My most recent trip was to The Dominican Republic; a beautiful tropical island where you relax on a beach all day long with a nice cold drink in your hand. And as awesome as that sounds we had a different plan in mind. We were there for a family wedding; however being surrounded by that much ocean was far to tempting so myself and four other people chartered a fishing trip for a day.
This time of year the success rate on Wahoo, Barracuda and Mahi Mahi are all very high, and there is always the chance to hook into a Blue Marlin, however the chances are much slimmer.
The ocean was rough as a result of an earth quake that had just happened two days prior, but we were still game. We started our charter at 8am and after a few hours it started to look pretty grim. All of a sudden a double header hit and the adrenaline started pumping. Two really nice Wahoos were landed and put in the fish box.
Just as our excitement levels were coming down from our double header another reel started screaming and it was a Barracuda, and we let it go due to its size.
It wasn’t long after when we hooked into more Wahoo, another fish landed and in the box. It was my turn on deck now. I was so excited I wanted to hook into one of these fish more than anything. All of a sudden the reel started screaming and it was in my hands; I the Wahoo fought hard for about two or three minutes and then started to give in I could finally haul back some line. The fish got closer and closer to the boat; the guide reached over and hooked it in the side, my fish was now in the boat. It was my first Wahoo and my first time fishing in a tropical environment.
It was an awesome day of tight lines, screaming reels, nice fish and tonnes of sun.
Hunting can be a fun, challenging and frustrating experience, overall it’s an emotional roller coaster, but there are those times when things happen so perfectly it is almost as if it were scripted.
Before we began baiting we fixed up our stand, it is a huge platform tucked away in the branches of the trees, with a full camo skirt around it to hide any movement. We then set up our bait barrel 25 yards from the stand; we would be bow hunting the bears. With the tree stand set up we were ready to bait.
Paul and I began baiting our bear back in August with donuts and grease (thanks to a friendly little tip from a very good friend). Once September rolled around we were also able to use reminisces of our geese carcasses after they were cleaned, which the bears seemed to love.
Our bait was active and our trail cam was set, there two bears coming in and they were complete opposites. One a small guy that could fit on top of the bait barrel…
… And another that was as tall as the barrel itself.
Now there were two bears, two hunters and a very important decision to make. I decided that I would rather see Paul kill the big bear and I would be the camera operator.
When bear season opened up we were in the stand right away; excited to see all our hard work pay off. The first afternoon it just didn’t come together’ we saw nothing; the bears were coming in at night instead of in the day time. The hunt continued on like this for the first week of the season, however the bears were slowly changing their feeding time, getting earlier and earlier, and then one day we checked the trail cam and he had come in at 6:55 at this time it was still light out until 7:30, we were closing in on our bear.
Unfortunately the bear would have to wait another night, we had a family wedding to attend, the next day it was rainy, windy, cold and all around miserable, we debated not going out at all but as they say “you can’t kill a bear from your living room” so off we went back in our stand. The rain subsided but the wind continued, and we were as relentless as the weather, we refused to give in. All of a sudden the wind came to a dead stop, the neighbours dogs started barking, a skunk came in, and the whole atmosphere changed, I slowly tilted my head and my eyes met Paul’s, our expressions said everything. We could both feel it this was our night. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Paul got into position and stood ready to draw. It was only a matter of minutes and the bear appeared out of nowhere.
We were face to face with a giant black bear, he was amazing, my heart started racing, Paul drew back and let his arrow fly, right behind the shoulder a perfect shot. Neither of us could control our excitement, we had built our stand, baited our own bear and now took him with a bow. I immediately started to climb down from the stand to find our bear; Paul however was more cautious, the light faded quickly and we had other bears coming to our bait, we knew our bear was down but did not want to run the risk of coming across another bear in the dark with only a bow.
We would wait till morning, neither of us really slept that night, so at 4:30 we jumped out of bed, got a coffee, drove to our stand and waited till light. As soon as we could see into the forest we started following our bears trail, he was a mere 65 yards from our stand in some thick bush. Our excitement levels increased even further, Paul had his first black bear kill and it was with a bow.
