Kyles Turkey! It's a Limb Hanger!

Hey Kevin,

These are pictures are from a co-workers son's gobble. Tony, his dad is an ardent turkey hunter who is active with the National Wild Turkey Federation. He also makes custom made turkey calls made from the wing bones of the wild turkeys he shoots.

This is the big gobbler Kyle shot Saturday, 5/19/07, first light at about 40 yards. Kyle's bird weighed just over 20 pounds, had a 10 1/2" beard, and 1 3/8" spurs.

Dennis

Kyle & Tony,

A Family that hunts together, stays together! You both have something great to be proud of!

OHIO!

I am in Ohio this week so I thought I would pull up some pictures of some great Ohio deer and Turkey. I need to get out here and start hunting the midwest. WOW what a great set of pictures. Take a look at the Ohio Division of Wildlife page and look at those galleries and you too will want to get to Ohio and get in some great hunting!

Saturday Turkey Hunting

Saturday morning found me up at 4:30 am headed to Quantico to get an archery pass for Camp Upshur in unit 17. I got the pass and headed out and was told I could only park in one of 3 parking areas. The first area was right along the river and I wanted to set the blind up along a field so I passed on that. The other two area according to the map were in areas where there were tons of Marines running around in field training. I decided that the Turkeys were not going to be very cooperative to all of these training marines so I drove back, handed in my pass and called it a day. I had a little girls soccer game to attend at noon and some things are more important then turkey hunting, although not very many!

Will be back at it again next Friday and will see how it goes!

Where are the gobblers?

Well the beard on my face is getting thicker and the lack of gobbles in the woods has me perplexed. I walked all over 6C in Quantico and I never heard a bird gobble. For turkey season, getting an archery pass to hunt is very very easy! Those who were looking for shotgun areas were running out of good places to go!

This was my first attempts at hunting out of a blind and I am already learning a couple of lessons. First of all this blind is about 15 lbs and with my tripod, my video camera some turkey calls, my Mathews Switchback and a cold soda I hit the woods before dark and set about a third of a mile from the truck. Not a single gobble. I hung out and called sparingly and then aggressively and nothing! I headed out of the woods to hit the other side of 6C and found the edge of a trout stream and some steeper hills. I climbed up one and set up on the top of a hill and did some more calling until 11:15 and backed off the mountain. I stopped by to drop off my pass and got back on the road home. I did not ask how many turkeys were taken this fine Saturday but I am sure some folks got lucky.

This week my goal is to get in two good mornings of hunting and I am going to be bringing my shotgun to get in some run and gun time in so I can explore some new areas. I need to find a loud aggressive gobbler with a bit of luck on my side before 9am so I can get on the road to the office. If it takes longer, it takes longer so be it. I have never been a big run and gun hunter for spring gobblers but I am going to try and make it happen. Wish me luck and I am more then willing to take advise in the comments section!

Rich Vigue is having a great year!!!!

Yellow fin Tuna!

Doubling up on some great turkeys!
First Bull with a bow taken in the fall of 2006.


Rich Vigue is a very dedicated hunter, fisherman and wildlife conservationist! Lucky for him he has a great wife who supports his pursuits whether on the water, in the duck blind or deer stand, or chasing elk in the mountains. He is known for being a great guy to all who meet him!

Great pictures Rich!!!

Bill MacFarland Busts a big TOM!

Bill MacFarland of Bill MacFarland Adventures took to the Maryland woods yesterday and had to work hard all day to bust a big tom. About 11:30 this big bruiser came in with 22lbs of swagger, 1 inch spurs and a draggin 10.5 inch beard!!!! Congratulations!!!! Now thats a trophy I would like to take home any day!

If you would like a Maryland Turkey or any other kind of trip out with some great outfitters click on the link above and give Bill a call. He is the real deal!

Opening Day of Turkey Season

Last turkey season I spent two days in the woods. One with my good friend Brian Parks and one day with my mom. My heart and soul were not into hunting. The days I spent there I needed the love and support of my family and friends more then I need the meat or the trophy.

This year is different! I am out there to hunt and to kill! That may not sound very politically correct. The correct term in todays world is harvest! I don't hate the word harvest, it just doesn't fit how I feel when I am going out there. I am not farming animals, I am pursuing them, chasing them and choosing to kill them as a part of the hunt! It is not the most important part of the hunt to me, but it is a part of the hunt that I have missed over the past couple of years.

