken out of my game plan, missed my video, and shot out of a window that started off closed and ended up being the direction of my success. I can't say enough about what it means to keep at it. To keep going out, to keep trying different techniques. To be aware and to never consider the day done until your time is up.

Special thanks goes out to my brother who tagged out on a Jake earlier and forced me to keep trying. To Mossy Oak for letting me sit within 20yards of turkey and not cause him to run, and to Tracy at GS Calls for his awesome Slate and Mini Box Call. Lastly, thanks to PSE for making a GREAT bow in the Diablo. It just keeps on doing its job, chance after chance.

The Shot:

The View from the Field:

(05/26/2008)

Tagged out today. Click Here for the Full Story

In the field. Turkey was taken under that pine in the background.

PSE Diablo, VBG Triangle (awesome sight), Xweave 200s, Blazers, NIP Spitfire.

Click on the pictures to see the full size super picture.

Picture below is my bow, PSE Diablo, and the calls I used. GS Mini Box Call and Slate.

16lbs, 9" Beard, no spurs

Another pose, this time in the backyard.

(05/16/2008)

Some Videos recorded by my brother of Dad calling last week. Dad is using
a GS Slate Call and a GS 3.5" Mini Box Call

The second even shows a RARE miss by our Dad.

 

 

(05/16/2008)

Benchmade 722SBT, my first high end production knife.

(05/05/2008)

Finally got a chance to upload 2008 Turkey Opening Day. Used G&S Calls.

(05/05/2008)

Kershaw Blur in S60V Stone-Wash. Only 10 Sold via Retail.

Mine was won on Bladeforums as part of a contest.

(05/05/2008)

(05/01/2008)

(04/20/2008)

Uploaded some pictures of my Kershaw Chive: Kershaw Chive on Wood

(04/13/2008)

(04/13/2008)

Finally got some time outdoors in the daylight and no kids running around.

(04/13/2008)

Uploaded some pictures and description of starting up this seasons archery.

(04/07/2008)

Received my Downeast Knife Companion the other day and am loving it. It is SO SHARP it is crazy. Hair popping sharp. The family have been hitting their pillows so early right now that I figured I would try and make something of my evenings. I've started trying to figure out how to take some knife pictures. It is difficult without natural lighting and/or light diffusers. Here are my first tries. Right now I am just practicing angles and getting the size of the 'window' I need to try and cover for the background.

 

(03/12/2008)

Went to Old Town Archery Today. Remember them from when I bought my bow in 2006?

Towards the end of last season my draw seemed to be longer. I figured it was string stretch over time and that I needed new strings. Bob check the bow over, had me draw it, and checked the timing. He gave the strings another year, gave a not of approval on the contact points, but declared the timing off.

The timing being off was what was making my wall feel 'mushy'. So, he had Chad (?) reset the timing, serve where my MeanV CSS contacts the string, and rechecked me.
Good to go.

I really appreciate the honesty. He COULD have just agreed that I needed strings and sold me some and took my money. I would not have argued or known otherwise. While I can do most things, I don't have a press or enough experience with strings to know any better.

Kudos again to Old Town Archery Shop and to Bob for superior service.

 

(02/17/2008)

I'm giving the website a complete overhaul. Please be patient with it. I know I said a month ago I would start it. The old site had so much stuff organized so badly, it has taken me a couple weeks just honing down on content.
Archery section complete. Hunting section complete (except knives page).
History Archive is done.

In the mean time, check out the prototypes of the DKC Companion.

Protect and Serve		Old Glory
Deer Hunter	Old Glory	U.S.M.C. Semper Fidelis

 

(02/11/2008)

Sometimes it is the small things in life. My new work cell phone accepts MP3s. I had the motorola phone tools laying around from about 4 years ago. Loaded it, spend 45 minutes running it through updates. VIOLA! Now I can custom make Ringtones. RJ pointed me to a WMA to MP3 converter and I am off and creating music for my phone.
Wheeee!!!!

(01/19/2008)

After working on the first two knife websites (http://tanguaycustomknives.com) (http://coombshandmade.com), I started to feel ashamed of my own site. I'm working on a rebuild that should be opened in February.

I completed (mostly) the third knife website. This one is looking very good. I also put up a CART on this one. Stop by and check it out. A quote from their site:

" Downeast Maine is the name given to the mid-coast region of our state, the area where we live, and where our company will be located. Like the people of this region, our knives will be simple, hardworking, tough, and practical. Gimmicks don't cut it around here where the majority of the people struggle to make their living on the water, in the woods, in the paper and lumber mills, or in the potato and blueberry fields. We are building knives that will feel equally at home on the belt of a lobsterman, a Registered Maine Guide, a woodcutter, a game warden, the kid next door who just got deployed to Iraq, or the average guy during deer or moose season.

Based on that Maine heritage and work ethic, we have started with the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to own a 100% American Made custom knife at an affordable price. Towards that goal, we have sought out and are collaborating with some of the best Maine Craftsman and a number of Nationally known knife Artisans to bring you our first offering."

(12/29/2007)

Another Year.
Andrew is 1 and amazing.
Samantha is 5 and smart as a whip.
Mandy is doing fine.

Happy New Year All!

(12/08/2007)

Proud to be supporting Maine craftsman and artisans.
- Tanguay Custom Knives
- Coombs Handmade Custom Knives