I quickly began to clean the carcass and when I hauled out the insides we realized it was a double lung shot, it was a perfect shot and a very nice bear. Once the bear was cleaned we dragged him out to the truck and off to the butcher the meat went. The rest of him went straight to Advanced where James wasted no time in getting us a wet score back, turns out it was 17 ½ which makes it an Ontario archery record black bear.
When it comes to hunting ducks and geese it can be extremely frustrating at times when you know you are on the bird but they don’t go down. I have been waterfowl hunting since I was six years old, and with all the different types of shot out there it can be very overwhelming when it comes to decision time.
I have shot many different types of steel as well as bismuth; I have found nothing out there like Black Cloud. It is premium ammunition and does run a little higher but my kill rate has increased and I find myself shooting fewer shots. So even with the cost increase I find myself spending no more money on shells because I have to shoot less.
How does federal do it? There are two things that separate Black Cloud and make it the best ammunition to shoot, the Flitestopper steel and the Flitecontrol wad. The Flitecontrol wad is something that was introduced a while back in their turkey loads. The Flitecontrol wad is simple, it stays with your shot longer giving you a tighter pattern and higher velocity, this all adds up to more hitting power at a faster rate. The Flitecontrol wad is not the only difference it is also the Flitestopper steel that gets the job done, this is staged with 60% premium steel to give a tighter pattern.
Flitecontrol Wad
Flitestopper Steel
Black Cloud has been out for a few years now and I have been shooting it ever since it was introduced it has made my hunts more enjoyable. The most important thing for all hunters to do when it comes to choosing ammunition is know your gun, take your gun to the range and fire off different types of shots and see what your gun likes best, count the number of pellets in “the kill zone” each gun is different and each hunter is different, it is all about finding what works for you.
Hunting is a huge part of my life and I now have someone who shares my passion for the sport. This past August my boyfriend Paul and I decided that we would venture down into the south land to hunt wild hogs.
I had hunted hogs before in Tennessee with a rifle but this time we were headed down to South Carolina to hunt them with bows. Both I and Paul had not yet killed anything with a bow, and Paul likes to hunt animals where he can become the hunted, so wild hogs were right up his alley. I however had a lump in my throat the size of a pumpkin; I was very nervous hogs scared me when I had a gun, now I was after it with a bow.
When we arrived at the hunt camp after a long 17 hour drive we were pumped and ready to hunt. We were not hunting untill the next morning which seemed liek a lifetime away. Once the excitement wore off a little i fell right to sleep and four thirty was on top of us before I knew it. After a quick coffee we were on our way to the hunting grounds. We were not walked into our stand or shown our stand in the daylight, we were simply pointed in the right direction and told to head 150 yards ahead, make a right and we should either see the stand or our bait pile. Remember it is still early and dark out, we did manage to find our tree stand, climb on in and get situated.
Paul has grown fond of sleeping out in the woods and has made me his watchful eye. With Paul fast asleep I kept a watchful eye on our bait and waited for the hogs to show, and waited, and waited and waited and then I waited. Paul eventually came to and there were no hog’s insight. The outfitter picks everyone up at 11, regroups and sends you out again at 4. This really didn’t work well for me; my philosophy is “leave me in my stand because I cannot shoot from the living room of a hunt camp”. We were both a little frustrated at the lack of hunting we were doing and the non existent game out of our stands or anyone else’s at camp. The next afternoon I expressed my frustration and we set out in the mid afternoon heat with dogs to get some hogs moving.
Only minutes into the hunt the dogs were on a nice boar. Paul was up first and my heart was in my throat. He had an arrow knocked in and was ready for the vicious hog to show itself. It appeared out of a thick cluster of bush no more than 20 yards away from the end of Paul’s broad head. All I could hear was my pounding heart; he pulled his bow up, drew back, and let his arrow fly all in one fluid movement with the grace and ease of a seasoned archer. The arrow went right through the pig and knocked it over. The outfitter was thoroughly impressed at how easy Paul made bow hunting look, he had done it and now I was on deck.