Personally, I am out there to hunt and kill! It is a drive and a passion to get myself into position and to have the opportunity to take the animals that are in on my list. This year my goals are to take a turkey(or two), a bear, an antelope, 4 deer, geese, ducks and at least one coyote! I have not eaten good clean game meat in over 2 years and I want to fill the freezer. I am hunting for memories, trophies and meat! I am not however going to miss the small things on my trips and I will be striving to continue to bring you the stories of my days in the field.

My morning started off with pulling into the parking area and rolling down the windows while I finished off my soda and I just listened to the day coming alive. I looked out the window and a buck was walking right towards me in the truck. He took 10 good minutes and walked right in front of the truck and crossed the road. He was definitely a young buck because he just seemed to strut by the front of the truck oblivious to anything else going on in the world.

It is amazing to me how quickly I can get turned around in the woods. I have never hunted this particular area in Quantico and in fact I have not hunted in Quantico since 2004. I walk into the woods in the dark and bam, I get turned around. I did not know I was walking in a giant circle but I was. Luckily, I finally heard a cackle and started to call. This was my first time hunting spring gobblers with a bow and my set up was all to hell and the turkey came in directly behind me and then ran off like a shot when I tried to turn. I never heard a gobble, just some hens cackling and the sound of the gobbler behind me and the sound of him running away!

My next find was this old Esso Oil can as I realized I was 100 yards from the truck. I dug out the map and decided to explore the area. I hunted in 6C and I found a ton of treasures. The area looks to be a deer heaven with a ton of great areas to explore for archery season. There are a lot of great stand areas and it looks promising for deer season! I took some pictures of some of the treasures I found!

The Dragon Tree!

Some things just crawl out of nature! This dragon needed to come out of the tree and show himself to the world.
It is the small things that are sometimes the most interesting!

The little designs of nature can be just as interesting as a painting in an art gallery!

The Rabbit knot!

Knots
The Bass Knot!
A matching pair!


Spring is coming!!!! Though not this weekend. The rain was not far behind the end of my hunt! The last 20 minutes of my walk out of the woods was drizzling and the rest of the weekend got worse and worse! We need the rain but WOW!

The Trophies that I took home for my garden! It seems that no matter where I go in Virginia I find these blue metal buckets! They must of been very popular at one time because they are spread all over the area in the woods near old dump sites!

Opening Day of Turkey Season

I hunted Quantico for opening day and I was not successful but this guy was one of the lucky 7 who took birds off of Quantico Marine Base! The weather is going to make a really tough first week so I am going to play fair weather turkey hunter for the rest of the week and get back to it on Saturday! More pictures and the complete story of my first mornings hunt coming later tonight!

My Wish List for 2007!

Double Bull Blinds


Guillotine Broad Head from Arrowdynamic Solutions. These come with a special quiver and special arrows, purchase them in the complete kit! Check out the Video on this site! I met the owner and creator last year at our NWTF banquet and these things look deadly for Turkeys!

A Turkey Hunter’s Code of Conduct

As a responsible turkey hunter, I will
• not let peer pressure or the excitement of the hunt cloud my judgment;
• learn and practice safe hunting techniques;
• hunt the wild turkey fairly;
• know the capabilities and limitations of my gun or bow and use it safely;
• obey and support all wildlife laws and report all violations
• respect the land and the landowner and always obtain permission before hunting;
• avoid knowingly interfering with another hunter and respect the right of others to lawfully share the out-of-doors;
• value the hunting experience and appreciate the beauty of the wild turkey;
• positively identify my target as a legal bird and insist on a good shot; and share responsible turkey hunting with others and work for wild turkey conservation.

Some turkey tidbits you might not know

April 5, 2007 - 3:24PM

One of the great success stories in the history of wildlife management is the restoration of the wild turkey throughout its native range, including here in North Carolina. When the first European colonists arrived on these shores, turkeys were plentiful and widespread. By the early 1900s, the bird that Benjamin Franklin had championed to be the symbol of our country was nearly extinct. Over-hunting and habitat destruction had nearly done them in.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission began a program in 1953 to reverse the wild turkey¡¦s fortunes in this state. That year birds, acquired from states where they were holding their own, were first released in suitable habitat here. Since then, 6,031 turkeys have been released on 358 restoration sites and, with careful management, have flourished. Today the NCWRC estimates the state¡¦s wild turkey population to be close to 150,000. Wild turkeys now exist in all 100 counties in North Carolina and the population is stable enough that there is a spring gobbler season in all of the counties. This year the season opens on April 14 and extends through May 12. A special Youth Turkey Hunt Day will be April 7. On that date, youngsters under the age of 16 may hunt wild turkeys on private land if accompanied by a licensed hunter at least 21 years of age. (Special provisions of the Youth Turkey Hunt Day are found on page 46 of the NCWRC¡¦s Hunting and Fishing Regulations Digest.)