The next day we set out once again with the dogs and it wasn’t long before they were on a nice hog. It was not as big as Paul’s but it was a hog and this was going to be my first bow kill. My arrow was knocked and ready, he appeared I drew on him and panic flooded my veins, he was so close and so mean looking. I messed up the first shot and hit his shoulder quickly regrouped and stuck another arrow right behind his shoulder that almost passed right through him, it was a good shot and he wasn’t going anywhere, but he was still alive, I gave him another one and he finally went down. I had my very first bow kill and Paul was standing right beside me.
These mule deer were going at it for a long time, while the does just stood there and watched. It was an amazing sight to see. I hope you all enjoy it.
First and foremost when I travel for fishing that is exactly what is most important to me, the fish and the quality and quantity of fish I am catching. My most recent adventure was to Lady Evelyn Lake in Northern Ontario, just south of New Liskeard.
Getting to the lake is fairly easy, you meet the crew at Mowat’s Landing and they take it from there. The journey begins with a short barge trip to a dam, then you portage over the dam to Lady Evelyn Lake; from there it is about a 25 minute boat ride to the lodge.
The lake is not catch and release; you are allowed to keep a limit of fish. We were at the lodge from July 24-28th, and we mostly caught walleye, with a few bass and one pike thrown in the mix. The walleye were all caught deep in 18-23 feet of water, right on drop offs. The only thing we used to catch them was a worm and a jig. Chartreuse, pink and unpainted jigs worked best for us.
It was a fun trip; we caught some nice walleye and had lots of fun.
When thinking of fishing there are many things that pop into a persons mind, the quiet lake, the beauty that nature has to offer, the chance to get away from the city; but Torontonians need not travel far at all. Lake Ontario has some prime salmon and trout fishing and you can access it right from one of the many ports in the city.
There are numerous charters and boat launches that give anglers the opportunity to fish with all the amenities of the city. I recently did a charter out of Port Credit on the Salmon Express with four other people. It was a full day trip; we left port at 6:30 a.m. and returned at 6:00 p.m. we were fed twice while on board a BBQ lunch and a roasted chicken dinner. It was sometimes hard to get a bite in though, every time we went to sit down and eat a fish would hit the lines.
When fishing for salmon it is important to focus on temperature and not on structure; the Chinooks seem to prefer the 50 degree mark. We were using spoons and downriggers. Downriggers are a must when it comes to fishing salmon out on Lake Ontario, you want to go to the right depth that offers the right temperature and you want your lure to stay there.
The Salmon Express did a great job, we got on tonnes of fish; the food was awesome and the people were a joy to be out on the water with. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in doing a charter out on Lake Ontario.
When you hunt as much as I do, and mount everything you kill; you quickly run out of room. I have decided to go with European mounts from now on. They look awesome, and take up a lot less space. Everyone who knows me knows I do not trust anyone else but Advanced Wildlife Designs with my trophies. This is last years Saskatchewan whitetail, they did a European mount with it and then had a custom wrought iron piece made to fit my skull. It looks amazing, this is the reason I get all my work done there. I have never been disappointed, they go above and beyond on all the work they do, and the quality shines through each time.
Congratulations to Don and Jay Thompson , they tipped the scale at last weekends Tri Lakes Bassmasters two day tournament on the second day with a 20 plus pound bag. Jay and Don are sponsored by Bassaholics Lifestyle Apparel and Kawartha Lakes Outdoors in Bobcaygeon, Ontario.
These sea bass or rock bass are found off the Queen Charlotte Islands and are a lot of fun. They swim in schools so when you hook one, another one is not far behind. For a small fish they put up a very nice fight. They have very tough skin, but are made up of a delicious solid white meat.
With it being my tenth trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands I had high expectations, after all no one takes a five hour flight, a 2 and a half hour flight and a 30 minute helicopter ride to catch small fish. Unfortunately this was the case this year.
Small fish everywhere, out of a trip with 68 people on it, there were only two Tyees (salmon over 30 pounds) caught, one 31 pounds and the other 36 pounds. The first year I went out there about 60% of the fish caught were Tyees and those numbers have been going down every year.
There were lots of Coho’s caught, but even a small King was hard to come by at times. The fishery is definitely suffering, the halibut limits have also been dropped three, two years ago to currently two.
Fowl Play Outdoors is going to be connecting waterfowl hunters this season through a duck decoy. The decoy will circulate amongst waterfowl hunters for one season; each person will take the duck hunting with them for one day and then pass it along to the next person. While hunting with the duck, take lots of pictures, and before you send it to the next person be sure to sign it. Fowl Play Outdoors will be tracking the duck on their website, so be sure to send in your photos as soon as possible.
They are also looking for some help naming the duck.
With turkey season over and my next hunting trip not planned until Whitetails open up in South Carolina, it is time to focus on fishing. I have been going after the crappies right here at home, but the time came for my annual trip to Newfoundland to visit my grandmother.
Newfoundland is covered in small ponds over flowing with brook trout. With nothing more than a worm, a hook, a bobber and a small rod a reel combo, you can land fish after fish all morning. This may be a small fish but when that bobber goes down, it is a whole lot of fun.
After only three hours of turkey hunting, Paul Clark, owner of Kawartha Lakes Outdoors,
bags his first turkey!
After meeting Paul Clark, owner of Kawartha Lakes Outdoors, at the spring fishing show, and learning about his very extensive fishing resume I was somewhat intimidated. I decided I would impress him with my turkey hunting abilities. After signing him up for the turkey course and him successfully completing it we were all set.
Turkey season came up quickly and I was psyched. Paul being a fishermen, I thought would have a great deal of patience...I was wrong. Paul is into hunting, he just likes hunting animals where he can become the hunted. But since it was April he could not go bear hunting and was stuck hunting the elusive eastern turkey.
The first morning we went out the conditions were perfect, it was a cool crisp spring morning. I was stoked to be doing my favourite thing in the world, turkey hunting. Paul looked less enthused.
It was 4:30 am, and we began to walk to our spot. The sun started rising and the turkeys started gobbling. My heart started to race, Paul seemed a little bored. "How much longer before they come here?" He asked. I simply giggled to my self. He was impatient. I was amused; it took me almost four years before I got a bird, so I was prepared for the wait.
We had an unsuccessful morning but returned the next afternoon. I decided if we didn’t call them off the roost, we would get them going to the roost. We set up on a hard wood tree line, and I assured him if we sat and were patient they would come in. We were only sitting for a while when Paul once again began to get bored. "This is like watching paint dry" He moaned. I could do nothing but laugh at him.
His boredom overcame him, and he fell asleep. I didn't mind, I thought it was a good thing; at least he was sitting still now. After a short catnap, Paul opened his eyes, and was more interested in checking on his bear bait than waiting for a turkey. I gave in and began to pack my calls up. Just as we began to stand and leave, we spotted three Jakes coming around the tree line. Paul raised his shot gun, and squeezed the trigger. His first turkey went down, and adrenaline flooded my veins. I was psyched that we got his first turkey.
I calmed down and asked him what he thought of turkey hunting now? "I kinda wanted a bigger one." Was all he said.
Turkey season has officically begun in Ontario. Good luck to everyone who is out today, and congratulations to all of you who already have a bird down.
Only two more days untill the wild turkey season opens up here in Ontario. I am super pumped about this season, I have two people I will be hunting with this year that have yet to harvest a wild turkey. Turkey is one of my favorite animals to hunt.
I have been all over the continent hunting these birds, in all types of climates and my level of excitement has always remained the same. Everytime I hear a gobble shatter that early morning silence my hearts starts to race and I know that chace is on.
Congratulations to everyone who has already harvested a turkey this season, and good luck to everyone who's season is just beginning!