READ MORE AT: ED Wall, Sun Jounal, New Bern, NC

Fredericksburg, VA National Wild Turkey Banquet

Saturday, April 7th started off with snow on the ground. There has not been snow on the ground in April in like 20+ years! Luckily it was only 2 inches and the roads were nice and clear. I had a local National Wild Turkey Foundation banquet to attend and work at. The local committee has doubled up the attendance this year and the banquet promised to be a good one. I got there at 9am ready to set up and the team pulled together and got everything ready.

The raffle table being picked over for great tickets on countless prizes and some great guns.

Some of our raffles girls and auction girls.

Brandon McGuire working over at the Jakes table helping to sign up new Jakes members and raffle off a new bicycle.

Tom Worrell and our local Virginia Fish and Game Officer talking about a recent bust of a poacher in Virginia. There is nothing I hate more then poachers! They are stealing the game that belongs to us all.
John Shaw who is a local artist here in Fredericksburg and his work is absolutely amazing. Every year he donates a couple of his great works to our chapter and they always do very well for the NWTF.

Some of our committee members!


Kelly Strauss and Family! His young daughter is getting a hair cut on Tuesday, one of her very first hair cuts and the her hair is being donated to Locks of Love. For the last several years, Kelly has been donating his services as our auctioneer and he does a great job with our crew! I have been lucky enough to be a spotter at several of these banquets and love it! I get to yell and have fun, what more can you ask for! Kelly, you have an amazing family!

We gave Brandon McGuire his scholarship for college and I got a moment to thank him for being a great friend! This chapter means a lot to me because it was at their Jakes Day that I was at passing out fishing rods to the kids where I met Brandon and Holly! I look forward to many more years of hunting with Brandon as he is has become a great friend.

Holly McGuire, Brandon McGuire, Bill Newman(Chapter Chair, Fredericksburg NWTF), myself and Kevin Grubbs(Virginia NWTF Regional Director).


Veronika walking around with a Thomas Kincaide print at our banquet!

Brandon with his scholarship.

Our live auction brought in $15,360.00 dollars for wild turkey habitat and conservation! With our raffles, silent auction, and memberships the committee had a wonderful night! Thank you to all the hunter conservationists who attended this event.

Arizona Big Game Super Raffle

The Arizona Big Game Super Raffle is Back for 2007! Your chance to win the hunt-of-a-lifetime during the 2007-2008 hunting season is now available. The Arizona Big Game Super Raffle will draw one tag for each of the species listed below: Antelope Black Bear Buffalo Coues Whitetail Desert Bighorn Sheep Elk Javelina Mule Deer Turkey (Goulds or Merriams) Paul Queneau Why These Tags are Special The season dates for each hunt is 365 days starting August 1. There are very few limitations on hunting areas and the prices for each ticket have been set to give every hunter in the world an opportunity to win a true hunt-of-a-lifetime. Arizona offers some of the best trophy opportunities in North America for each of the listed species. A quick review of both the Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young record books confirm this. If you are after a truly huge mule deer, elk, antelope, Coues deer, desert bighorn sheep, or buffalo, then Arizona is the place to hunt. The only huntable population of Gould's turkeys in the United States exists in Southern Arizona and can be hunted with this tag. Optics Raffle In addition to the hunt tags is a raffle for an optics package donated by Swarovski. This package includes 15x56 ER binoculars, 10x42 El binoculars, ST-80 spotting scope with a 20-60x eyepiece, Swarovski Laser Rangefinder and 4-12x50 rifle scope. An Outdoorsmans tripod with all the appropriate tripod adapters is included as well. Caribou Hunt Package Bonus Each person that purchases one of each species hunt raffle tickets and the Swarovski optics raffle ticket ($150 total) will be entered for a chance to win a six-day caribou hunt for two (2) animals in Quebec with Safari Nordik, a scoped firearm, air travel from any city in the Continental US to Quebec, and $500 cash for trip incidentals. The trip includes fishing at no additional charge and the opportunity to add a bear hunt at the outfitter's standard rates. Sportsman's Warehouse has generously donated this package valued at $6500! Stay tuned for more details. All entries must be received by June 25, 2007. The drawing will be held July 2007. For more information, go to arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com