The new store has been open for a few weeks now. The new location is going really well, much more room and lots of new inventory. There will be a Grand Re-opening event on Saturday May 22, lots of deals and events will happening all day long.
The archery range is coming along and will officially be opening in the next few weeks.
Firearms and hunter education courses will be held in the store as well for $225 a person for the combo. Be sure to check us out!
I am a firm believer that the only way to get good at shooting is by shooting lots. Although practicing on a bench can improve your shot immensely, the best way is to practice shooting in different scenarios with all your hunting clothes on.
Shoot off a pack, use your shooting sticks, take a knee; try all the positions you would be in on a hunt. It will improve your confidence and skill level. When my younger sister started turkey hunting my father bought a real decoy, dressed her in all her turkey gear, and let her pound the decoy. She has since killed eight turkeys with eight shots. Bench shooting is very different from field shooting, and this technique is sure to improve your shot for shot guns, rifles and bows. Practise makes perfect!
Some of the best hunting and fishing photos I have do not even have any animals or fish in them. Last year my dad and I did a fly in at Kesagami Wilderness Lodge, my dad loves fishing pike right after the ice is gone. Unfortunately for us the weather was very bad on this trip; the high winds did not allow us to fish much of the lake.
We did manage to catch enough walleye for a shore lunch each day, and we hooked into some decent pike; the rain and wind never kept us in the cabin. We spent three days in a boat together laughing and making fun of ourselves, as they say; a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work!
My dad and I with my Ocellated turkey, from the jungles of Campeche.
Advanced Taxidermy (Caledon, Ontario) is almost done mounting my world slam. The Goulds, Ocellated, and Rio are all done and ready to be displayed. The Eastern, Merriam’s, and Osceola are just being finished up and are set for completion in one months time. Once all the mounts are completed they will be on display at Kawartha Lakes Outdoors, located at 38 Taylor St. in Bobcaygeon, Ontario.
Our first ever turkey hunt with all three of us, on the King Ranch in Texas for the Rio Grande gobbler.
I am currently the first and only Canadian female to hold a wild turkey world slam.
Achieving a world slam was not easy; I tried for an Eastern turkey for years and years without success. He had become my arch rival and he was winning. I had travelled to Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, New York, Pennsylvania, and of course right here in Ontario, with no luck. After being frustrated out of my mind I gave up on Eastern’s and headed to the King Ranch in Texas with my father and younger sister to shoot Rio’s. My father had killed lots of turkeys at this point, mostly Eastern’s and a Rio on the King Ranch the previous season. My sister had also shot Rio’s the previous year, so I had some catching up to do. Being a seasoned turkey hunter my sister decided she was going to help finally kill my first turkey.
I knew the challenges of killing a turkey, much less killing a turkey on film. Off we went with the turkey call crew to get my first kill on film. Matt Lindler, editor of JAKES magazine. Ended up being my tree, unfortunately there was no time for a proper set up, and we had to make do. Brian Combs, our camera man, sat behind Matt, our guide Gus was just to my right and my father and sister had hidden themselves among the mesquite trees. After all of about three minutes and entire flock of jakes were right on top of us. My heart hit like a hammer, all I could hear was the pounding, I had never been so nervous, anxious and excited in my entire life. Unfortunately there was a hill that divided the birds and us, we could hear them and knew they were right on top of us but could not get a view. All of a sudden one curious young bird stuck his head up over the crest. I squeezed my trigger and he disappeared, my heart hit harder, I started believing I had missed; until we got up, looked over and about thirty yards away there lay my first turkey, a beautiful Rio Grande. My sister, being the turkey expert she is, was slightly less than impressed by the bird’s size, but was very proud that I had finally gotten a turkey under my belt after going four years without one.
After that we were off to the Sierra Madres to shoot Goulds. I came home long enough to unpack and repack. I was excited and relieved, now I could finally go on a turkey hunt and call myself a turkey hunter. There were a great deal of birds all around our location, of course I wanted to shoot the first turkey I saw, but my outfitter had “bigger” plans for me. The next day, the day of my twenty third birthday; I was given a royal present. While driving to a previously scouted site we happened to cross paths with two mature Gould’s gobblers. We drove right past them and made a quick set up into there path and they came running competitively to the call. The first tom reached a clear patch between the thick trees. I squeezed my trigger and the turkey went down. I was in aw; I couldn’t believe it had all happened so quickly. My guide looked at me and said “Congrats on your gobbler, I wasn’t going to let you kill a Jake.” We all laughed, shook hands, and hugged; I then proceeded to carry the best birthday present I could ever imagine back to the truck. After killing a second Goulds turkey it was time to say goodbye to Northern Mexico, return to Canada for a few short days, and head down to Campeche, Southern Mexico to go after the Ocellated turkey.
Bagging an Ocellated turkey would not be an easy feat, but when it came to turkeys I was ready and used to a challenge. Once arriving in Campeche we stayed in a hotel in the city for the night and began our journey into the jungle fresh the next day. Our journey began in large, comfortable, air conditioned SUV’s. After a two hour drive we came to a stop in a small village. There stood a tiny house with a fence all around the property that protected three tiny pick up trucks. The guides worked quickly n the scorching mid day sun, transferring all of our supplies and gear. With only two seats in each truck, the number of people exceeded the number of seats. My father and I found ourselves on bench seats across one of the pickup boxes. It was thirty seven degrees Celsius that day with a humidity rating of ninety four percent. By the time we arrived in camp we were worn out from the heat; but I thoroughly enjoyed all the new sights, it being my first time in a jungle. We were shown our sleeping quarters, which consisted of a thatched roof surrounded by a bug net. Our bathing facility was a river that ran through camp, and our washroom was a hole in the ground. It was simple, primitive and peaceful, and for the next eight days this would be our home. We were living an adventure that most only read about.
After a quick nap we put our camouflage on and went out on the first hunt of the trip. The jungle was thick and full of strange smells. The howler monkeys made the worst sound of all. They sounded like screaming cats; it was loud, high pitched, agonizing and could be heard for miles; that was a sound I could never get used to. The jungle was thick and never ending, I relied solely on my guide for direction. Dads guide was Chiapas and moved through the thick foliage with grace and ease, making us look even clumsier than we actually were. All of a sudden bright blues and greens went running through the bush, it stopped; the guide told dad to shoot. He did and the bird went down. My dad rushed over the claim his Ocellated. “Senorita.” The guide laughed. “I don’t care, it’s an Ocellated.” As dad picked up his bird and examined it, he all of a sudden let out a shriek. “No spurs?” “Senorita” the guide laughed again. There was no way my dad was leaving this jungle without nice Ocellated spurs; he ended up buying another turkey tag to try again.
The next few days proved to be tough hunting, the birds would not cooperate and our time felt like it was slipping away. Dad and his guide set out to a place that had been previously scouted the night before. Through a makeshift blind and with lady luck on his side, dad got his Ocellated turkey which had spurs just under two inches.
Now it was my turn. It was getting late and we were running out of daylight. My guide claimed to hear a turkey and we followed the sound, it was getting to late to shoot, but the bird was going to roost and would give us the perfect opportunity for the morning shoot. Before I knew it we were in complete darkness. It was my dad, my guide and me; unfortunately for us, my guide was nowhere near as good at navigating through the jungle as dads; after three hours of wondering around in a big circle my dad got us to the road. When my head finally found my pillow that night my hope was dwindling for my Ocellated turkey, I felt as though my curse had been reinstated.
The next morning by some miracle, my guide had managed to put us right underneath my bird, that turkey was mine, I could feel it. Daylight broke and he was mine, I had my Ocellated turkey. My spurs were not as big as dads, as he pointed out so gracefully, and through his mishap he was leaving the jungle with a pair of birds to mount. I didn’t care though, I was beyond happy and half way to my world slam, it was the perfect ending to an extremely successful turkey season.
The 2009 season began, and I was going into this season with half a world slam, and four turkeys to my name. The first destination of this year’s turkey tour was Okeechobee, Florida. I really wanted to complete my slam this year and I felt the pressure, I had two days to get the job done. The first afternoon was more of a scouting mission than anything else; we roosted a couple of birds and were very confident for the next morning. The next day we were in our blind and set up half an hour before sunrise. The Tom started gobbling while he was still in the tree, right away my heart started pounding, he came in much faster than anticipated and my father ended up shooting that bird. It was a nice size Tom and now he had his Osceola for his slam. After lunch we went out again for my bird, we got close to a few birds but not close enough to get a shot at one. Late in the afternoon we set up on the edge of a field and we called, and called. After not hearing anything we got up and decided we would move, the second we got up I noticed a hen about 70 yards from us, we sat and waited so we didn’t get busted. All of a sudden a huge Tom presented himself in full strut. He was a little un-cooperative and Brandon whipped out big bubba to get him annoyed and bring him in close enough to get a shot off of. It worked like a charm and as soon as I could see his big red head I took my shot. My fourth bird for the slam was now down. He ended up weighing 21 pounds, with a ten inch beard, one and half inch and one and three quarter inch spurs.
With a trophy Osceola to my name we headed back to Canada and began packing our bags to go back to the Sierra Madre Mountains and hunt Goulds once again with Muy Grande Outfitters, this was my favourite turkey hunt so far and I wanted nothing more than to go back, and this time take my little sister and let her be the rookie. After bagging six gobblers we headed back home and continued the pursuit of our world slams. The Merriam was my dads final bird and my second last bird.
My dad and I travelled to Devils Tower, Wyoming. When we pulled into Whitetail Creek Outfitters, the first thing we saw was about 25 turkeys, both hens and toms just going crazy right outside the camp. Immediately I knew we were going to have a good trip. This was one of my favourite hunting experiences, my father shot his bird first, we were set up and a flock of about fifteen turkeys came right by us, my dad waited for a clear shot, and completed his world slam. The next day it was my turn. Although there were lots of toms, there were also lots of hens and it was somewhat difficult to get the toms away from the hens. We hunted hard all day and in late afternoon it was not looking so good. We were calling like crazy and could not get anything to gobble, when all of a sudden way off in the distance we heard two birds gobble hard. We set up right away hoping we could get them to come to us, without a hen intercepting them on the way. All of a sudden I saw two black spots about a mile and a half away. These birds were hot, and competing with each other to get to the hen. They continued to run and cross each others path all the way to us, this gave my heart plenty a workout; and when they got to about twenty-five yards and were well separated I got my shot. He went right down and I finally started to breathe again. It was number five in my slam and an amazing turkey experience.
When we finally arrived home again it was already May seventh, which left me plenty of time to hunt an Eastern turkey right here in my own province. But not before heading back to Wyoming to hunt with Michael Waddell and Brenda Valentine, after all my little sister needed a Merriam’s turkey as well. After three full days of hunting with the pros and watching my sister make it half way to her slam, it was time to go home. With no other subspecies left for me to hunt it was time to face my arch rival head on. I had one last thing to do before I could head out for an Eastern; I had to head up to Advanced Taxidermy and deliver my sister Merriam bird. James (one of the Advanced boys) knew I still had my Eastern to kill so he put me in touch with John Hunt from Hunt T.V. After a few quick phone calls I was off with John, my dad and John’s camera crew to kill my Eastern.
The first morning was rather shaky, we were late getting in and the wind was howling. We moved to lower ground with no success. My heart was in my throat, was I ever going to kill an Eastern? The next day we tried a whole new place and setup. We were setup in a tree line on the edge of a field. My dad started to call, a gobbler answered. My heart starting pounding, my mouth went dry, I was shaking, I was coming down with “Buck Fever.” I had to calm down and fats, because that gobbler was coming. The gobbler came into sight about 100 yards away, and then a hen appeared. “Oh no” I screamed in my head. She was curious and mad, she came right to us and got to about twenty yards from me, I was terrified she was going to bust us. The gobbler was strutting and I could see him through a patch of leaves. I put my bead on him and squeezed my trigger; he got hit, but not fatally. He began to run; I jumped up and pounded him twice. He was down, I couldn’t breathe. I started to run for him and passed out, the excitement was overwhelming. I regained my composure and went over to my bird; my sixth and final turkey for my world slam.
Tucked away in the small town of Bobcaygen, Ontario, is a small outdoors shop that may be small in size, but it is big in quality. Excelling in fishing and archery, owner Paul Clark has put together an amazing selection of quality equipment to please both anglers and hunters at fair prices. With a hands on attitude and love for what he is doing, the shop brings in both locals and visitors. It is a fun, friendly environment, it was amazing to see the Hoyt Maxxis 31 I was given being transformed into my bow right before my very eyes. Everything was tailored and fitted to me according to ability, comfort and confidence.
If you do not find what you are looking for never hesitate to ask, the product can probably be ordered, or there may be something similar. From now on this is where I will be going for advice and equipment!
Last Thursday Kawartha Lakes Outdoors and Monsens hooked me up with a brand new 2010 Hoyt Maxxis 31. With a few cam adjustments, and about three hours worth of labour spent putting on all the necessary accessories my bow was ready to be shot. Paul Clark, owner of Kawartha Lakes Outdoors, managed to drop the poundage of the bow to 45lbs, now it is just a matter of practicing technique and getting good. I have to say, I did stand my own ground in a shoot out, tying with Paul Clark. I have two months to turkey season, and I plan on practising regularly to get my confidence and comfort levels up.
I just want to say a big thank you to Kawartha Lakes Outdoors and Monsens for hooking me up with the best equipment and getting it all set up.
This was my first time ever attending the show, today was my first day so I spent my time walking around and soaking it all in. I was impressed at the amount of outfitters here, and all the new equipment available, it is so awesome to have all this under one roof.
So far I am looking at a lot of different elk hunts for 2011, and this really cool hunt in South Carolina that allows you to shoot three bucks, three hogs and one doe. I am definitely going to be doing this hunt. I have never hunted the Carolinas and it sounds like such a good time.
Tomorrow I will be getting serious about booking hunts for this year and next year. With all the options here this seems to be one of the best places to plan multiple hunts!
Just a quick update to let you know that I've added some new pictures to the gallery. You can also check some of them out in the sidebar to your right.
I also updated to CH world map! So you can get a better idea of where I've been and where these pictures were taken.
All the new content can be accessed by clicking on the Gallery tab at the top of the blog!
Along with the Pronghorn, Wyoming also offers Mule Deer. Dad and I were on a combo hunt. With my Pronghorn down the first morning, and his done shortly after; we were gearing up for opening day of Mulies. The Mule Deer were a little more challenging than the Pronghorn had been. The key was finding a nice size deer.
On the last morning of our three day hunt I saw a nice deer chasing does and we decided to move on him. He stood broadside at 150 yards. I focused on the shot, squeezed my trigger and tagged my first Mule Deer.
After being on an unsuccessful Pronghorn bow hunt, I was excited to be heading out wet to Wyoming with my 300 WSM by my side. It was nearing the end of the season, which means the animals already had some pressure, and an already skittish animal would more than likely present a great challenge. I was prepared to make a longer shot, and had all the faith in the world that I had the right gun, scope and ammunition.
When I woke up the first day to go hunting, it was well below freezing, the air was crisp and everything was still. The sun was just starting to break when we reached our hunting grounds. Right away my guide spotted a herd of Pronghorn with a more than decent buck in the mix. We drove past them and decided to sneak up behind them and use a hill as cover.
My guide remained calm, and we slowly crawled to the crest of the hill. He laid a pack in front of me, which I used as a rest for my gun. The biggest buck stood 172 yards from me. I put the crosshairs on him, squeezed my trigger and watched my very first Pronghorn go down. It was a perfect shot!
I love cooking wild game but I often find it hard to find good recipes! That's why I've decided to put together these segments featuring my favourite recipes!
